Do you remember all the stress over the Census that was taken this past year? It was repeated over and over again, that we MUST fill it out, but not to worry because there was no sensitive information being sent. We all did our duty and moved forward. NOW I'm getting the "American Community Survey" sent to my ADDRESS not my name with a letter saying that I am required by law to fill out this massive survey and mail it back to the Census Bureau. First red flag? The Census Bureau is in Washington, DC...but this Survey will be mailed to a PO Box in Jeffersonville, IN.
What is IN this survey, you may be asking yourself? They are requesting my full name and the full names of everyone living in my home, our birthdays, race, what type of house I live in, when it was built, when I moved INTO the house, how many rooms are in my house and how many of those rooms are bedrooms, and what we heat our home with. They want an itemized list of all my utility costs, how much I think the house would sell for, my mortgage costs, my personal mortgage and home insurance history. They go on to ask the education level of each member of the family, what health insurance you have, and physical handicaps, how many marriages each adult has had, if you've given birth in the past 12 months, military history, work history and addresses of locations if you have more than one job. They want your 12 month wages including any retirement, welfare, or other income.
Hmmm...let me dig a bit more.
Do I call the 800 number listed on the letter? Erg...not a good idea if it IS a scam. Then they will have my phone number and the last thing I want to deal with are MORE telemarketing calls at all hours of the day and night. So what DO I do? I got online to get an idea of what others were saying. It seems that the majority believe that it's real...but still feel as I do...it's very fishy. Many have resorted to shredding this survey and there are horror stories about how they started getting angry phone calls from people claiming to be government officials. I've seen nothing on TV as we all saw during the Census. I've seen nothing in the news or on line letting us know that this is even something that will be taking place. I'm expected to put VERY personal information that can easily be used to steal my or my sons ID through the USPS...to a state where the Census Bureau is not known to be located...or suffer the consequences? Come on now. We DO live in 2011 (nearly 2012), DON'T WE?
What am I going to do? I'm sure as heck not filling this out and putting it in the mail. I will hold the line for a bit and see how this thing plays out.
If anyone else has gotten this form and can tell me their story...please do! I'm feeling very uncomfortable about this.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
It’s like this...
It’s like this. I’m sick and tired of hearing “well Bush did it” or “it’s Bush’s fault”. I turned a cheek and let the Obama-bots use those excuses for far too long. I’ve rolled my eyes at their ignorance of what went on and was going on in the past 10 years…but I’m finished with that now.
NOW we can’t afford for you to be ignorant of the facts, so I’m going to lay them out.
For YEARS the left (and much on the right) criticized Bush for his deficit spending. Each time he added to the deficit it was as though the sky was falling. Since the Clinton years, the debt ceiling had been increased by about a trillion dollars almost every year. Both sides seemed to back each and every increase. This trend continued while we flew through the Bush years. Almost every year an increase was proposed and each year it went up about a trillion dollars. Bush left office with a whopping 10 trillion dollar debt ceiling in place. Our recession had already begun. Our housing market had already begun to crumble. It was no longer a secret that we had to stop the spending. Two years prior to all of this, Obama himself was quoted to of said, “ The fact we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. ... Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren."
Pretty logical…stop the spending by stopping the debt ceiling to increase …right? Well, it seems he wasn’t really being serious about what he really thought. Two years later he entered into office and since then he has increased the debt ceiling four times from 10 trillion to a whapping 14 trillion in 2010. NOW he’s asking for it to be increased yet again to almost 16 trillion dollars.
What’s my point? “But Bush did it too.”? Yeah, and riding that wave was FUN, wasn’t it? We laughed the whole way down, right? Wrong. Now we’re in WAY over our heads, we’re hoarse from telling our leaders to stop or we just don’t care anymore. I see people leaning back in political defiance, “because Bush did it” and I just want to scream! Yeah, and look what happened?? Are you THAT blind that you think that Obama can and SHOULD do the same, even AFTER the facts are glairing you right in the face? WAKE UP, people. We’ve SEEN what over spending can do. We’re LIVING the result, and you’re not going to get in the face of you guy and tell him to knock it the heck off??
We’ve LEARNED what happens, yet the left is STILL ignoring the facts. They are STILL allowing the spending to go on UNCHECKED as though nothing has changed. What happened to “Change and Hope”, Obama backers? Isn’t that what so many wanted to see? I’m here to tell you, that’s not what you’re GETTING. You’re getting status quo and lapping it up. We need YOUR voices to push it home. STOP THE SPENDING. STOP THE INCREASING DEBT CEILING. SAVE OUR CHILDRENS FUTURES!
