Have you explored other religions?

[Julia1996]

Let me give an example from my own family. Sometimes my daughter and her husband are lax about going to Mass on Sundays. My two grandchildren, ages 5 and 8 have been known to remind them…I once heard the 5yr old tell her father “You need to come to church with us today.” He got dressed and went. Because of the children, they have been much more faithful about going to Mass.

One time they were visiting and the 8yr old, who was 5 at the time, saw my Rosary on the end table, picked it up, looked at the Crucifix, and spent the next few minutes telling Jesus how much she loved Him, how she knew He was always there even though she could not see Him, how beautiful He was, etc. Then she took the Rosary around to everyone in the room–parents, grandparents, sister and made everyone kiss the Crucifix and tell Jesus they loved Him. That is how small children are–bold and unashamed and believing. They can be perfect little witnesses.

That’s really sweet. I wish I had siblings, then I wouldn’t be so bored all the time.

Your example made tqualey’s point clearer for me. Thank you.

 

[Julia1996]

Hi, Julia1996,

I used to teach … and your comment on Spell Checker caught my eye. So, I have a little challenge for you! Read the following poem and see how many mis-used words you can find. Now, if you read the poem to someone out loud - it sounds perfectly fine… but, that is because all of the errors can be grouped into a misuse of homonyms.

Here is the poem - let me me know how many you find!
Aaah! Let me check the time. 1:45 AM. If I miss some, it could be from lack of sleep and not lack of knowledge. This way you will never know.At least I won’t embarrass myself.
Owed to a Spellchecker

I have a spelling checker
It came with my PC
It plainly marks four my review It plainly marks for my review
Mistakes I can knot see Mistakes I cannot see
I ran this poem threw it, I ran this poem through it
Your sure reel glad to know. You’re sure real glad to know
Its very polished in it’s weigh It’s very polished in it’s way
My checker tolled me so. My checker told me so

It freeze yew lodes of thyme. It frees you loads of time
It helps me write styles to read, ??? Not so sure about this one
And aides me when I rime. And aids me when I rhyme
Each frays come posed up on my screen. Each phrase comes posted up on my screen
I trust to be a jewel ??? Not sure about this one either
The checker pour o’er every word The checker pores over every word
To check some spelling rule.

Before a veiling checkers Before availing checkers
Our spelling mite decline Our spelling might decline
And if were lacks or have a laps, And if we’re lax or have a lapse
We would be made to wine. We would be made to whine
But now because my spelling
Is checked with such a grate flare Is checked with such great flair
There are no faults with in my cite, There are no faults within my sight
Of non I am aware. Of none I am aware

Now spelling does know Face me, Now spelling does not faze me
It does know bring a tear. It does not bring a tear
My paper are due glad then ???Aaah. I don’t know so many
With wrapped words fare as here. With wrapped words fair and clear
To write with care is quite a feet To write with care is quite a feat
Of which one should be proud.
And wee must do the best we can, And we must do the best we can
So flaws are not aloud. So flaws are not allowed

So I can see why I do prays So I can see why I do praise
Such soft ware for pea seas. Such software for PCs
And why I brake in to a verse And why I break into verse
By writing want to please. By writing I want to please
–Jerry Zar, Dean of the Graduate School Northwestern Illinois University

And for those who like this kind of thing (or at least want to avoid such errors… here is a nice link: cooper.com/alan/homonym_list.html)

Concerning your age - enjoy your age - each new year brings growth and development (you will not always be your current height) along with new knowledge and chances to develop wisdom.
I will try but it is really hard to enjoy spending the first year of high school with pimples all over my face and braces.
God bless

 

[tqualey]

Hi, Julia1996,

You did so well! I am very proud of you!

Now I know you will get a tickle out of this … look at the title… It should be Ode to a Spell Checker … now ‘Owed’ to a Spell Checker!

Now, wasn’t that a totally outrageous poem? But, it has a moral - and that is you need to be very careful of what you do with Spell Checker. It is a convenience, that can easily move to being a crutch … and then leave you high and dry when it comes to submitting an important document. Feel free to share this with your fellow students - and, I am sure your teachers will get a chuckle out of it, too.

God bless

Julia1996:

 

[FaithG]

Julia,
I could not help but smile when I read your post. Cinette does not mean to say she doesn’t believe you are 13 – you have nothing to prove. What she means is that, at 13, you have already learned what many 30-yr. olds are still struggling to grasp. She is referring to your questing mind, your willingness to seek advice, and your emphasis on religion and truth and God. Some people go their whole lives ignoring the Spirit, and then they wake up at 60 and realize the mess their lives have become. You are starting out with your compass searching for north – so even if you take a misstep now and then, at least your heart is headed in the right direction. As to spelling… well, perhaps it’s not a fact emphasized in school where perfection is idolized, but many, many adults simply cannot survive without a spellchecker. You would not believe some of the correspondences I have read. So peace, peace, Julia – accept that you are gifted without protesting! Give God credit where He has given you ability.

About my statement where you asked for clarification – I said your grandpa not being Catholic might explain your parents’ disapproval of Catholicism. There are two types of people: those who disapprove of a religion through ignorance, and those who disapprove through experience. Someone who disapproved from ignorance might be a Baptist who thought Catholics worship saints, rather than asking for intercession. However, your grandmother was Catholic, so your parent would hardly be ignorant in that way. So clearly your parent disapproves from experience. This could be any number of a huge range of experiences. Perhaps your parents knew some Catholics who were sinful, and made wrong stereotypes about all Catholics. Perhaps they decided divorce and abortion were okay, and didn’t see why it should be wrong. Perhaps your grandpa convinced them while they were growing up that Catholicism was flawed. Perhaps they simply didn’t like some of the rules and traditions. It could be any number of things.

