CONNECTING YOU TO MY OTHER BLOG
5 years ago
Saturday, October 9, 2010
MUST FREEDOM BE OUR HIGHEST VALUE?
freedom, freedom,FREEDOM,freedom . . . freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose, freedom is worshiped in this country; to realize how true that is, consider how heretical it sounds- "freedom is worshiped in this country."
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
MRS. D'S STORY, CONTINUED
In my post titled ROMANS 8:28, I started telling about Mrs. D, my next door neighbor up in Cottage Grove in Houston, back in 1983. My husband and I had married that April; and he was from an Assembly of God background. I was interested in different expressions of Christian faith, so I was not rejecting the way my husband's parents' church expressed themselves in their service and in general conversation. But knowing Mrs. D helped me so much to understand and accept their ways.
Mrs. D had been a "pentacostal" Christian, as had my in-laws, for many years, since the THIRTIES. She went to the RAYMOND T. RICHIE EVANGELISTIC TEMPLE when she could.
She spoke in 'an unknown tongue' whenever she felt inspired to. She listened to Bible teachers and other Christian programs on radio daily. She actually took it all seriously, talking to others about Jesus and telling them how important it had been for her to find Jesus and to be able to go to Him for forgiveness and comfort. She was willing to tell her story- that she had been bullied into having THREE abortions by her sisters-in-law (they applied pressure to her husband, and he knuckled under to them, I guess because they were giving some support to the couple)- in order to impress to her hearers how important and loving Jesus is. She gave out tracts to whomever would take them. She even invited some boys in the neighblorhood to go to church because their parents were not church-goers. They walked.
So I got to know this amazing, almost blind, kind-of-silly-sometimes woman over the course of two years, doing everyday things, sitting and talking, sitting on the porch swing enjoying the weather, washing her hair, etc. In this way I got to know about the 'pentacostals' in a way I never could otherwise. I am so thankful.
Mrs. D had been a "pentacostal" Christian, as had my in-laws, for many years, since the THIRTIES. She went to the RAYMOND T. RICHIE EVANGELISTIC TEMPLE when she could.
She spoke in 'an unknown tongue' whenever she felt inspired to. She listened to Bible teachers and other Christian programs on radio daily. She actually took it all seriously, talking to others about Jesus and telling them how important it had been for her to find Jesus and to be able to go to Him for forgiveness and comfort. She was willing to tell her story- that she had been bullied into having THREE abortions by her sisters-in-law (they applied pressure to her husband, and he knuckled under to them, I guess because they were giving some support to the couple)- in order to impress to her hearers how important and loving Jesus is. She gave out tracts to whomever would take them. She even invited some boys in the neighblorhood to go to church because their parents were not church-goers. They walked.
So I got to know this amazing, almost blind, kind-of-silly-sometimes woman over the course of two years, doing everyday things, sitting and talking, sitting on the porch swing enjoying the weather, washing her hair, etc. In this way I got to know about the 'pentacostals' in a way I never could otherwise. I am so thankful.
CLEMENTINE
A movie that has profoundly inluenced me is ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND.
I think it is a very beautiful movie some themes of which are redemption, forgiveness, acceptance of imperfections of others and of life. (The movie-mainly by Charlie Kaufman (yeay for Charlie Kaufman)- DOES include sex outside of marriage. Though Charlie's characters embrace that lifestyle, and the movie portrays that as a possible root to happiness-which is not part of my value system, I accept that as a story line that appeals to many people.)
I want to talk a very beautiful part of that movie that really expressed a concern/phenomenon that I believe really needs expressing. I AM GIVING YOU A SPOILER ALERT HERE IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE MOVIE W/O KNOWING STUFF ABOUT IT: At the start of the movie, which we later find out is closer to the end of the story, the two main characters/the dear ones/ the romantic couple meet for what they think is the first time. When she tells him her name is Clementine, he, Joel, says, "Oh cool. Did you know that means 'merciful'?" It was only later that I realized that Joel was only able to come up with that true original meaning for the name "Clementine" because all of his previous memories of meeting Clementine and learning her name had been erased. Because of that, all the "joke-y"
meanings -"Oh my darlin', oh my darlin'. . ." , the cartoon hounddog, and the diminutive delicious oranges- had been erased from his memory along with all his previous memories of her. How sweet and transcendent that Joel thought of 'merciful' when heard "Clementine." Was Author Charlie commenting on how clogged all our communications are with silly, "joke-y" talk; that we are so geared
toward making jokes and being amusing (and amused) and appearing smart, that we have become poor in meaningful communication?
I think it is a very beautiful movie some themes of which are redemption, forgiveness, acceptance of imperfections of others and of life. (The movie-mainly by Charlie Kaufman (yeay for Charlie Kaufman)- DOES include sex outside of marriage. Though Charlie's characters embrace that lifestyle, and the movie portrays that as a possible root to happiness-which is not part of my value system, I accept that as a story line that appeals to many people.)