YES, I stood up and voiced discontent for the Bush spending and many OTHER things that he did that I did not agree with. Now it’s YOUR turn. Look at the state of our nation and put HER first…not a man that is good with “just words.”
NOW we can’t afford for you to be ignorant of the facts, so I’m going to lay them out.
For YEARS the left (and much on the right) criticized Bush for his deficit spending. Each time he added to the deficit it was as though the sky was falling. Since the Clinton years, the debt ceiling had been increased by about a trillion dollars almost every year. Both sides seemed to back each and every increase. This trend continued while we flew through the Bush years. Almost every year an increase was proposed and each year it went up about a trillion dollars. Bush left office with a whopping 10 trillion dollar debt ceiling in place. Our recession had already begun. Our housing market had already begun to crumble. It was no longer a secret that we had to stop the spending. Two years prior to all of this, Obama himself was quoted to of said, “ The fact we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. ... Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren."
Pretty logical…stop the spending by stopping the debt ceiling to increase …right? Well, it seems he wasn’t really being serious about what he really thought. Two years later he entered into office and since then he has increased the debt ceiling four times from 10 trillion to a whapping 14 trillion in 2010. NOW he’s asking for it to be increased yet again to almost 16 trillion dollars.
What’s my point? “But Bush did it too.”? Yeah, and riding that wave was FUN, wasn’t it? We laughed the whole way down, right? Wrong. Now we’re in WAY over our heads, we’re hoarse from telling our leaders to stop or we just don’t care anymore. I see people leaning back in political defiance, “because Bush did it” and I just want to scream! Yeah, and look what happened?? Are you THAT blind that you think that Obama can and SHOULD do the same, even AFTER the facts are glairing you right in the face? WAKE UP, people. We’ve SEEN what over spending can do. We’re LIVING the result, and you’re not going to get in the face of you guy and tell him to knock it the heck off??
We’ve LEARNED what happens, yet the left is STILL ignoring the facts. They are STILL allowing the spending to go on UNCHECKED as though nothing has changed. What happened to “Change and Hope”, Obama backers? Isn’t that what so many wanted to see? I’m here to tell you, that’s not what you’re GETTING. You’re getting status quo and lapping it up. We need YOUR voices to push it home. STOP THE SPENDING. STOP THE INCREASING DEBT CEILING. SAVE OUR CHILDRENS FUTURES!
YES, I stood up and voiced discontent for the Bush spending and many OTHER things that he did that I did not agree with. Now it’s YOUR turn. Look at the state of our nation and put HER first…not a man that is good with “just words.”
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
"But all things should be done decently and in order."
The story of the PA teacher blogging about her students being disobedient triggered this blog. Now, I know some of my friend’s views on the issue, and I hope anyone that reads this doesn’t take this as some sort of direct “finger wagging”. The reality is that I’ve been disturbed by this trend for some time.
For anyone who has not read the story, here it is. : http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110216/ap_on_hi_te/us_teacher_suspended_blog
I’ll wait while you go catch up. Go ahead…I’ll wait. ;)
Was your first impression, “good for her!”, “freedom of speech at work!”, “It’s about time SOMEONE pointed this out!”? If so, you’re not alone. Hell, that was MY first impression…but then I stopped and I thought about it for a minute. Do I really want my teachers to behave in such a way? Being a mother of a 6th grader, I hear often about how children can read a lot into what a teacher says…even in class. Students can feel bullied and singled out even when there are no names mentioned. Children KNOW whom you are talking about. They KNOW who you have issues with most in school. They KNOW what students you favor and which you have given up on. Regardless of names being excluded, it is naive to imply that it was not directed at any one child or group of children.
For years now we have heard about children getting suspended for “venting” about their school or teacher. Why is this not something that extends to the teachers? Do they have freedom of speech? Yes, and they should feel comfortable using this freedom. I believe that it is important to understand that you and I edit our selves for our employers every day. If you blogged about your boss and his bad breath or his stupid rules but were careful not to mention his name…and he happened to come across it…do you think you will be kept in his high graces? Would he not be hurt, offended, and angry? Would you not expect retaliation? Is he not justified in his retaliation for your personal, public attacks? In this particular case, she did just that. She vented about her “boss’s family” and they got wind of it. Is she right? Do our children need to behave better? Yes, but the open and shut of it, is that she is given the proper outlets to make her opinions known and she chose to take it public. This was a very poor decision on her part.
