tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8983386.post2275286501170226991..comments2024-03-12T04:51:46.468-05:00Comments on Blue Gal: Today's Blue Gal Sermonette (ha)Fran / Blue Galhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18293627981248346055noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8983386.post-3176503712909597352009-02-23T07:34:00.000-06:002009-02-23T07:34:00.000-06:00yes, yes, yes and yes.yes, yes, yes and yes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8983386.post-56041933671228934352009-02-23T06:51:00.000-06:002009-02-23T06:51:00.000-06:00good luck on giving up on perfectionism. hope you...good luck on giving up on perfectionism. hope you don't find your panties on fire.jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11970302927467991410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8983386.post-86632626277979560822009-02-22T21:58:00.000-06:002009-02-22T21:58:00.000-06:00Sitting here watching the breakers roll in off Lan...Sitting here watching the breakers roll in off Lanakai, it's hard to read that you are lonely enough to weep; the Spirit in me wants to immediately touch that loneliness and make it go away.<BR/><BR/>And I'm always puzzled at the difficulty in distinguishing between religion as the sociological group-thing and religion as your personal relationship with God. "Churches" and the "church" have absolutely no business in our government; living out our values as religious persons has everything to do with any and all aspects of living, including government.<BR/><BR/>I'm glad you're getting something out of the sermons, too. But your pastor was clueless about your zen proverb; perhaps he was just nervous that someone would teach him a lesson in a sentence, instead of a sermon. <BR/><BR/>It's nice to hear that some are reflecting on the transfiguration, an episode of Christ that instantly throws his whole life and teachings into another, higher realm; the realm of the spiritual world just beyond the veil. That Jesus wanted a few of his apostles to witness his confab with a couple of spirit beings is striking in itself, but the fact that the apostles could actually put it into words after having the shit scared out of them was remarkable, too.<BR/><BR/>So all this to say thanks for sharing your life with us, BG. And the reminder to be grateful, and forgiving, always.Michael Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01966652190979739751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8983386.post-60020613314503358302009-02-22T20:49:00.000-06:002009-02-22T20:49:00.000-06:00Thanks for the link to Atheist Bloggers. I'll hav...Thanks for the link to Atheist Bloggers. I'll have to check it out.libhomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05537213558568338561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8983386.post-1386504391861651092009-02-22T19:14:00.000-06:002009-02-22T19:14:00.000-06:00Church is a hard place for those with Asperger's b...Church is a hard place for those with Asperger's becuause there are elements in Christianity where self-relfection is beneficial and as well as belonging to a community. Aspies stuggle with leaving the isolation and feel left out. Church where everyone is supposed to be welcome can easily disconnect and even harm those with Asperger's.Marcushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04433796743956627440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8983386.post-36872265045603347172009-02-22T18:25:00.000-06:002009-02-22T18:25:00.000-06:00I have to say that regarding your feelings of lone...I have to say that regarding your feelings of loneliness, I felt much the same way when I started attending Friends meeting here in DC.<BR/><BR/>However, with four months of attending and constant vocal ministry, people have started opening up to me. I'm no longer a stranger--I have become accepted as one of them. It didn't happen overnight and I only made the strides I did with great persistence. Quakers tend to be introverted, shy people and as I've thought about it, I am no longer angry at them for not being instantly friendly. In its own time, fellowship became a reality. <BR/><BR/>As for Blog Against Theocracy, as a person of faith I have long ago buried the bitterness I felt as a teenager when I rebelled against my religious upbringing. That is a battle I no longer feel compelled to fight, but I am still aware of all of the means by which religious is used as a bludgeon and a means of control that stifles individual thought and overall freedom of choice.Comrade Kevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11393718048145784837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8983386.post-79143618032092528792009-02-22T14:46:00.000-06:002009-02-22T14:46:00.000-06:00To forgive, one must first be forgiven - by yourse...To forgive, one must first be forgiven - by yourself. No matter who you meet, who you know or how well you know them, the most important person in your life is yourself. That's inclusive, not exclusive. In order to be of the most value to our family and friends, we should be as healthy and sound as we can be. <BR/><BR/>Religion is wrought with politics, like a flower garden wrought with weeds. Rather than try to weed our Garden, most of us just resign to ourselves that the weeds don't look that bad.<BR/><BR/>Faith has a way of putting us back on track when we start to look at these weeds as something other than weeds. Keeping true to your faith (even if it changes as you grow more experienced) is the best way to be of the greatest value to your family.<BR/><BR/>Keep the faith, BG. Having faith isn't the problem, it's wanting other people's faith that's the bug.David Aquariushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06357819163784758615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8983386.post-67771976004509431492009-02-22T14:33:00.000-06:002009-02-22T14:33:00.000-06:00I don't know too many non-believers who "hate" rel...I don't know too many non-believers who "hate" religion. It's hard to hate something that isn't a person. Some of us are afraid of them, because they seem to serve as an excuse for people to shut off their minds and do what they're told.<BR/><BR/>Certainly, most of us have no use for religion. That's not the same thing as hating it.<BR/><BR/>From my perspective, religions are a great Rorschach test. What people see in them has more to do with who they are than it does with what their religions are. You can <A HREF="http://scrawledinwax.com/2008/01/23/everything-i-need-to-know-i-learned-from-lost/" REL="nofollow">find wisdom</A> and <A HREF="http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=1456" REL="nofollow">inspiration</A> in <A HREF="http://cujo359.blogspot.com/2007/04/first-commandment.html" REL="nofollow">many things</A> if you're willing to look. You can find the excuse to be a hateful little bastard (or bastardette) in just about any religious text. It's really up to you.Cujo359https://www.blogger.com/profile/10385213658828021737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8983386.post-57039678939708604052009-02-22T13:46:00.000-06:002009-02-22T13:46:00.000-06:00My Dad was a clergyman in the Anglican religion. H...My Dad was a clergyman in the Anglican religion. He was all about compassion, mercy and forgiveness. I can't recall a single Hell-fire sermon coming from him. He loved Life and Creation whether it was serving up a Sunday dinner to family and guests or cradling an infant during baptism. And while I do not share the faith of my father, I will always view it as true Christianity, a life of compassion, forgiveness and service to others. In my admittedly biased opinion, every professed Christian that isn't in close proximity to his views is a poser.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8983386.post-75585015572199032182009-02-22T13:44:00.000-06:002009-02-22T13:44:00.000-06:00Well, Darkblack got here first and said it best. ...Well, Darkblack got here first and said it best. What can I add to that?Utah Savagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16385093247915560752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8983386.post-90537024959992157842009-02-22T13:24:00.000-06:002009-02-22T13:24:00.000-06:00As well as yourself, BG, I have many friends with ...As well as yourself, BG, I have many friends with whom I do not share 'faith', in the socioreligious sense - But I will defend your right to have and cherish it as strongly as I will resist all attempts to force conformity of belief upon me, whether by individual effort or government fiat. <BR/><BR/>Religion is not the problem. Ignorance and exploitation of same in a quest for power within the temporal dominion is.darkblackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06584075324283109495noreply@blogger.com