But with regard to Mother Angelica, all I’m saying is that when you follow God’s will, you become a vessel for Him to do amazing things. Sometimes you can’t even see the good that is done through you, but it’s there. When Joseph was sold into Egypt, he had no idea God would use him to save so many people from famine. When Jesus’ apostles withstood persecution, they could not have dreamed that generations later Christianity would become the major world religion. A singer, Rebecca St. James, said that after composing one of her songs, “Go and Sin No More”, she had people writing to her telling her that her song had kept them from committing suicide. A single sentence that you drop, unknowing, can change somebody’s life. It’s like a pebble in a river – the ripples go on forever.

Do not fear about your courage. Almost two years ago, I prayed for God to give me courage, because I realized I wasn’t strong enough for the challenges ahead of me. God chose to answer my prayer, as He has always answered all my prayers. But He did it in a way I never expected – like Cinette said. When I needed a car, God gave me one. When I needed an apartment He have me one. When I needed friends, He gave me those as well. In the last 18 months, I have changed residence; gotten my first apartment; bought my first car; gotten my driver’s license; fallen in love; developed a whole new social network; shifted my religious outlook; changed jobs; helped launch a volunteer group; enrolled in college; transitioned from oil lamps and wood cooking to electricity and cell phones; completely altered my relationships with family and relatives (some good, some bad). Now my friends, including a professional psychologist who works with me, tell me that I am very courageous. But I have learned something startling: I am no more courageous than when I started. But I do have a much closer relationship with God. There is no such thing as the kind of courage where you charge out boldly, unafraid. True courage means recognizing where God wants you to go, and then trusting Him to make it all work out, because you know He has a plan for you. God will open the door for you, but He needs you to take that one step. Taking that one step is courage. I believe you have what it takes. As long as you have God, you have everything.

By the way, I love Charlotte Church, so thanks for the link.

FaithG

 

[Cinette]

Julia,
I could not help but smile when I read your post. Cinette does not mean to say she doesn’t believe you are 13 – you have nothing to prove. What she means is that, at 13, you have already learned what many 30-yr. olds are still struggling to grasp. She is referring to your questing mind, your willingness to seek advice, and your emphasis on religion and truth and God. Some people go their whole lives ignoring the Spirit, and then they wake up at 60 and realize the mess their lives have become. You are starting out with your compass searching for north – so even if you take a misstep now and then, at least your heart is headed in the right direction. As to spelling… well, perhaps it’s not a fact emphasized in school where perfection is idolized, but many, many adults simply cannot survive without a spellchecker. You would not believe some of the correspondences I have read. So peace, peace, Julia – accept that you are gifted without protesting! Give God credit where He has given you ability.

About my statement where you asked for clarification – I said your grandpa not being Catholic might explain your parents’ disapproval of Catholicism. There are two types of people: those who disapprove of a religion through ignorance, and those who disapprove through experience. Someone who disapproved from ignorance might be a Baptist who thought Catholics worship saints, rather than asking for intercession. However, your grandmother was Catholic, so your parent would hardly be ignorant in that way. So clearly your parent disapproves from experience. This could be any number of a huge range of experiences. Perhaps your parents knew some Catholics who were sinful, and made wrong stereotypes about all Catholics. Perhaps they decided divorce and abortion were okay, and didn’t see why it should be wrong. Perhaps your grandpa convinced them while they were growing up that Catholicism was flawed. Perhaps they simply didn’t like some of the rules and traditions. It could be any number of things.

But with regard to Mother Angelica, all I’m saying is that when you follow God’s will, you become a vessel for Him to do amazing things. Sometimes you can’t even see the good that is done through you, but it’s there. When Joseph was sold into Egypt, he had no idea God would use him to save so many people from famine. When Jesus’ apostles withstood persecution, they could not have dreamed that generations later Christianity would become the major world religion. A singer, Rebecca St. James, said that after composing one of her songs, “Go and Sin No More”, she had people writing to her telling her that her song had kept them from committing suicide. A single sentence that you drop, unknowing, can change somebody’s life. It’s like a pebble in a river – the ripples go on forever.

Do not fear about your courage. Almost two years ago, I prayed for God to give me courage, because I realized I wasn’t strong enough for the challenges ahead of me. God chose to answer my prayer, as He has always answered all my prayers. But He did it in a way I never expected – like Cinette said. When I needed a car, God gave me one. When I needed an apartment He have me one. When I needed friends, He gave me those as well. In the last 18 months, I have changed residence; gotten my first apartment; bought my first car; gotten my driver’s license; fallen in love; developed a whole new social network; shifted my religious outlook; changed jobs; helped launch a volunteer group; enrolled in college; transitioned from oil lamps and wood cooking to electricity and cell phones; completely altered my relationships with family and relatives (some good, some bad). Now my friends, including a professional psychologist who works with me, tell me that I am very courageous. But I have learned something startling: I am no more courageous than when I started. But I do have a much closer relationship with God. There is no such thing as the kind of courage where you charge out boldly, unafraid. True courage means recognizing where God wants you to go, and then trusting Him to make it all work out, because you know He has a plan for you. God will open the door for you, but He needs you to take that one step. Taking that one step is courage. I believe you have what it takes. As long as you have God, you have everything.