We have become a generation who is so plugged in, that we forget about what’s right and what’s wrong. In our personal desire to “vent” or “be right”, we say and do things that less than 10 years ago, we never would have done. We’ve forgotten that there is a person at the other end of our words because we don’t have to see it. I’ve done it. Just last week I called someone an “idiot” because I didn’t agree with a view that I found amazingly offensive. IS he an idiot? Would I have ever said that to his face? Probably not, I can’t look someone in the face and hurt them…regardless of how vulgar their views are. We’ve all fallen into this trap and we’re allowing our children to fall into it with us.
Have you ever watched Wall-E? Great movie. It has a lot of conservationist mentality to it…but it also points out what we can become when we refuse to unplug. We do, wear, and say what the great big Internet “clique,” tells us we must. Do we really want our children to grow up WORSE than what our generation has become?
In closing, I want to post a simple quote. “A rude nature is worse than a brute nature by so much more as man is better than a beast: and those that are of civil natures and genteel dispositions are as much nearer to celestial creatures as those that are rude and cruel are to devils. “ – Margaret Cavendish
We all need to remember to be kind to one another, and remember that, that also means on line.
For anyone who has not read the story, here it is. : http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110216/ap_on_hi_te/us_teacher_suspended_blog
I’ll wait while you go catch up. Go ahead…I’ll wait. ;)
Was your first impression, “good for her!”, “freedom of speech at work!”, “It’s about time SOMEONE pointed this out!”? If so, you’re not alone. Hell, that was MY first impression…but then I stopped and I thought about it for a minute. Do I really want my teachers to behave in such a way? Being a mother of a 6th grader, I hear often about how children can read a lot into what a teacher says…even in class. Students can feel bullied and singled out even when there are no names mentioned. Children KNOW whom you are talking about. They KNOW who you have issues with most in school. They KNOW what students you favor and which you have given up on. Regardless of names being excluded, it is naive to imply that it was not directed at any one child or group of children.
For years now we have heard about children getting suspended for “venting” about their school or teacher. Why is this not something that extends to the teachers? Do they have freedom of speech? Yes, and they should feel comfortable using this freedom. I believe that it is important to understand that you and I edit our selves for our employers every day. If you blogged about your boss and his bad breath or his stupid rules but were careful not to mention his name…and he happened to come across it…do you think you will be kept in his high graces? Would he not be hurt, offended, and angry? Would you not expect retaliation? Is he not justified in his retaliation for your personal, public attacks? In this particular case, she did just that. She vented about her “boss’s family” and they got wind of it. Is she right? Do our children need to behave better? Yes, but the open and shut of it, is that she is given the proper outlets to make her opinions known and she chose to take it public. This was a very poor decision on her part.
We have become a generation who is so plugged in, that we forget about what’s right and what’s wrong. In our personal desire to “vent” or “be right”, we say and do things that less than 10 years ago, we never would have done. We’ve forgotten that there is a person at the other end of our words because we don’t have to see it. I’ve done it. Just last week I called someone an “idiot” because I didn’t agree with a view that I found amazingly offensive. IS he an idiot? Would I have ever said that to his face? Probably not, I can’t look someone in the face and hurt them…regardless of how vulgar their views are. We’ve all fallen into this trap and we’re allowing our children to fall into it with us.
Have you ever watched Wall-E? Great movie. It has a lot of conservationist mentality to it…but it also points out what we can become when we refuse to unplug. We do, wear, and say what the great big Internet “clique,” tells us we must. Do we really want our children to grow up WORSE than what our generation has become?
In closing, I want to post a simple quote. “A rude nature is worse than a brute nature by so much more as man is better than a beast: and those that are of civil natures and genteel dispositions are as much nearer to celestial creatures as those that are rude and cruel are to devils. “ – Margaret Cavendish
We all need to remember to be kind to one another, and remember that, that also means on line.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Great big ball of hate.
For the past decade I've been paying very close attention to politics and people in general. Maybe it's because I've grown up. Maybe it's because I'm a mother. Maybe it's because it seems to hold a more prominent roll in our everyday lives. I don't know for sure. What I DO know is that as the years have gone by and Government has gained more and more control over our everyday lives...we've all gotten more an more angry. I know I feel it and have displayed it. I've also seen it displayed in all of it's glory. True blue hate.
It was first brought to my attention after 9/11 when groups were adamant that our government orchestrated the entire thing. Not only did we see true "hate" in the eyes of those taking responsibility for that terrible day, our own citizens were displaying a different form. The hate grew into anger and frustration as we entered into a war. It was almost as though a bottle of soda had been shaken and the top was about to blow. Going to war released that pressure for a short time. We felt like we had an outlet. We felt like we were DOING something. Then the lid was replaced and the bottle was being shaken again. Our intelligence was off...so of course anyone voting for this war that the public had been calling for...must have been lying. It HAD to be about money. Bush HAD to be the one to blame and the anger came back. The protests were ugly and filled with hate, using our dead soldiers in the form of military boots and coffins draped in the flag.
