dnelson@joevax.UUCP (Dorothy Nelson) (09/23/86)
cosmique muffin, here. Decided to give the group a try. But it looks like I'm just gonna make one posting here, and quit, because it's stuff I've seen and wrangled about *again* and *again* in heavy bull sessions. I find it quite difficult to believe that anyone has even started to change anyone else's mind. HASA's vs. Christians. is anyone really listening here? And Ken Arndt, for heaven's sake, *do* calm down... who do you think you are, Jesus rousting Moneychangers? I guess I was expecting a more discursive (i.e. no cursing :-) forum here. Silly me! But I have a brainstorm of an idea... since the "evidence? what evidence?" argument seems to be going nowhere, howz bout discussing what made you believe (or not believe)? This too might go nowhere, but it might open up some fresh perspectives of the human experience. Since I'm suggesting it, I'll kick it off. If you don't like it, nuke it. I come from a family of fanatic tendency. Mom was (and is) entrenched in her Religion of Nutrition. Impassioned diatribes on Octacosanol and Fiber (and the latest theories from Carlton Fredricks) marked our waking hours at home. Groups of 10 or 20 horsepill vitamins (they were *big* muthas) were ritually consumed by us kids every morning. Eating sugar was a Sin in every sense of the word. She was also an intense Catholic, subjecting us all to 12 years of Catholic schooling. She claimed it was a "healthy" religion. My oldest sister rebelled and became a devout Fundamentalist for a while. Often I would rummage through her drawers to find those little comic books-- Chick Publications. I was 9-10, she was 17-18. Those books scared the living shit out of me. There was one about the End of the World with Christians being fried alive in torture chambers in a hellish World of Tomorrow. And one where two little kids decide not to follow the One True Way and sizzle later in the Pit. I was perversely fascinated with these books and started reading the Bible every day. I accepted Christ as my personal savior (half through fear, half because of the peace it seemed to give me, that it seemed to provide that Friend I never had). But I had doubts I couldn't reconcile. Why did the "voice" in my head that I thought was God sound remarkably like my own, or like the invisible pal I had when I was four? Why did good people go to hell simply because they had the bad luck to be born in a country where no Christian ever went? And so on. Anyhow. My sister mellowed out a *little* and became a devout Baptist. I asked her that I didn't quite know what to do, and if I wanted to do the right thing but wasnt sure and didn't believe in Christ one day and died the minute after... would I go to hell? She placed her hand on my shoulder and said yes. I was about 13 and I started taking cues from... My second oldest sister, a fiercely free spirit who eventually had more than a person's share of sit-ins, demonstrations, anarchist stuff. An actress. I did an abrupt 180 (or actually, when dealing with fanatics, it is really a 360) and followed her example. I wore my hair long and wore Indian shirts and claimed I was a Communist. The more I got "persecuted" for my belief, the stronger I became in my conviction that mine *really* was the One True Way because (after all) They are only capitalist pawns. The opposition that was most formidable, again, came from my own brain. How could I ignore that every communistic experiment had betrayed the revolution? After that I flirted with all sorts of fanatacisms: music, art, theatre, friendship, drugs, first love, and yes, religion. I read everything I could get my hands on, including the Bible. I finally concluded that being a fanatic was destroying me, and hurting my friends. A delicate balance was what I needed, since my tendency to froth was so high. You may say that I never truly listened for the voice of the Lord. I have laid awake nights praying and seeking. It sounded a whole lot like me talking to me, or silence. And I can't doublethink too long. I have to call a wabbit a wabbit. ***ENTER INTO WHIMSICAL MODE****************** I now am a member of HAHA (Hopping Ampersand & Humorist Alliance). Because it is so beautifully recursive (it makes fun of itself) I can now strike a balance. --cosmique muffin (dorothy) "Zippy!! I just had this INCREDIBLE INSIGHT!!! Humor is the UNITY of OPPOSITES!!!" "Somewhere in Downtown Burbank a prostitute is OVERCOOKING a lambchop..."
nazgul@apollo.uucp (Kee Hinckley) (09/30/86)
In article <283@joevax.UUCP> dnelson@joevax.UUCP (Dorothy Nelson) writes: > cosmique muffin, here. Decided to give the group a try. But it looks like > I'm just gonna make one posting here, and quit, because it's stuff I've > seen and wrangled about *again* and *again* in heavy bull sessions. Ditto to all of the above. > evidence?" argument seems to be going nowhere, howz bout discussing what > made you believe (or not believe)? This too might go nowhere, but it might > open up some fresh perspectives of the human experience. Thank you Dorothy! I hope it works. The fanaticism on both sides of the fence here is appalling. Finding it's origins should be educational to all. -kee -- ...{mit-eddie,yale,uw-beaver,decvax!wanginst}!apollo!nazgul Apollo Computer, Chelmsford MA. (617) 256-6600 x7587 or 499B Boston Rd, Groton MA. (617) 448-2863 I'm not sure which upsets me more; that people are so unwilling to accept responsibility for their own actions, or that they are so eager to regulate everyone else's.