By the way, I love Charlotte Church, so thanks for the link.

FaithG

*Of course Julia has a wisdom beyond her years. She reminds me of my little granddaughter Sacha who was sitting in the back seat of my car as I was driving somewhere when she suddenly piped up "Granny, how long have you had this car?

One does not expect such a question from a child who is only 2 1/2! How long…? This is not a concept a little child would understand!

As for you Faith. You should get the book by Patrick Madrid “Surprised by Faith”. I have read it several times.

Gotta go. Am soooo busy!

Blessings
Cinette*

 

[FaithG]

*Of course Julia has a wisdom beyond her years. She reminds me of my little granddaughter Sacha who was sitting in the back seat of my car as I was driving somewhere when she suddenly piped up "Granny, how long have you had this car?

One does not expect such a question from a child who is only 2 1/2! How long…? This is not a concept a little child would understand!

As for you Faith. You should get the book by Patrick Madrid “Surprised by Faith”. I have read it several times.

Gotta go. Am soooo busy!

Blessings
Cinette*

Thanks, Cinette. I will ask my library for it. What is it about… or should I find out when I read it? Right now, I am poring through several books at once: the Catholic catechism, The New Jerome Bible Commentary, a book on G.K. Chesterton, and a teach-yourself Greek book, which my friends have all encouraged me to read. This on top of US history for my clep exam next month, and full-time classes starting this week. Somehow I manage to squeeze them in between my work, but it means I take a long time to read any one thing.

I have a question Cinette: earlier on one of these posts, someone --you?-- asked what was the ten percent I was finding difficult. I couldn’t answer because classes, working overtime, and dating :blushing: nibbled away my internet time. Would you be able to explain what is the metaphysical relationship between the Father and the Holy Spirit? I’m having difficulty grasping the individuation. I finally understand fully the interrelationship between Catholic communion and Jesus, and Jesus and the Father, after my professor was explaining the contrast between Christian incarnation and Islamic inlibration, and I spoke with some friends about it. But the second part evades me a little. The catechism seems to take the basic philosophical concept for granted.

If you have time for a second question, it concerns Satan. My Baptist grandparents preached the Rapture, and a fire-and-brimstone Hell. My parents discovered much of this was not Biblical, and I had always said I didn’t believe in hell. Since then, I have listened to Catholic radio and spoken with a priest, and discovered that Catholicism perceives hell more as a state of eternal misery, than as a physical realm with lava and pitchforks. I found, to my surprise, that I can agree with the Catholic concept of Hell. I never realized it before, because the same term was used for a different concept.
This has led me to question my visual concepts of Satan, which I also had always found difficult to accept. I am told Catholics, like Baptists, believe he was a fallen angel, but after learning about critical thinking methods and innate learning processes, I have realized a lot of definitions are learned by assimilation and then simply taken for granted. Moreover, I am curious how much of which concepts are dogma, and how much is doctrine? So bearing in mind that angel means “messenger” in the original tongue, what is the Catholic definition of an angel in its simplest theological terms?
I’d appreciate any (name removed by moderator)ut. Thanks!
FaithG

 

[Alcrusader]

Have you explored other religions?

• Yes, Islam.

What do you think about it?

• I knew that Christ is the only savior. Islam is a another path that gets you to the Messiah. But it’s a long and not easy path. But in the end you gonna find out the their is no savior but Christ.

Have you change your faith?

• No, never.

 

[Sonny1954]

tqualey asked: I was wondering what the Catholic view is on prayers made by people of other denominations. Are Catholics adverse to having Protestants pray for them?

Certainly not me. Anyone who loves God and strives to seek God’s company and blessing may pray for me anytime they wish. And I have prayed for them.

It’s odd how we put God into a little box and say “He’s that” or “He belongs to this group.” God is absolutely incomprehensible. Even Jesus did not show us the totality of his Father’s majesty. Our minds couldn’t handle it. I think a God that “big” will listen to the prayer of anyone who seeks him.

 

[tqualey]

Hi, FaithG,

If you don’t mind me putting in a thought or two … But, the most important item will be that after looking at your schedule … please take time to eat, sleep and smell a rose every now and then. Your schedule looks like taking care of basic physiologic needs is optional! And, dating, too… ! This December, my wife and I will have been married for 40 years… so, of all the things on your list - get that one right…because it is the longest commitment you will ever find!

Now, on to some serious work…

Let me cut to the conclusion before getting involved in a lot of detail. Both questions: the nature of the Holy Spirit and the nature of Hell - are mysteries! While the former is profoundly more mysterious than the latter… an intimate knowledge of both is beyond human reasoning. So, anyone who says, “I understand God…or, I understand Hell” is mistaken, lying, delusional or truly insane! While we have some limited understandings - we are best advised to realize our limitations up front and then move forward using the teachings of the Catholic Church as our guide.

I have a question Cinette: EDITED FOR BREVITY Would you be able to explain what is the metaphysical relationship between the Father and the Holy Spirit? I’m having difficulty grasping the individuation.

Here we are talking about the Nature of God… and while St. Patrick’s analogy about the three-leafed shamrock is good …(showing one plant with three leaves giving us the idea of One God with Three Divine Persons) it is also quite limited. God can not be packaged into an analogy or a metaphor - he truly transcends all of our understanding.