They burned Bush and other politicians in effigy. 
They displayed signs like this:
They portrayed him as Hitler. They called for his impeachment. They were violent and disruptive...but Clinton stood before tthe Democratics said:
When did that right change? Is the freedom to protest or disagree...only meant for the Left?
Every day I hear about how "hateful" the Right is while those spewing this silliness are simitaniously calling them "Repugnantcans" and referring to the Tea Party as "Tea baggers". Seems slightly more than a little contradictory for someone to claim that the right is hateful while they, themselves spew hate. Don't you think? Now, if I don't agree, I'm hateful. If I don't agree with the PRESIDENT, I'm racist or a bigot. If I wish to keep more of my earnings and push for people to WORK for what they want, I'm "greedy". If they don't like a politician they wish them dead. If they don't like a party, they push to silence it. If they don't like a network, they petition to destroy it. So, again...all those hateful things being spewed by the Left...but I'M in the hate filled party?
This past week has been the MOST hateful of them all in my opinion. A crazy man with his own God complex decides to purchase a gun and go on a shooting rampage. One would think that it would be open and shut. That as a nation we would move together as one and be supportive. That's not what happened. IMMEDIATELY speculation hit the airways and everyone with any kind of dislike for Palin or the Tea Party began point fingers. Somehow, a man with ZERO Conservative values, was said to be alined with the Right or the Tea Party. Somehow, a map that was released LAST year was said to be the trigger for his madness. What map? This one:
Does this look similar to THIS map released by the Democrats in 2004?
How about THIS map released just last year by the DCCC:
Who's hateful? Who's angry? The Left is displaying a blatant desire to harm and slander. They have become so full of hate, they can no longer SEE that they have no RIGHTS to our money, that the government has become so large that they can TAKE anything they wish. They've become selfish, greedy, lazy, wrathful, envious, judgmental and prideful. The same people will look to me and tell me I will go to Hell for my "selfishness", while they have no idea what I give to others. They will push blame from a murderer, to a mother who wasn't even there, simply because they hate her...and they will claim they are the peaceful party.
You choose.
It was first brought to my attention after 9/11 when groups were adamant that our government orchestrated the entire thing. Not only did we see true "hate" in the eyes of those taking responsibility for that terrible day, our own citizens were displaying a different form. The hate grew into anger and frustration as we entered into a war. It was almost as though a bottle of soda had been shaken and the top was about to blow. Going to war released that pressure for a short time. We felt like we had an outlet. We felt like we were DOING something. Then the lid was replaced and the bottle was being shaken again. Our intelligence was off...so of course anyone voting for this war that the public had been calling for...must have been lying. It HAD to be about money. Bush HAD to be the one to blame and the anger came back. The protests were ugly and filled with hate, using our dead soldiers in the form of military boots and coffins draped in the flag.
They burned Bush and other politicians in effigy. 
They displayed signs like this:
They portrayed him as Hitler. They called for his impeachment. They were violent and disruptive...but Clinton stood before tthe Democratics said:
When did that right change? Is the freedom to protest or disagree...only meant for the Left?
Every day I hear about how "hateful" the Right is while those spewing this silliness are simitaniously calling them "Repugnantcans" and referring to the Tea Party as "Tea baggers". Seems slightly more than a little contradictory for someone to claim that the right is hateful while they, themselves spew hate. Don't you think? Now, if I don't agree, I'm hateful. If I don't agree with the PRESIDENT, I'm racist or a bigot. If I wish to keep more of my earnings and push for people to WORK for what they want, I'm "greedy". If they don't like a politician they wish them dead. If they don't like a party, they push to silence it. If they don't like a network, they petition to destroy it. So, again...all those hateful things being spewed by the Left...but I'M in the hate filled party?
This past week has been the MOST hateful of them all in my opinion. A crazy man with his own God complex decides to purchase a gun and go on a shooting rampage. One would think that it would be open and shut. That as a nation we would move together as one and be supportive. That's not what happened. IMMEDIATELY speculation hit the airways and everyone with any kind of dislike for Palin or the Tea Party began point fingers. Somehow, a man with ZERO Conservative values, was said to be alined with the Right or the Tea Party. Somehow, a map that was released LAST year was said to be the trigger for his madness. What map? This one:
Does this look similar to THIS map released by the Democrats in 2004?