I want to talk a very beautiful part of that movie that really expressed a concern/phenomenon that I believe really needs expressing. I AM GIVING YOU A SPOILER ALERT HERE IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE MOVIE W/O KNOWING STUFF ABOUT IT: At the start of the movie, which we later find out is closer to the end of the story, the two main characters/the dear ones/ the romantic couple meet for what they think is the first time. When she tells him her name is Clementine, he, Joel, says, "Oh cool. Did you know that means 'merciful'?" It was only later that I realized that Joel was only able to come up with that true original meaning for the name "Clementine" because all of his previous memories of meeting Clementine and learning her name had been erased. Because of that, all the "joke-y"
meanings -"Oh my darlin', oh my darlin'. . ." , the cartoon hounddog, and the diminutive delicious oranges- had been erased from his memory along with all his previous memories of her. How sweet and transcendent that Joel thought of 'merciful' when heard "Clementine." Was Author Charlie commenting on how clogged all our communications are with silly, "joke-y" talk; that we are so geared
toward making jokes and being amusing (and amused) and appearing smart, that we have become poor in meaningful communication?
Saturday, October 2, 2010
COMBINING
i now cannot gain access to my other blog "APOLOGIA" at rethinking1776.blogspot.com. therefore, i will put all my stuff, such as it is, on this site and theologica.ning.com. the access denial has to do with my having started the other blog using a non-google address. maybe i'm not supposed to be doing this anyway.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
ONE THIRD, ONE THIRD, ONE THIRD
Well, It's time for me to write about this topic specifically- The American Revolution and how the decission to fight it fits with the Christian worldview as put forth in the New Testament.
Just an update for now.
When I first started researching this when my children were in elementary, I could not find more than a tiny bit of info on the 1/3 of the colonists who were against the Amer. Rev. based on their Christian convictions. I found in EERDMAN'S RELIGION IN AMERICA that it was about one third of the total population who were pacifists or consciencious neutralists; and one third were loyalists to the British Government; and one third ( the 1/3 that won the war) believed that the colonists were justified in fighting a war against the government over them- a war in which people died, people had to leave all that they had to escape the anger of their neighbors who believed different than them, etc.
Way back there when I was starting the research (circa 1993), my husband's comment when I told him I couldn't find info, was "The winners get to write the history books."
Well, I was over at the U of Houston recently and decided to see what they had. I looked up "loyalist literature" as I had tried to do 17 years earlier. I was delighted to find that they have in the library quite a few books on that subject. However, when I looked at the books I realized that maybe none had to do with Biblical objections to the war. Back to search again. I will google "Anabaptist" and "Quaker".
Just an update for now.
When I first started researching this when my children were in elementary, I could not find more than a tiny bit of info on the 1/3 of the colonists who were against the Amer. Rev. based on their Christian convictions. I found in EERDMAN'S RELIGION IN AMERICA that it was about one third of the total population who were pacifists or consciencious neutralists; and one third were loyalists to the British Government; and one third ( the 1/3 that won the war) believed that the colonists were justified in fighting a war against the government over them- a war in which people died, people had to leave all that they had to escape the anger of their neighbors who believed different than them, etc.
Way back there when I was starting the research (circa 1993), my husband's comment when I told him I couldn't find info, was "The winners get to write the history books."
Well, I was over at the U of Houston recently and decided to see what they had. I looked up "loyalist literature" as I had tried to do 17 years earlier. I was delighted to find that they have in the library quite a few books on that subject. However, when I looked at the books I realized that maybe none had to do with Biblical objections to the war. Back to search again. I will google "Anabaptist" and "Quaker".
NOT EQUIVALENT
A Bible teacher here in Houston that I appreciate when I have been able to hear her- Mary Jean Pigeon- was once talking in passing about a woman who seemed superficially to be doing all the right Christian things, but had gotten into a very rough place in her life that seemed to come out of the blue.
Sister Pigeon said in the course of her teaching ( tho' she did not say this to the people involved in the discussion of this woman's troubles) that she COULD see where this woman had fallen down on the job in some way that led in part to these troubles (Sis' Pigeon did not elaborate.)
I could understand that.
What I mean by the title of this blog is that two different women going to church, with approximately the same observeable level of involvement, and approximately the same type of cordial interaction with fellow churchgoers could have radically different whole-life styles which could bring forth very different futures, including their children's attitudes toward the established christian church and the standards that christians agree are important.
My reasons for putting this post out are not theoretical.
That's all I have to say for now.
Sister Pigeon said in the course of her teaching ( tho' she did not say this to the people involved in the discussion of this woman's troubles) that she COULD see where this woman had fallen down on the job in some way that led in part to these troubles (Sis' Pigeon did not elaborate.)
I could understand that.
What I mean by the title of this blog is that two different women going to church, with approximately the same observeable level of involvement, and approximately the same type of cordial interaction with fellow churchgoers could have radically different whole-life styles which could bring forth very different futures, including their children's attitudes toward the established christian church and the standards that christians agree are important.
My reasons for putting this post out are not theoretical.
That's all I have to say for now.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
FUTURE POSTS
The focus of this blog space is more about the specific effect that the "1776 decision" has had on american culture, american christian culture and of course, by extension, world cultures, christian, secular or otherwise.
(I am, of course splitting up my efforts onto this blog, and theologica.ning, and APOLOGIA, which is at rethinking1776.blogspot.com. Also, I need to do actual physical things in my part of this universe.)
future posts, I hope, will be:
-NOT EQUIVALENT
-LOVE IS . . .
-
(I am, of course splitting up my efforts onto this blog, and theologica.ning, and APOLOGIA, which is at rethinking1776.blogspot.com. Also, I need to do actual physical things in my part of this universe.)
future posts, I hope, will be:
-NOT EQUIVALENT
-LOVE IS . . .
-
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