The Most Hated Family in America
I recently watched the documentary "The Most Hated Family in America" by the Amazing Louis Theroux. (He has many more documentaries available to watch on Google Video-Watch them!)
The views of the Phelps family are deplorable to most people, yet some of their behaviors remind me of "saner" groups of Christians.
They seemed unable to recognize their own cherry picking of scriptures to support their beliefs.
They stayed within their own insular group and kept "outsiders" at bay.
The felt getting the TRUTH out was more important that respecting others as people.
There were a few other things that seemed creepily familiar to me but I will have to watch the documentary again to remember.
My main thoughts though were worry for the brainwashed children of this cult...except that they seemed happy and secure in their delusions, not insecure and miserable like I am with my little slices of truth.
At the same time I wanted to shout to them...but there is so much more!
The other main thought was how all the attention that the media and rival protest groups are giving the Phelps seems to be adding fuel to the fire. Maybe if people ignored them or simply treated them only with loving kindness they might see their error. All this hating them back only reinforces the Phelps beliefs.
I also enjoyed watching a dharma talk on superstition by this guy. It was good to see that one of the main things that troubled me about Buddhism also troubled this Buddhist monk. He also pointed out some superstitions I cling to and simple ways to avoid living superstitiously.
in other news...
Volunteering with Bridge Refugee Services seems to be a bust. We filled out the forms and attended the initial meeting, but haven't heard anything back. Last time I had to play a long game of phone tag, and calling back after hearing nothing just to get to the point of attending the first meeting. I don't want to be to hard on them because I know from personal experience what a chore it is to manage volunteers, but we are willing and ready to help so utilize us already.
I have started refering to myself as less than fully Adventist in conversations with strangers. On a recent camping trip I told a Park Ranger who learned that I had attended Southern that I was a "Bad-ventist" after he teased me and my fellow campers about camping on the Sabbath.
A parent at my preschool explained that he understood our Meat Free school policy since he grew up SDA. I said I "grew up SDA" too instead of saying, "I am SDA"
As mentiond in my last post, I think this is all just a "trying out the novelty" phase. Seeing as I still go to church and eat Big Franks, I still feel mostly SDA.
Thanks for all the responses so far. They are appreciated. I am working on some more posts, so keep on reading.
The views of the Phelps family are deplorable to most people, yet some of their behaviors remind me of "saner" groups of Christians.
They seemed unable to recognize their own cherry picking of scriptures to support their beliefs.
They stayed within their own insular group and kept "outsiders" at bay.
The felt getting the TRUTH out was more important that respecting others as people.
There were a few other things that seemed creepily familiar to me but I will have to watch the documentary again to remember.
My main thoughts though were worry for the brainwashed children of this cult...except that they seemed happy and secure in their delusions, not insecure and miserable like I am with my little slices of truth.
At the same time I wanted to shout to them...but there is so much more!
The other main thought was how all the attention that the media and rival protest groups are giving the Phelps seems to be adding fuel to the fire. Maybe if people ignored them or simply treated them only with loving kindness they might see their error. All this hating them back only reinforces the Phelps beliefs.
I also enjoyed watching a dharma talk on superstition by this guy. It was good to see that one of the main things that troubled me about Buddhism also troubled this Buddhist monk. He also pointed out some superstitions I cling to and simple ways to avoid living superstitiously.
in other news...
Volunteering with Bridge Refugee Services seems to be a bust. We filled out the forms and attended the initial meeting, but haven't heard anything back. Last time I had to play a long game of phone tag, and calling back after hearing nothing just to get to the point of attending the first meeting. I don't want to be to hard on them because I know from personal experience what a chore it is to manage volunteers, but we are willing and ready to help so utilize us already.
I have started refering to myself as less than fully Adventist in conversations with strangers. On a recent camping trip I told a Park Ranger who learned that I had attended Southern that I was a "Bad-ventist" after he teased me and my fellow campers about camping on the Sabbath.
A parent at my preschool explained that he understood our Meat Free school policy since he grew up SDA. I said I "grew up SDA" too instead of saying, "I am SDA"
As mentiond in my last post, I think this is all just a "trying out the novelty" phase. Seeing as I still go to church and eat Big Franks, I still feel mostly SDA.
Thanks for all the responses so far. They are appreciated. I am working on some more posts, so keep on reading.
Comments
It's kind of hard explaining what we are as a couple to others...Jeff was raised Baptist, I was raised adventist, we go to a Methodist contemporary church service SOMETIMES b/c you get to where jeans, listen to contemporary music, the preacher is our age (and down to earth), and they serve cofee.
We both believe that people get out of the Bible or any other religious document what they want or are raised to see.
Jeff called me Hope when we first got together. I think that is how we view God...someone who gives us Hope...that things will get better, that the cruelty we see in this world was not meant to be, that there is life beyond the grave, and someday Jeff won't be in physical pain.
I believe in love also...I guess that is why I got married again (to the right person this time). I guess its kind of nieve, but it works for me. My interpretation of Jesus' life was one of love, lifting up the poor & oppressed and advocating for social justice...(of course this I will fully admit is the Gospel according to an MSW-V)
But other than that, I could leave the rest of the stuff that "Christianity" espouses out. I have chosen not to explore any Eastern religions because I have seen the worst side of them in asian countries like India and Thailand. Growing up in Thailand, in my child-like mind Buddhism seemed to rigid for me, but I have seen those who espouse it in this culture that I have great respect for.
How do you put all that into one word when someone ask you what religion are you/what church do you go to?
-Joshua