How about THIS map released just last year by the DCCC:
Who's hateful? Who's angry? The Left is displaying a blatant desire to harm and slander. They have become so full of hate, they can no longer SEE that they have no RIGHTS to our money, that the government has become so large that they can TAKE anything they wish. They've become selfish, greedy, lazy, wrathful, envious, judgmental and prideful. The same people will look to me and tell me I will go to Hell for my "selfishness", while they have no idea what I give to others. They will push blame from a murderer, to a mother who wasn't even there, simply because they hate her...and they will claim they are the peaceful party.
You choose.
Monday, January 10, 2011
AZ shooing and the politicizing behind it.
It's been a very long time since I've had the time to sit and type up a political blog! I've got a BIT of time today, but this will still be rather short and sweet. We've all heard about the shooting of Gabby Gifford this past weekend and I'm certain most of not ALL of us send our thoughts and prayers not only to her for a full recovery, but to the families of those who lost their lives that day.
Since then, the news has been FULL of speculation and finger pointing. I knew the media and the White House would somehow spin in a way to make the Right or the Tea Party responsible for this crime...I just didn't know which they would pick. Seems it's the Tea Party and Sarah Palin.
For days now they have been implying that this crazy person was influenced by Palin and her map with cross hairs on it, and for DAYS they have been ignoring the fact that this shooter was a Gabby follower. He had letters from her in a safe at his mothers home, thanking him for his participating in her rally's. He SHOT her because he didn't like the way she answered a question. He SHOT her because he is psychotic. He SHOT her because of his OWN instability. Not because of a silly little map put out before November. The Tea Party wasn't even in his radar, nor was it a group that he held in any kind of regard.
This NEED that so many have to push blame is ridiculous! They will sit for hours trying to find someone or a group that was responsible for the actions of a crazy man, but not blame HIM for his OWN psychosis. When did we stop being responsible for our own actions? When did we become so weak that we can't do ANYTHING unless the media or a politician TELLS us to?
With all this finger pointing toward the Right...people forget what our own leader has been saying.
Thing like:
“They Bring a Knife…We Bring a Gun”
“Get in Their Faces!”
“I don’t want to quell anger. I think people are right to be angry! I’m angry!”
“Hit Back Twice As Hard”
“We talk to these folks… so I know whose ass to kick.“
Re: what a Republican victory would mean “hand to hand combat”
“It’s time to Fight for it.”
“Punish your enemies.”
“I’m itching for a fight.”
Don't even get me started on how this is being DEALT with. A single shooter, that is IN custody...and Obama has changed his schedule and started using this situation to push his gun control agenda. He speaks out RIGHT away and immediately tries to draw similarities or comparisons between the shooter and extremist groups. He gets Homeland Security involved.
Was he this involved in the Fort Hood Shooting? No...in fact we were told to STOP drawing comparisons to terror groups. They edited themselves and tried to play it down. How about the Gulf oil leak? No, he took forever to even address it with us, and then only parroted what we already knew. Not to mention the fact that his actions in the clean up actually HINDERED a swift recovery.
So now we wait. Because of ONE CRAZY person, gun laws will be pushed to change. Because of ONE crazy man, our leaders will imply that they are somehow unsafe and need more spending to hire security. Because of ONE crazy man, the political climate will change as our leaders choose to politicize their own far left agenda. Pitiful leadership.
Stop throwing stones! You're glass house is getting far too weak.
Since then, the news has been FULL of speculation and finger pointing. I knew the media and the White House would somehow spin in a way to make the Right or the Tea Party responsible for this crime...I just didn't know which they would pick. Seems it's the Tea Party and Sarah Palin.
For days now they have been implying that this crazy person was influenced by Palin and her map with cross hairs on it, and for DAYS they have been ignoring the fact that this shooter was a Gabby follower. He had letters from her in a safe at his mothers home, thanking him for his participating in her rally's. He SHOT her because he didn't like the way she answered a question. He SHOT her because he is psychotic. He SHOT her because of his OWN instability. Not because of a silly little map put out before November. The Tea Party wasn't even in his radar, nor was it a group that he held in any kind of regard.
This NEED that so many have to push blame is ridiculous! They will sit for hours trying to find someone or a group that was responsible for the actions of a crazy man, but not blame HIM for his OWN psychosis. When did we stop being responsible for our own actions? When did we become so weak that we can't do ANYTHING unless the media or a politician TELLS us to?
With all this finger pointing toward the Right...people forget what our own leader has been saying.
Thing like:
“They Bring a Knife…We Bring a Gun”
“Get in Their Faces!”
“I don’t want to quell anger. I think people are right to be angry! I’m angry!”
“Hit Back Twice As Hard”
“We talk to these folks… so I know whose ass to kick.“
Re: what a Republican victory would mean “hand to hand combat”
“It’s time to Fight for it.”