The other concern is that by our very human way of communicating, we are time-oriented, and God is time-LESS - He is infinite. We use masculine pronouns for several reasons, but, it should be recalled that God is sex-LESS. So, with these additional qualifications let me share with you an idea. God so loved Himself, that His Love generated (not created) the Son - the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. The Love between the Father and Son generated (not created) the Holy Spirit - the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity. This is why St. John says, “God is love”. (1John 4:8)

Here are some links you may find helpful:

newadvent.org/cathen/06612a.htm

newadvent.org/cathen/15047a.htm

catholic.com/library/God_in_Three_Persons.asp

catholic.com/library/Filioque.asp

Another way to view this matter is to look at how others view God and how the Catholic Church responds to these ideas (sort of the negative side of the argument)

catholic.com/thisrock/1997/9712fea2.asp

catholic.com/library/God_of_the_Jehovah_Witnesses.asp

That should keep you occupied for a while… But, let me put this in context - even after reading these items … and thousands more … we still will not understand the nature of God… and Heaven - the Beatific Vision - the Vision of God - where we are with God for all Eternity - we still won’t understand God as He understands Himself.

If you have time for a second question, it concerns Satan. My Baptist grandparents preached the Rapture, and a fire-and-brimstone Hell. My parents discovered much of this was not Biblical, and I had always said I didn’t believe in hell. EDITED FOR BREVITY
I’d appreciate any (name removed by moderator)ut. Thanks!
FaithG

This one is a bit easier - Satan, the Fallen Angels, Hell - are all creations of God - (at one point none of them existed - and after God’s Divine Action - they came into being) they are limited (as opposed to God being infinite). But, even with this… we still can not really get our human understanding to wrap around these spiritual realities.

Since Heaven is the Beatific Vision - seeing and adoring our Creator… Hell is just the opposite - being separated from the Love of God (because we chose such separation with our free wills) for all eternity. This is the most profound pain of Hell. The picture we have of eternal fire, the worm that dies not, where there is the weeping and gnashing of teeth are all from Christ telling us that this is the place to avoid. And we can not imagine all eternity - much less the loss of God for all eternity - we can imagine being burned.

So, while many of us think of the Devil as some guy wearing red tights, having a goatee and a tail with a funny looking point - this is strictly human imagination. And because this is somewhat comic (oh, I forgot the pitchfork…) the Devils gets a free pass at us - because who could be afraid of such a silly looking figure. Admittedly, some artists have tried to depict the Devil and Hell as really bad - and, these are closer to the truth … but, just another form of metaphor and therefore bound to fall short of the goal. Here are some links that may be helpful:

newadvent.org/cathen/07207a.htm

catholic.com/library/Hell_There_Is.asp

catholic.com/thisrock/1998/9809chap.asp

I hope this helps.

God bless

 

[tqualey]

Hi, Sonny1954,

Actually, this was not my question, but one I was answering for another poster. I am quite confident God listens to all sincere prayers.

God bless

tqualey asked: I was wondering what the Catholic view is on prayers made by people of other denominations. Are Catholics adverse to having Protestants pray for them?

Certainly not me. Anyone who loves God and strives to seek God’s company and blessing may pray for me anytime they wish. And I have prayed for them.

It’s odd how we put God into a little box and say “He’s that” or “He belongs to this group.” God is absolutely incomprehensible. Even Jesus did not show us the totality of his Father’s majesty. Our minds couldn’t handle it. I think a God that “big” will listen to the prayer of anyone who seeks him.

 

[FaithG]

Hi, FaithG,

If you don’t mind me putting in a thought or two … But, the most important item will be that after looking at your schedule … please take time to eat, sleep and smell a rose every now and then. Your schedule looks like taking care of basic physiologic needs is optional! And, dating, too… ! This December, my wife and I will have been married for 40 years… so, of all the things on your list - get that one right…because it is the longest commitment you will ever find!

Now, on to some serious work…

Let me cut to the conclusion before getting involved in a lot of detail. Both questions: the nature of the Holy Spirit and the nature of Hell - are mysteries! While the former is profoundly more mysterious than the latter… an intimate knowledge of both is beyond human reasoning. So, anyone who says, “I understand God…or, I understand Hell” is mistaken, lying, delusional or truly insane! While we have some limited understandings - we are best advised to realize our limitations up front and then move forward using the teachings of the Catholic Church as our guide.

This one is a bit easier - Satan, the Fallen Angels, Hell - are all creations of God - (at one point none of them existed - and after God’s Divine Action - they came into being) they are limited (as opposed to God being infinite). But, even with this… we still can not really get our human understanding to wrap around these spiritual realities.

Since Heaven is the Beatific Vision - seeing and adoring our Creator… Hell is just the opposite - being separated from the Love of God (because we chose such separation with our free wills) for all eternity. This is the most profound pain of Hell. The picture we have of eternal fire, the worm that dies not, where there is the weeping and gnashing of teeth are all from Christ telling us that this is the place to avoid. And we can not imagine all eternity - much less the loss of God for all eternity - we can imagine being burned.

So, while many of us think of the Devil as some guy wearing red tights, having a goatee and a tail with a funny looking point - this is strictly human imagination. And because this is somewhat comic (oh, I forgot the pitchfork…) the Devils gets a free pass at us - because who could be afraid of such a silly looking figure. Admittedly, some artists have tried to depict the Devil and Hell as really bad - and, these are closer to the truth … but, just another form of metaphor and therefore bound to fall short of the goal. Here are some links that may be helpful:

newadvent.org/cathen/07207a.htm

catholic.com/library/Hell_There_Is.asp

catholic.com/thisrock/1998/9809chap.asp

I hope this helps.

