How conservative is too conservative

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6YRSHOME

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I was on another Christian forum the other day and I read a post that I just cannot get out of my mind. Okay, first I will say that this was and Adventist forum but I’m sure that it is not unique to SDA’s.
The OP wanted advice on how to handle an upcoming dinner party with his boss and their family. The boss’s wife was going out of her way to accomodate their eating restrictions and making a completley Vegan meal. The host also asked what the OP would like to do after the meal. He suggested board games or cards.
Several suggestions were given, and of course playing cards was out of the question as were the games, as games are a waste of time.
Anyway, the OP comes back with the whole story of how the evening went. Well, the children were playing and the host’s son comes running in to where the adults were wearing a batman costume. The OP and his wife are horrified but say nothing. Then the OP’s son comes in wearing a red dragon costume and carrying a plastic gun. That was it. They packed up their kids and left. The OP said that he and his wife had a talk with the kids on the way home and his son had no idea that he had done anything wrong.
Now I know that there is symbolism in SDA church about dragons because of the Book of Revelation, but it seemed to me as I read this thread that they went to this dinner, knowing that they were going to have problems given their ultra coservative veiws, but it was made into this big, evil thing.
Has anyone ever run accross this attitude before? I think I am pretty conservative in my veiws on life and the world in general, and being raised in the SDA church I have seen some pretty riged stances on entertainment and such, but this guy seemed over the top. Even my family who are stict, traditional SDA’s have never been so unable to relate to others.
Maybe, I’m being uncharitable. I don’t mean to be, I just don’t understand where this guy is coming from.
 
I’ve run into parents who cut up an ordinary deck of cards, card by card in front of any visiting child who happened to bring a deck.

I’ve run into parents who allowed no dolls for their children (idolotry)

I know of people who say “person in red pajamas” insted of devil

I know people who will not eat lobster, crab, etc, becuase of some bible verse about creatures who crawl on the bottom of the sea.
 
I like “person in red pajamas”! I might start using that 😉

The only experience along these lines that I’ve had: my wife (a kindergarten teacher) had a family pull their kids out of the school because she had globes and stuffed animals (graven images) in her classroom.
 
Wampa said:
The only experience along these lines that I’ve had: my wife (a kindergarten teacher) had a family pull their kids out of the school because she had globes and stuffed animals (graven images) in her classroom.
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Now that is taking the ‘graven image’ idea to the extreme. :eek: I’ve not been able to see any rational logic to people who display the actions described in the OP.
Just a personal note re:conservative. This does not denote conservative belief, but rather a radical view that finds evil where none exists or was never intended. The ‘c’ word is so misapplied today, it’s a political view, and even there not correctly used.

Kotton
 
What crazy people! The poor family they acted so ridiculously to, and their poor son! I bet later these people will make a post wondering why they have no friends.
 
6YRSHOME said:
I was on another Christian forum the other day and I read a post that I just cannot get out of my mind. Okay, first I will say that this was and Adventist forum but I’m sure that it is not unique to SDA’s.
The OP wanted advice on how to handle an upcoming dinner party with his boss and their family. The boss’s wife was going out of her way to accomodate their eating restrictions and making a completley Vegan meal. The host also asked what the OP would like to do after the meal. He suggested board games or cards.
Several suggestions were given, and of course playing cards was out of the question as were the games, as games are a waste of time.
Anyway, the OP comes back with the whole story of how the evening went. Well, the children were playing and the host’s son comes running in to where the adults were wearing a batman costume. The OP and his wife are horrified but say nothing. Then the OP’s son comes in wearing a red dragon costume and carrying a plastic gun. That was it. They packed up their kids and left. The OP said that he and his wife had a talk with the kids on the way home and his son had no idea that he had done anything wrong.
Now I know that there is symbolism in SDA church about dragons because of the Book of Revelation, but it seemed to me as I read this thread that they went to this dinner, knowing that they were going to have problems given their ultra coservative veiws, but it was made into this big, evil thing.
Has anyone ever run accross this attitude before? I think I am pretty conservative in my veiws on life and the world in general, and being raised in the SDA church I have seen some pretty riged stances on entertainment and such, but this guy seemed over the top. Even my family who are stict, traditional SDA’s have never been so unable to relate to others.
Maybe, I’m being uncharitable. I don’t mean to be, I just don’t understand where this guy is coming from.
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Hi,
Im curious what other SDA’s said to the OP in response to what she said.
 