“Punish your enemies.”
“I’m itching for a fight.”
Don't even get me started on how this is being DEALT with. A single shooter, that is IN custody...and Obama has changed his schedule and started using this situation to push his gun control agenda. He speaks out RIGHT away and immediately tries to draw similarities or comparisons between the shooter and extremist groups. He gets Homeland Security involved.
Was he this involved in the Fort Hood Shooting? No...in fact we were told to STOP drawing comparisons to terror groups. They edited themselves and tried to play it down. How about the Gulf oil leak? No, he took forever to even address it with us, and then only parroted what we already knew. Not to mention the fact that his actions in the clean up actually HINDERED a swift recovery.
So now we wait. Because of ONE CRAZY person, gun laws will be pushed to change. Because of ONE crazy man, our leaders will imply that they are somehow unsafe and need more spending to hire security. Because of ONE crazy man, the political climate will change as our leaders choose to politicize their own far left agenda. Pitiful leadership.
Stop throwing stones! You're glass house is getting far too weak.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Faith.
This is a topic that could result in little to no debate. My point of this blog is to TRY and get my feelings on the issue down in writing in hopes that after re-reading it I can somehow understand a mentality that I've yet to be able to grasp.
I grew up as a Roman Catholic. Baptism to First Communion, to Catechism (kiddy-prison as some called it), to Confirmation. To this day, I remember each step I took to become an adult in the Roman Catholic community, embraced as one of them. I watched my step father get baptized and go through the proper steps to become a Catholic, so he may marry my mother as a Catholic and be accepted as a Catholic and their marriage blessed under God. We donated money that we didn't have, time, and work to our church every week. We were engulfed in the community and embraced by them for all of our dedication. I was rather proud to be a part of the community...but things changed rather quickly. After some time, it became apparent that my then step-father was an abusive man, and my mother was unwilling to continue to submit us to his abusiveness. After much therapy he left, never to return. We turned to the church and what had become our community, only to be shunned by them. Told that he is forever our father and her husband in the eyes of God. Blaming US and telling us that we were sinful and wrong for not holding on to the relationship. As children, we needed our communities support at that point in our lives, more than you could imagine...but they turned their backs on us. Judged us.
What's this little story have to do with my feelings today? This "judgment" led me down a path that I don't think I would have traveled if it hadn't happened. I was able to see the church and it's followers in a very different light. I was able to see how they viewed "outsiders" and how they propped themselves above all others. I found myself desperately looking for another option... needing to be included in a community in the way that I once was, but I couldn't get that feeling of security back no matter how hard I tried. I was married by a Methodist Pastor. My son was Baptized Presbyterian. I ventured into a Catholic mass from time to time for weddings and holidays...but never felt like I belonged, nor did I want to feel like I wanted that anymore. I spent some time as a "born again Christian", but for the most part I've always considered myself a "recovering Catholic". I paid more attention to the faithful. Listened to their stories of how they found God. I read the bible, talked a lot about how I felt with men AND women of the cloth...trying to find where I fit in with my belief system that had slowly begun to develop into what could only be described as a "table top Christian". What is THAT? Well...I believe the bible in that I don't need to be in a church to pray. I don't need to be in a community for him to hear me. I don't need to talk to a special man or woman for my prayers or sorrows to be heard. I only need to say it and he hears. A church can be as simple as a small group discussing God and his teachings, non-judgmentally.
While on my path to a faith I found that "non-judgmentally" is a pipe-dream to many faiths. If you do not follow the bible word by word, or THEIR translation of the bible, you are wrong. If your faith paints God with a different face than the one we portray on the cross, you are wrong. If you do not sit in a pew and receive the blood and body of God, if you do not confess to a man of the cloth, if you do not give money to a church...you are wrong and you are not only judged, but they will literally imply that you are a sinner. I ask you, how is this living in Christ? How can you consider yourself a "Christian" if you can't accept others and their views. I don't present an evil path. I don't preach distain toward God. Why, if I'm not part of your community am I viewed as "uneducated" in regard to Jesus or faith in general?
Today I see faiths of all types jockeying to be the chosen. Competing with one another, and judging each other. Being...well...unGodly in their actions. As Christians we are taught to believe in One Lord God, Jesus Christ...but why aren't we also taught to at least understand those who believe their God to be of a different name or face? Why aren't we looking at the person or the life and how they live it? Does it HURT you or your faith if a Mormon doesn't see Jesus as we do? Is it going to destroy your religion if the Muslims choose to worship Mohammed? Is it THAT bad that the Jews think Jesus is a good man...but not God and pray while they wait for him? How about Wicca? It's a BEAUTIFUL faith! Their God is not a God but a Goddess. What are THEY like? How do they live their lives? Do you take the time to know how they live and if they are good people or do you simply judge them based on their religious belief?