God bless

Thanks, I will definitely read up on those! :bible1:

Okay, you’ve got me… sometimes I do cut back on basics, like sleep and cleaning. My dishes have been sitting for a week.:juggle:

 

[StevenFrancis]

Hi all! I am just curious if anyone here were from a different religious background than Catholic, or have explored other faiths. Just…well, I am always the curious cat, aren’t I?

I have to admit, I was raised Catholic then moved away from it. I was a Lutheran for awhile but I missed the “glitz and glamor” as my dad calls it, of the Catholic Church. I tried to get into Wiccan but realised it was too complicated and expensive. So now I am drifting, and I supposeI wonder what other people have experienced.

Explored many, took up temporary residence in several, but, in the end, found truth and an eternal home (after nearly 1/2 century) by the grace of the Lord, our God, in only one.

The universal (catholic) church founded by Jesus Christ, the Lord,
the Catholic Church, (I am of the Latin Rite, class of April 15, 2006) My Wife and I are the only Catholics (that either of us are aware of in either of our family trees) as far back as we can trace, and as none of our children, nephews and nieces show any current interest,…well the math isn’t stacked in our families favor, though, some of them are admittedly watching us closely for signs of change or weakness and are perplexed at how different we are. Come on Holy Spirit!!!

My final conversion to Catholicism was from

Jodo-Shinsu Buddhism. (A Mahayana, Pure Land sect founded in Japan by Shinran). of which I was a serious adherent, and too vows with an abbott, went to temple, etc. 1995 - 2003/4.

This list is pretty long, but remember I’m 53 now, and truly a new creation.

Most of these were passing interests, lasting a short time, but I at least went to some form of group activity, and had some study, book sharing.

My serious Buddhism was preceded by

Buddho/Christocentric New Agism (Mostly Buddhist) haze of my own cafeteria style invention

preceded by Objectivism and it’s companion Atheo/Humanism - Intellectualism (i was too Buddhist based and spiritual to buy into this for long)

preceded by Southern Baptist/Charismatic interest and church going (about a year) (Baptised and “born again”)

preceded by self actualization and self potential (Lifespring, EST, TM, prompted by Synanon/Delancey Street programs and other secular redemption/liberal idealism. movements). Money involved again. Gone whenever asked about a serious donation, or after a free weekend seminar.

preceded by (paganism) in the form of psychics, Ruth Mongomery, Edgar Cayce, Jane Roberts, channellers, mentalism etc. etc.,

preceded by the Urantia Book - at least Christ was involved (as actually being the archangel Michael)

preceded by paganism in the form of Yaqui mysticism via Castaneda (Seeing/Dreaming)

preceded by a brief brush with Catholocism, (and only previous study), through a former Franciscan brother, and seminarian who taught me a about Francis mostly. A few masses. No RCIA or any sacraments

preceded by Buddhist mysticism a’ la’ T. Lobsang Rampa - astral travel (a couple years)

preceded by Foursquare Christianity (Baptised). (parochial school)

preceded by apathy, but a spiritual itch none the less.

preceded by Church of Scientology. (Cleaned the Church and made coffee in exchange for auditing). They sent me to a convention in San Francisco for free, but then laid the whamee on me.

preceded by Lutheran (Missouri Synod) (my Grand mother took me to Sunday school and Church for a small while as a little boy. Very little catechism but what I gleaned in Sunday School. I liked Jesus I remember. And angels.

=======================================

Thank you Lord for bringing me home at last to the the Catholic Church.

Christ has died
Christ IS risen
Christ will come again.

 

[Julia1996]

Hi, Julia1996,

You did so well! I am very proud of you!
Thank you. Enormous grin
Now I know you will get a tickle out of this … look at the title… It should be Ode to a Spell Checker … now ‘Owed’ to a Spell Checker!
Sorry, missed that one. Even when its not 1 in the morning I would have missed it. I never read the titles. I know I should and people bug me a lot about it, but I never remember.
Now, wasn’t that a totally outrageous poem? But, it has a moral - and that is you need to be very careful of what you do with Spell Checker. It is a convenience, that can easily move to being a crutch … and then leave you high and dry when it comes to submitting an important document. Feel free to share this with your fellow students - and, I am sure your teachers will get a chuckle out of it, too.
I use spell checker mainly because I don’t have too many other options. I could use an online dictionary but then it would make my computer pretty cluttered up. I will share it. My friends have a sense of humor. I will give it to my English teachers too, but they might make us do the corrections. AHHH! Actually I did it already so not a big deal.
God bless

I actually love poetry. Its the one part of English that I get the best marks in.

This is an irrelevant poem but you might enjoy it. We did choral speaking in Drama. We said this poem in unison and then acted out the politically correct version of “The Three Little Pigs”. It was quite funny.

Don’t call that schlub a fatty for it’s simply not allowed
He’s now ‘physic’lly expansive’ or ‘nutrition’lly endowed’

That clod repeating seventh grade? He’s not a knucklehead;
‘Scholastic’ll persistent’ is the phrase to use instead

Don’t talk of ‘dwarfs’ or ‘midgets’ both are terms you should revise;
Today they’re known as ‘person of a nonexcessive size’

You’ll find you’re not offending any group or race or sect
As long as what you’re saying is Politic’lly Correct.

