surprise! god is in each of us...

[Pepi Plowman]

The only thing I ever liked about church was the
music.  The sermons put me to sleep.  We had one
fairly intelligent and educated minister at our
community church in Puerto La Cruz (we shared it with
the Catholics, who came in for 8 a.m. mass)--he
sometimes gave thought provoking sermons, but then we
got a fire and brimstone guy and everyone slept
through his exhortations.  He was always trying to
save somebody--kind of like a Jesus salesman.  I liked
Quaker meeting because it was quiet sometimes, except
for when people got up to speak. The Episcopalians and
Catholics seemed to do a lot of up and down and repeat
after me stuff.  I've never been to a temple of any
kind or a mosque, for that matter.  I'm crazy for all
the major choral works, especially Bach.  I sang them
in choirs in highschool and later.  There was some
totally inspired church music written that makes me
want to fly when I hear it.
pep
--- Wayne Johnson <cadaobh@shentel.net> wrote:
> My problem is that most of my early Church
> experience was filled with horrid white anglo saxon
> protestant hypocricy and utter dismissal of other
> religions whilst insisting that Jesus should be the
> half back on your football team.  This drivel would
> stun a ground hog for its imbecility but seemed to
> go over big in Georgetown in the Fifties.  The
> single person of deep religious faith that I knew
> personally and respected was Rev. Heinsohn of the
> University Methodist Church on the Drag. I worked
> there as a night-time custodian whilst a student at
> UT.  He was a gentleman, a true Biblical scholar and
> his sermons were absent of cliche or dumb harangues.
>  By any measure, a great person and a credit to our
> species.
> 
> wj
>   ----- Original Message ----- 
>   From: Frances Morey 
>   To: austin-ghetto-list@pairlist.net 
>   Sent: Sunday, March 28, 2004 7:54 PM
>   Subject: Re: surprise! god is in each of us...
> 
> 
>   Wayne,
>   These incidences of kindness are multiplied
> thousands of times as church members all over are
> moved to help their fellow humans. I've seen it in
> action and even experienced some of it myself in my
> darkest moments. The church is the Other place, away
> from home and the husstle 'n' bustle of the
> marketplace, where people can be quite and
> contemplative in humility, surrounded by peace and
> quiet or ethereal music, and participating in the
> familiar and predictable process of the liturgy, if
> a Mass, or listening to preachments alternating with
> the singing of hymns, if they happen to be
> protestant. I always prefered the Catholic practice
> of keeping the whole service to an hour, homily and
> all. That is merely the excuse for being together,
> though. Perhaps god is really the human matrix in
> which we immerse ourselves and the churches are
> places we are able to find other humans who are
> capable and willing to express good will--I believe
> that is so, anyway. My church experiences have been
> as described and if not I certainly let them hear
> about it. But that's another story.
>   Frances 
> 
>   Wayne Johnson <cadaobh@shentel.net> wrote:
>     I just found out yesterday that a very dear
> friend of our in Reston has
>     contract ALS and it has already progessed to the
> point where he can barely
>     brush his teeth and can't clothe himself. He and
> his wife had joined a
>     local Unitarian church a couple of years ago and
> these good people have
>     taken it upon themselves to provide a world of
> kindness, gentleness, love
>     and direct physical and emotional assistance to
> him and his wife. This
>     includes visits, shopping trips with and without
> him, food deliveries and
>     compansionship.
> 
>     To my old timey way of thinking, this is what
> "churches" used to do: love
>     people and be supportive of those in need. Every
> so often it is good (for me
>     in particular) to be reminded that there are
> those who actually practice
>     what their religion suggests is "Christian"
> behavior. Of course, the
>     Unitarians aren't exactly boil! er-plate,
> orthodox, Holey-Rollers. I believe
>     Ben Franklin was a Unitarian and possibly G.
> Washington as well. Not
>     exactly Bible thumpers. Many of these
> congregations accept neo-pagan
>     beliefs without rancor. (Oddly, the only other
> church I have found with
>     similar sentiments was a (Scottish) Episcopal
> church in Campbell, CA.
>     Campbell being vurrry Scottish as a person and a
> clan.
> 
>     Anyway. Have to say sometimes the sysems works
> and works to the benefit of
>     some who really, really deserve it.
> 
>     wj
>     ----- Original Message ----- 
>     From: "Pepi Plowman" 
>     To: 
>     Sent: Saturday, March 27, 2004 9:45 PM
>     Subject: RE: let's not do nuance
> 
> 
>     > Wayne, Judy, Tele,
>     >
>     > I'm with you all the way on the first part.
> God, what
>     > God? Which God? But allow me to elaborate
> further,
>     > below...
>     > --- telebob wrote:
>     > > Wayne-
>     > >
>     > >! ; I think as you do, and thank you for
> reminding us
>     > > that most priests and
>     > > factotems are basically criminals who spread
>     > > cultural myths
>     >
>     > totally. Myths that preceded that particular
> religion
>     > which the priests and factotems accepted as
> truth and
>     > preached, or myths that were flagrantly made
> up to
>     > suit a cultural bias in order to bring more
> ignorant
>     > humans to the "fold".
>     >
>     > (all the better
>     > > if they believe what they preach, it makes
> it easier
>     > > for them to sleep)in
>     > > order to retain and extend personal and
>     > > institutional power. This is not to
>     > > say that there are no benefits, since those
> common
>     > > mythyologies help to
>     > > create a 'public order' no matter what the
> standard.
>     > > Are religious
>     > > societies 'better' than secular societies?
>     >
>     > Fuck, no!
>     >
>     > How do
>     > > ! we measure? These are
>     > > topics worthy of millions of tomes, and
> indeed you
>     > > know they are out there
>     > > discussing this shit still, like a bunch of
>     > > sophomores who have just
>     > > dicovered 'philosophy'.
>     >
>     > How dare they abuse us by discussing them?!
> State and
>     > religion should not mix, Point!
>     > >
>     > > But my dad, who was a doctor, was in a
>     > > 'philosophical' mood one night, a
>     > > little in his cups, and he related. "I watch
> people
>     > > die and people born
>     > > every day as a part of my job, and all I can
> say is,
>     > > 'Where does the flame
>     > > go when it goes out?' Does the flame have a
> soul?"
>     >
>     > So, did he ever answer his question, or did he
> just
>     > ask?
>     >
>     > > He was not a religious
>     > > man, though he tried to keep up appearances.
> On the
>     > > other hand, he was
>     > > 'moral' person w! ho enjoyed overpaying his
> taxes and
>     > > never breaking a traffic
>     > > law.
>     > >
>     > > So when we are approached by 'holy men' of
> any
>     > > stripe, know you are being
>     > > approached by the powers of darkness.
>     >
>     > Do you really believe there is a Big Boogyman
> out
>     > there?!
>     >
>     > This includes
>     > > rabbis, priests,
>     > > mullahs, and most medicine men. I put my
> faith in
>     > > the scientific method and
>     > > its self correcting process.
>     > >
>     >
>     > Man, I'd hate to be on the back end of a "self
>     > correcting process" inflicted on me by a
> source
>     > outside myself (like doctors and lawyers and
>     > policemen) when I had resources available to
> me that
> 
=== message truncated ===


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