As Christians we were taught that we have free will. Why is it so hard for so many to understand that sometimes that means that we have different beliefs? Who are we to judge what is right or wrong? Who are we to dictate how others translate the word of God? If they believe in a higher being and live their lives right why is that a BAD thing? Because our CHURCH tells us it is? Have we engulfed ourselves so deep in our churches that we've forgotten how to think for ourselves? Have we forgotten that "we are all Gods children"?
Don't get me wrong, judgment comes from all sides. The Atheists judge the faithful, the faithful judge the Atheists. They all judge the Pagans...and funny enough...I've yet to meet a Wiccan who judges quite as much as the rest. This is only a small portion of the faiths we see in this world...but you get the picture.
All this judgement and I have to ask...how do you know? I know, I know, the Christians will say because of faith and the Bible...but Mormons will say the same thing! Who's right? You know what I think? I think none us will know for sure...until the day we die. We will hold tight to our beliefs AND SHOULD, until the day we die and finally learn the truth. Who is our maker, is it a man or a woman? Do we only see darkness? No one knows for certain. We have only our faith...and faith in and of it's self is beautiful and personal. Who are we to judge how a person sees his/her savior? Who are you to claim that your view is better than? If I lived my life well...but believe in "The Goddess" as my savior, will God reject me into his kingdom? No...and anyone who tells you otherwise is guilty of this judgment and not worth my time.
I re-read what I wrote...and understand nothing more than I did when I began...but I'm peaceful in knowing that I can live my life only for myself and my child. How others view me and my faith is of no concern to me. Only God has the power to judge me and how I live my life...and I know in my heart that he will be fair.
I grew up as a Roman Catholic. Baptism to First Communion, to Catechism (kiddy-prison as some called it), to Confirmation. To this day, I remember each step I took to become an adult in the Roman Catholic community, embraced as one of them. I watched my step father get baptized and go through the proper steps to become a Catholic, so he may marry my mother as a Catholic and be accepted as a Catholic and their marriage blessed under God. We donated money that we didn't have, time, and work to our church every week. We were engulfed in the community and embraced by them for all of our dedication. I was rather proud to be a part of the community...but things changed rather quickly. After some time, it became apparent that my then step-father was an abusive man, and my mother was unwilling to continue to submit us to his abusiveness. After much therapy he left, never to return. We turned to the church and what had become our community, only to be shunned by them. Told that he is forever our father and her husband in the eyes of God. Blaming US and telling us that we were sinful and wrong for not holding on to the relationship. As children, we needed our communities support at that point in our lives, more than you could imagine...but they turned their backs on us. Judged us.
What's this little story have to do with my feelings today? This "judgment" led me down a path that I don't think I would have traveled if it hadn't happened. I was able to see the church and it's followers in a very different light. I was able to see how they viewed "outsiders" and how they propped themselves above all others. I found myself desperately looking for another option... needing to be included in a community in the way that I once was, but I couldn't get that feeling of security back no matter how hard I tried. I was married by a Methodist Pastor. My son was Baptized Presbyterian. I ventured into a Catholic mass from time to time for weddings and holidays...but never felt like I belonged, nor did I want to feel like I wanted that anymore. I spent some time as a "born again Christian", but for the most part I've always considered myself a "recovering Catholic". I paid more attention to the faithful. Listened to their stories of how they found God. I read the bible, talked a lot about how I felt with men AND women of the cloth...trying to find where I fit in with my belief system that had slowly begun to develop into what could only be described as a "table top Christian". What is THAT? Well...I believe the bible in that I don't need to be in a church to pray. I don't need to be in a community for him to hear me. I don't need to talk to a special man or woman for my prayers or sorrows to be heard. I only need to say it and he hears. A church can be as simple as a small group discussing God and his teachings, non-judgmentally.
While on my path to a faith I found that "non-judgmentally" is a pipe-dream to many faiths. If you do not follow the bible word by word, or THEIR translation of the bible, you are wrong. If your faith paints God with a different face than the one we portray on the cross, you are wrong. If you do not sit in a pew and receive the blood and body of God, if you do not confess to a man of the cloth, if you do not give money to a church...you are wrong and you are not only judged, but they will literally imply that you are a sinner. I ask you, how is this living in Christ? How can you consider yourself a "Christian" if you can't accept others and their views. I don't present an evil path. I don't preach distain toward God. Why, if I'm not part of your community am I viewed as "uneducated" in regard to Jesus or faith in general?
