[lit-ideas] Re: practicalities, hoaxes and holidays
- From: Eternitytime1@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 24 Dec 2004 00:07:01 EST
In a message dated 12/23/2004 9:32:42 AM Central Standard Time,
aamago@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
But, you see, I have self esteem issues, so I can't help thinking this.
Hi, Andy!
<g> You misunderstood--my friend thinks it is relating to self-esteem as to
whether or not a person from a different religion can celebrate someone
else's holidays. *I* think it has to do with finding the wonder in everything
and
everyone.
And, I also think that we can get so tangled up inside or so hurt that we
forget how to do that. (I also think of the neurological studies being done
whereby they are looking at the brain waves of people when they do things like
listen to music, look at colors, look at lights, look at patterns, focus on
their belief systems. Certain ones of those change our brain patterns/waves --
and so, things like music therapy, etc. have taken off and there really is a
medical angle to why they work. The religious folk--very interesting. No
matter *which* religion, if you are in the fundamentalist end of it, your brain
waves are all the same...and so forth. When I read, periodically, of such
things, I often think of a book I read ages ago called The Heretical Imperative
by Peter Berger which details three schools of thought within his conception
of 'religion'...)
I have decided that I really DO need to put my Belief of the Month Club on
the web...It might assist in explaining so much! <g> (actually, one of the
people I met while in Canada emailed me and asked me to do that...!)
Pagan Christianity. Yep--that is *really* the religion that you seem to be
observing around you in your world. It is NOT fundamentalist Christianity.
Please please know that there IS a difference. The True Believers do NOT
have Christmas trees. (unless they have recently come into the fold and have
not gone through the entire indoctrination program yet) True Believers do
NOT tell there kids that there is a Santa Claus (the ones who are on the edge
will buy the story that has Santa praying to Baby Jesus--but, again, they are
not yet fully indoctrinated and True Believers will sigh and try, yet again,
to explain why that is *not* appropriate True Christian behavior.
But, there IS a pagan Christian. (or perhaps, a Christian pagan--I do know,
actually, a few of those--<g>) and they are different from the Mystical
Christians. You are also forgetting that there is this whole slew of Liberal
Christians that exist--they have elements of both the True Believers as well
as
the Pagan Christians.
I could tell you about the Messianic Jewish group as my son is going to be
hanging out with them the next few days. (so don't even go 'there' with
telling me about being silly to find the 'good' in all religions. <wry look>)
As
someone who, literally, would leave her home in total expectation of G-d's
wrath because of not being married to her son's father any longer (I did tell
you about the 13 things that G-d was going to let happen to my child and
myself because of this direct disobedience and as a True Believer--well, I
*ought* to know better. I also know, very very well, what it is like to have
a
crisis of faith and to be in the middle of nowhere in the dark and having just
been let out of 'prison'...and take one step with great trepidation only to
land in the midst of the darkest of the darkest jungle.
I would much much prefer that those who have faith in ANYTHING keep it.
Close to their hearts and cherish the fact that it is there. I had to take
every single belief out of my brain (and soul and heart and all the various
and
assorted dimensions of each of those aspects of me) and examine them each very
very carefully. I also had to figure out how to reconnect myself with
myself, again. (and would never be one who would say that the journey is half
the
fun <g>)
But, that is another story. But, email me off-list and I'll tell you of
what I call my 'metaphysical journey to Las Vegas' (metaphysical in a New Agey
sort of way -- not the way that I have since learned metaphysical is often
used <g>) I'd never been there before--and it's a long story as to how and
why
I did end up there...but well, most people go there to gamble, play, have a
good time. Me-well, I DID end up having to go after all because I had
promised to give this presentation to some library-types on literacy...but I
was
NOT happy about it at all. (as I said--there is a story <g>) And, was in
the
process of reconstructing belief system aspects of life. So, I met six wise
ones--three women and three men. and came back with a story to tell--and
lots to ponder and the beginnings of the Belief of the Month Club <g>
But, I will try to post something from The Heretical Imperative so you can
see why I have difficulty with people lumping *all* members of a particular
faith into one school of thought of that particular faith.
In fact, the friends I know who are members of a Unitarian Church are
atheists--and many of the fundamentalists that I know simply cannot understand
why
they would call it a 'church' that these folk attend. Religion...
I do apologize for the rambling effect of this post--it's been a day and I
did want to respond...
From your pagan Christian listmate (it's the religion of the month, don't
you know?) sending you luck and light,
Marlena in Missouri
(Martin Luther seeing the wonder of glistening lights/snow/whatever it
was--I'd have to find that information again as it's been some time--and then
going home to experiment with putting candles on the tree to see if he could
recreate the wonder he felt--well, okay. Maybe nothing to do, really, with
Christianity, but SO much to do with raising your 'vibrational levels' <g> [to
get a bit new age-y -- there is a fun book out there which says that they have
tested brain waves of people looking at things as well as listening to
thing--music, levels of religious belief [supposedly all fundamentalist belief
systems are at the lowest levels...etc. Supposedly the brain waves change. I
toy
with studying neurology just for the fun of it after I leave LibraryLand
[along with public administration, sociology, anthropology, mythological
studies,
philosophy, clinical psychology, etc etc. And we watched the Nova special
on our PBS station last night on string theory which led my son to the computer
for us to read and do all sorts of things related to it...)
As to discussing religion with me--oh. I suppose having been wounded (so to
speak) in one of those world,
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