Our nation has no ‘Indians’ in case you haven’t heard,
‘Indigenous Americans is now the term preferred;

Don’t call that drifter ‘homeless’ that’s the no-no of the year;
He’s ‘a worker in transition’ or ‘an urban pioneer’

Don’t call that guy in women’s clothes a weirdo or a freak;
He’s ‘a fashion nonconformist with a life-style that’s unique”

No lack of sensitivity will anyone detect
As long as ev’ry comment is Politic’lly Correct

To psychopathic killers nicer labels we’re now giving
They’re ‘gentlemen who specialize in terminating living’

Don’t call that creep a ‘rapist’ he might think you were unkind
He’s ‘a sexual crusader’ who’s assertively inclined’

As for all those scuzzy pushers hooking kids throughout the land
They’re now ’inner-city merchants with a product in demand’

So make certain that you’re careful with the words that you select
And we guarantee you’ll always be Politic’lly Correct

 

[tqualey]

Wow, Julia1996, nothing like hitting the nail on the head!

God bless

I actually love poetry. Its the one part of English that I get the best marks in.

This is an irrelevant poem but you might enjoy it. We did choral speaking in Drama. We said this poem in unison and then acted out the politically correct version of “The Three Little Pigs”. It was quite funny.

Don’t call that schlub a fatty for it’s simply not allowed
He’s now ‘physic’lly expansive’ or ‘nutrition’lly endowed’

That clod repeating seventh grade? He’s not a knucklehead;
‘Scholastic’ll persistent’ is the phrase to use instead

Don’t talk of ‘dwarfs’ or ‘midgets’ both are terms you should revise;
Today they’re known as ‘person of a nonexcessive size’

You’ll find you’re not offending any group or race or sect
As long as what you’re saying is Politic’lly Correct.

Our nation has no ‘Indians’ in case you haven’t heard,
‘Indigenous Americans is now the term preferred;

Don’t call that drifter ‘homeless’ that’s the no-no of the year;
He’s ‘a worker in transition’ or ‘an urban pioneer’

Don’t call that guy in women’s clothes a weirdo or a freak;
He’s ‘a fashion nonconformist with a life-style that’s unique”

No lack of sensitivity will anyone detect
As long as ev’ry comment is Politic’lly Correct

To psychopathic killers nicer labels we’re now giving
They’re ‘gentlemen who specialize in terminating living’

Don’t call that creep a ‘rapist’ he might think you were unkind
He’s ‘a sexual crusader’ who’s assertively inclined’

As for all those scuzzy pushers hooking kids throughout the land
They’re now ’inner-city merchants with a product in demand’

So make certain that you’re careful with the words that you select
And we guarantee you’ll always be Politic’lly Correct

 

[Julia1996]

Julia,
I could not help but smile when I read your post. Cinette does not mean to say she doesn’t believe you are 13 – you have nothing to prove.
Oops.:blush:I didn’t realize that. Okay then. I get it. Good. I actually don’t know why but it is really important to me that Cinette believes that I am 13.
What she means is that, at 13, you have already learned what many 30-yr. olds are still struggling to grasp. She is referring to your questing mind, your willingness to seek advice, and your emphasis on religion and truth and God. Some people go their whole lives ignoring the Spirit, and then they wake up at 60 and realize the mess their lives have become. You are starting out with your compass searching for north – so even if you take a misstep now and then, at least your heart is headed in the right direction.
Okay then. If I don’t put emphasis on religion and truth and God, then what else is there to put emphasis on? I don’t have money and can’t get a job for another 3 years.
As to spelling… well, perhaps it’s not a fact emphasized in school where perfection is idolized, but many, many adults simply cannot survive without a spellchecker. You would not believe some of the correspondences I have read. So peace, peace, Julia – accept that you are gifted without protesting! Give God credit where He has given you ability.
I can survive without a spellchecker but its a lot of work and at 2 in the morning, I don’t think you want to see what my writing looks like. Okay. Peace, but we weren’t at war, right? Did I really protest that I am gifted??? If anything I thought I was way too arrogant (I mentioned in an earlier post that I came 2nd in a class of 127?). So God gets credit for that.
About my statement where you asked for clarification – I said your grandpa not being Catholic might explain your parents’ disapproval of Catholicism. There are two types of people: those who disapprove of a religion through ignorance, and those who disapprove through experience. Someone who disapproved from ignorance might be a Baptist who thought Catholics worship saints, rather than asking for intercession. However, your grandmother was Catholic, so your parent would hardly be ignorant in that way. So clearly your parent disapproves from experience. This could be any number of a huge range of experiences. Perhaps your parents knew some Catholics who were sinful, and made wrong stereotypes about all Catholics. Perhaps they decided divorce and abortion were okay, and didn’t see why it should be wrong. Perhaps your grandpa convinced them while they were growing up that Catholicism was flawed. Perhaps they simply didn’t like some of the rules and traditions. It could be any number of things.
My dad thinks almost everything is okay, my mom supports abortion and artificial birth control, but not divorce. So I suppose that could be a part of it.
But with regard to Mother Angelica, all I’m saying is that when you follow God’s will, you become a vessel for Him to do amazing things. Sometimes you can’t even see the good that is done through you, but it’s there. When Joseph was sold into Egypt, he had no idea God would use him to save so many people from famine. When Jesus’ apostles withstood persecution, they could not have dreamed that generations later Christianity would become the major world religion. A singer, Rebecca St. James, said that after composing one of her songs, “Go and Sin No More”, she had people writing to her telling her that her song had kept them from committing suicide. A single sentence that you drop, unknowing, can change somebody’s life. It’s like a pebble in a river – the ripples go on forever.
The Joseph example and the apostles example aren’t really so positive. They suffered a lot before God did anything amazing. The singer though, that would be nice. I don’t really get to pick though. Its God’s choice.
Do not fear about your courage. Almost two years ago, I prayed for God to give me courage, because I realized I wasn’t strong enough for the challenges ahead of me. God chose to answer my prayer, as He has always answered all my prayers. But He did it in a way I never expected – like Cinette said. When I needed a car, God gave me one. When I needed an apartment He have me one. When I needed friends, He gave me those as well. In the last 18 months, I have changed residence; gotten my first apartment; bought my first car; gotten my driver’s license; fallen in love; developed a whole new social network; shifted my religious outlook; changed jobs; helped launch a volunteer group; enrolled in college; transitioned from oil lamps and wood cooking to electricity and cell phones; completely altered my relationships with family and relatives (some good, some bad). Now my friends, including a professional psychologist who works with me, tell me that I am very courageous. But I have learned something startling: I am no more courageous than when I started. But I do have a much closer relationship with God. There is no such thing as the kind of courage where you charge out boldly, unafraid. True courage means recognizing where God wants you to go, and then trusting Him to make it all work out, because you know He has a plan for you. God will open the door for you, but He needs you to take that one step. Taking that one step is courage. I believe you have what it takes. As long as you have God, you have everything.
Okaay. That sounds complicated. I have to trust God to know what’s good for me and then go do it. I’m not good at following instructions. I almost always miss the crucial step. Trusting God is easier said than done. I’ll try though.
By the way, I love Charlotte Church, so thanks for the link.
I am so glad you like her. Do you like this version of Ave Maria or the other one (I can’t find the link right now)?
FaithG