I would just like to reflect upon something I heard recently, though I forget the source. It rings true to me everyday.
Some people get so extreme to one side or the other, they end up wrapping themselves right around to the very side they were trying to avoid.
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ALLFORHIM said:
I would call this

LEGALISM at its worst:eek:
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Yes, this is legalism - not conservatism. Apart from anything else, legalism is always vicious; conservatism often is vicious, but it need not be - whether it is, depends on what one is being conservative about. Legalism is like gluttony, whereas conservatism is more like eating.​

 
Gottle_of_Geer said:

Yes, this is legalism - not conservatism. Apart from anything else, legalism is always vicious; conservatism often is vicious, but it need not be - whether it is, depends on what one is being conservative about. Legalism is like gluttony, whereas conservatism is more like eating.​

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Or. Legalism is like starving oneself*, whereas conservatism is more like eating.

*Not to be confused with prayerful fasting.
 
ALLFORHIM said:
Hi,
Im curious what other SDA’s said to the OP in response to what she said.
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They were all very sympathtic. “Oh were so sorry that it turned out so badly… blah blah blah.” Everyone on that forum seemed similar minded in they’re views.

I remember when my son was a toddler, 1 1/2 -2 years old. I didn’t allow him to have any toy guns or soldiers or anything. He did have a toy tool set complete with a little power drill. One day he stands holding the drill pointing it in the air saying, " Bang! Bang!" At this time the only thing he was watching on TV was Sesame Street and Teletubbies. Boys will find a way to do all the things you try to protect them from.

I do feel sorry for the kids who are going suffer in the end. Sheltering the kids, keeping them away from things of the world instead of teaching them the values that help them deal with them always backfires in the end.
 
Kotton said:
Now that is taking the ‘graven image’ idea to the extreme. :eek: I’ve not been able to see any rational logic to people who display the actions described in the OP.
Just a personal note re:conservative. This does not denote conservative belief, but rather a radical view that finds evil where none exists or was never intended. The ‘c’ word is so misapplied today, it’s a political view, and even there not correctly used.

Kotton
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Yes radical. I couldn’t think of a way to describe the extreme attitude of this guy. I just don’t understand how playing a game of Scrabble or watching Animal Planet could be seen as going against God. ( He said the only games they play are the occational Bible game)
 
6YRSHOME said:
They were all very sympathtic. “Oh were so sorry that it turned out so badly… blah blah blah.” Everyone on that forum seemed similar minded in they’re views.

I remember when my son was a toddler, 1 1/2 -2 years old. I didn’t allow him to have any toy guns or soldiers or anything. He did have a toy tool set complete with a little power drill. One day he stands holding the drill pointing it in the air saying, " Bang! Bang!" At this time the only thing he was watching on TV was Sesame Street and Teletubbies. Boys will find a way to do all the things you try to protect them from.

I do feel sorry for the kids who are going suffer in the end. Sheltering the kids, keeping them away from things of the world instead of teaching them the values that help them deal with them always backfires in the end.
Click to expand...
There was a study done about the differences between boys and girls at the age of 5. They put the girls in front of a mirror and they started to talk to themselves blah blah blah. They did the same thing with the boys and initially they started to also talk to themselves. About 5 minutes in -ALL the boys in the study started pretending they had guns and started shooting and making the noises. LOL it must be the testosterone or something.

Anyway, I agree a child should not be completely sheltered. They need to be taught right from wrong so when they grow up they know what evil is and how to avoid it. If they only know good how will they be able to discern when something evil comes along.😦
 
ALLFORHIM said:
I would call this

LEGALISM at its worst:eek:
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I would also say this is superstition at it’s worst too. There is a difference between faith and superstition, one is based on fear. (and ignorance)

The defintition of conservative becomes blurred as well, being conservative is all point of view.
 
I recall that jws can not use the words bulletin board.
But I have no recollection of why.
They also may not use the word crucifixion or any variation thereof. (because Christ wasn’t crucified - you know! :rolleyes: )
I always thought of them as the “word police”.
Also, the “book police”. I was told I’d have to get rid of every book I owned that was not a watchtower publication. That was the beginning of the end for me. I had my own library that I’d built through the years and was not about to part with my precious books.
 
catsrus said:
I was told I’d have to get rid of every book I owned that was not a watchtower publication. That was the beginning of the end for me. I had my own library that I’d built through the years and was not about to part with my precious books.
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Thanks for sharing that. I have stacks of books in my office. Perhaps they will protect me in the event of a nuclear attack. 😉 Our oddities save us from all sorts of things.
 
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