 

[Julia1996]

I had a hectic day and came home very tired - too tired - and then I fell asleep on the couch at 7.00. I know the exact time because we prayed the Rosary and then I wanted to watch a particular locally produced programme on current affairs and then it was 9.20 and don’t remember seeing a single minute of the programme - so I must have fallen asleep at 7.00!! So now I am going through the responses and was not going to answer immediately because I am still groggy from sleep but I had to stop here and give you an answer. You made a grammatical error! You said “I do interpret things differently than the way you do…” The correct way is "I do interpret things differently from the way you do…" But this is a common mistake - a lot of Americans (with those with PHDs make this mistake) say different than instead of different from. Ha! Ha!
Where I live, there isn’t so much difference. In Chinese, it is “with you differently”(跟你不同), literally translated, sorry, I know my translation isn’t the best. Its not an excuse for me because I go to an English-language school.
You are 13 going on 30 Julia!!! I think you must do rather well in school. I bet you get good grades.

Anyway I need to sleep now…

God love you
Cinette

 

[bhughesiii]

I was raised Catholic, baptized as a baby, attended CCD until 7th grade and quit just short of confirmation. First and foremost I have always believed in God and believed that Jesus was the son of God and died for our sins. I just for a long period of time did not want that, I had a hard time grasping that he would do that for me. I delved into Wicca and other magikal arts but for as many times as I tried those outside religions I was drawn back to Christ.

I was a member of a Nazarene church for a while and was re-baptized there. But after a while fell into my hole again of going the opposite way. Kind of wanted a religion that would work the way I wanted it to, but found that it just doesn’t. I was disingenuous when speaking to my ex-wife about my catholic upbringing saying that I hated that I was forced into it and all sorts of other nonsense. Then I realized that I was also forced into getting back into God by my ex. Everything “churchy” I did for the time was not for me but for her and well wouldn’t you know it… I fell to evil ways again, commited adultry and my marriage fell apart. I tried the best I could to put it back together, but her inability to forgive (funny since she always preached about forgiveness) drove the marriage to divorce and I realized that I got back into wicca at the end just to spite her.

Also during my years I felt that even though I believed, it was not cool for it to be known so I would hide it all the time, conforming to appear to believe something else when I knew God was there all the time…

I embarked on a spiritual journey durning times I was alone and while appearing on the outside that I was a non-believer I truly did. I then met my now fiancee and finding out that she is catholic have come back full circle into the catholic church and I will never turn my back again. We are planning our wedding and even though confirmation is not required by our church, I am going for it anyway. No longer will I hide what I believe. If my friends are truly friends they accept me no matter what … right?

 

[tqualey]

Hi, Bhughesiii,

Forgive me…but, I am having trouble understanding your post. I do want to welcome you to CAF - I think this is a very important list and one where you can learn a lot and meet some truly inspirational folks. Now, back to clearning the cob-webs out of my head…

You were:

1.) Claiming to be Catholic on your bio

2.) Baptized Catholic and attended CCD but stopped going in the 7th grade

3.) Fell away from the Chruch and attempted various religions

4.) Rebelled against your wife’s attempt to have you return to the Church by sinning against her and spiting yourself via adultery which caused your marriage to fail through divorce.

5.) You now have resloved some issues in your life, plan to marry (again) and are going to some churhc that does not require confirmation, but you are going to do it anyway …

6.) And, you want to be accepted for who you are.

Do I have all of this correct?

God bless

I was raised Catholic, baptized as a baby, attended CCD until 7th grade and quit just short of confirmation. First and foremost I have always believed in God and believed that Jesus was the son of God and died for our sins. I just for a long period of time did not want that, I had a hard time grasping that he would do that for me. I delved into Wicca and other magikal arts but for as many times as I tried those outside religions I was drawn back to Christ.

I was a member of a Nazarene church for a while and was re-baptized there. But after a while fell into my hole again of going the opposite way. Kind of wanted a religion that would work the way I wanted it to, but found that it just doesn’t. I was disingenuous when speaking to my ex-wife about my catholic upbringing saying that I hated that I was forced into it and all sorts of other nonsense. Then I realized that I was also forced into getting back into God by my ex. Everything “churchy” I did for the time was not for me but for her and well wouldn’t you know it… I fell to evil ways again, commited adultry and my marriage fell apart. I tried the best I could to put it back together, but her inability to forgive (funny since she always preached about forgiveness) drove the marriage to divorce and I realized that I got back into wicca at the end just to spite her.

Also during my years I felt that even though I believed, it was not cool for it to be known so I would hide it all the time, conforming to appear to believe something else when I knew God was there all the time…

I embarked on a spiritual journey durning times I was alone and while appearing on the outside that I was a non-believer I truly did. I then met my now fiancee and finding out that she is catholic have come back full circle into the catholic church and I will never turn my back again. We are planning our wedding and even though confirmation is not required by our church, I am going for it anyway. No longer will I hide what I believe. If my friends are truly friends they accept me no matter what … right?

 

[bhughesiii]

Tom,
Sorry if I left you confused, I had less than 5 minutes left on my lunch break and was typing fast, I may not have made myself really clear on some things. So, I will try to answer your points.

1.) Claiming to be Catholic on your bio
I am catholic, born and raised and received all my sacraments except for confirmation. Never officially left the church, ventured out on my own and have come back home.

2.) Baptized Catholic and attended CCD but stopped going in the 7th grade
Yes, and the reason I stopped going was because my family stopped attending church after the church bullitens started announcing who gave what each month (i.e. The Smith family gave $5.00 this month) This did not sit well with my mom so as we stopped attending church I ended up not going to CCD any longer. At the time, there were two churches in town and depending on where you lived you had to attend that particular church so we could not just go to the other one.

3.) Fell away from the Chruch and attempted various religions.
Stopped attending church, never gave up belief in God or Jesus, but tried various religions that I thought I could use to mask the belief and make them work how I wanted it to work. It all sounds retarded but it was a very confusing time in my life. I kept getting pulled in several directions but always came back to God and Jesus.

4.) Rebelled against your wife’s attempt to have you return to the Church by sinning against her and spiting yourself via adultery which caused your marriage to fail through divorce.
I did not rebel against her efforts to have me return to church, we regularly attended church. I realized after a while that everything I did was for her and not for me. These attempts did not cause me to sin against her and commit adultry. I have no idea what caused it. During this time period I had run into my pastor and when I came back to my wife and started going to church again he stated that when he ran into me that time he didn’t recognize me. Kind of like my eyes were glassed over and it was someone else inhabiting my body in a sense. As if it wasn’t all me. But yes the marriage failed for the mistakes I made during that time. I deeply regret them!

5.) You now have resloved some issues in your life, plan to marry (again) and are going to some church that does not require confirmation, but you are going to do it anyway …
Yes, even though confirmation is not required to get married at this church, I deeply feel a pull to complete my sacraments by getting confirmed. I am joining a men’s bible study group to fulfill my requirements to receive confirmation as required by this church. I have come back to the church, attended confession and did what the priest asked of me. I do plan to marry again to a wonderful woman that I have met and we want a full mass so what ever requirements I have to accomplish I will but all this time because I want to not because I am forced to.

6.) And, you want to be accepted for who you are.
Yes, I do not want to be judged for my past mistakes or for my faith. Especially with my friends, some of them are non-believers or going down a similar path I once went down (i.e. paganism, wicca). I used to fear that they would look down on me for being a beiliever and that they will be skeptical (which at first they probably will be) about my return to the church given my past of being in a relationship with God, then falling, then making my way back… etc, etc…

I hope this clears some of it up. Feel free to PM with me if you have more questions.

Hi, Bhughesiii,

Forgive me…but, I am having trouble understanding your post. I do want to welcome you to CAF - I think this is a very important list and one where you can learn a lot and meet some truly inspirational folks. Now, back to clearning the cob-webs out of my head…

You were:

1.) Claiming to be Catholic on your bio

2.) Baptized Catholic and attended CCD but stopped going in the 7th grade

3.) Fell away from the Chruch and attempted various religions

4.) Rebelled against your wife’s attempt to have you return to the Church by sinning against her and spiting yourself via adultery which caused your marriage to fail through divorce.

5.) You now have resloved some issues in your life, plan to marry (again) and are going to some churhc that does not require confirmation, but you are going to do it anyway …

6.) And, you want to be accepted for who you are.

Do I have all of this correct?

God bless

 

[Greg27]

I have tried Buddhist meditation but I seemed unsuited to it. I felt more at home with Christian contemplative prayer. I believe now that Eastern religions have a lot of truth and insight but I felt Christianity was more ‘natural’ somehow and still respected the mystery of the Absolute as much as any Asian religion. It also made more sense at it spoke from a Western cultural background and language.

I don’t think any religion, including Christianity, fully captures the divine essence - as Aquinas remarked, God’s essence will always remain unknown to us in this life. It would be better if religious people respected the mystery of the divine more and the mystery of each person created in the divine image, rather than bickering and point-scoring over who is better.