Today I see faiths of all types jockeying to be the chosen. Competing with one another, and judging each other. Being...well...unGodly in their actions. As Christians we are taught to believe in One Lord God, Jesus Christ...but why aren't we also taught to at least understand those who believe their God to be of a different name or face? Why aren't we looking at the person or the life and how they live it? Does it HURT you or your faith if a Mormon doesn't see Jesus as we do? Is it going to destroy your religion if the Muslims choose to worship Mohammed? Is it THAT bad that the Jews think Jesus is a good man...but not God and pray while they wait for him? How about Wicca? It's a BEAUTIFUL faith! Their God is not a God but a Goddess. What are THEY like? How do they live their lives? Do you take the time to know how they live and if they are good people or do you simply judge them based on their religious belief?
As Christians we were taught that we have free will. Why is it so hard for so many to understand that sometimes that means that we have different beliefs? Who are we to judge what is right or wrong? Who are we to dictate how others translate the word of God? If they believe in a higher being and live their lives right why is that a BAD thing? Because our CHURCH tells us it is? Have we engulfed ourselves so deep in our churches that we've forgotten how to think for ourselves? Have we forgotten that "we are all Gods children"?
Don't get me wrong, judgment comes from all sides. The Atheists judge the faithful, the faithful judge the Atheists. They all judge the Pagans...and funny enough...I've yet to meet a Wiccan who judges quite as much as the rest. This is only a small portion of the faiths we see in this world...but you get the picture.
All this judgement and I have to ask...how do you know? I know, I know, the Christians will say because of faith and the Bible...but Mormons will say the same thing! Who's right? You know what I think? I think none us will know for sure...until the day we die. We will hold tight to our beliefs AND SHOULD, until the day we die and finally learn the truth. Who is our maker, is it a man or a woman? Do we only see darkness? No one knows for certain. We have only our faith...and faith in and of it's self is beautiful and personal. Who are we to judge how a person sees his/her savior? Who are you to claim that your view is better than? If I lived my life well...but believe in "The Goddess" as my savior, will God reject me into his kingdom? No...and anyone who tells you otherwise is guilty of this judgment and not worth my time.
I re-read what I wrote...and understand nothing more than I did when I began...but I'm peaceful in knowing that I can live my life only for myself and my child. How others view me and my faith is of no concern to me. Only God has the power to judge me and how I live my life...and I know in my heart that he will be fair.
"Alien Invasion"
Written by my husband, after watching the video posted at the end. My sentiments exactly...
"Alien Invasion"
If you're a member of my generation, you may remember the semi-popular TV series "V" that was aired a couple of decades ago. The show was a story of outer-space aliens who disguised themselves as humans, even though they had evil designs for the fate of mankind.
The series began with the peaceful arrival of the aliens, who offered to share their technology and medicine with the people of Earth, in exchange for acceptance and cooperation. The allure was too great for those who were suffering from the many challenges of daily Earth life. After all, work is very hard, and we never seem to have everything we want, right?
Many people leapt at the aliens' offer, and some even went so far as to become agents of the alien society. They helped spread the "peaceful" propaganda that encouraged others to join the cause, and to discredit or even destroy those who resisted the aliens' encroachment of their society.
This went on for a while, until a handful of people woke up and realized that the invaders from outer space were actually infiltrating the government, revoking freedoms, and slowly eradicating the human race.
These few observant humans formed a resistance, started a war, and eventually saved the tiny remnants of humanity from total extinction. Just barely, though. In the interest of TV drama, the good guys had to win. This, despite the fact that it was totally unrealistic considering the scope of domination the aliens had achieved in all facets. But I digress...
Now, I know it was fiction. I understand that we don't have outer-space aliens in our government, courts, and schools. There's no man-eating lizard people taking away our heritage and replacing it with their own. There's no UFO-bound race of beings teaching our children to accept a future with fewer freedoms. There is obviously not an other-worldly agenda trying to wipe our country off the planet.
That would be hard to believe, right? We would never just sit around and take it, let alone join the cause and march side by side with those who want to enslave us and destroy our way of life.
Or would we?
"Alien Invasion"
If you're a member of my generation, you may remember the semi-popular TV series "V" that was aired a couple of decades ago. The show was a story of outer-space aliens who disguised themselves as humans, even though they had evil designs for the fate of mankind.
The series began with the peaceful arrival of the aliens, who offered to share their technology and medicine with the people of Earth, in exchange for acceptance and cooperation. The allure was too great for those who were suffering from the many challenges of daily Earth life. After all, work is very hard, and we never seem to have everything we want, right?
Many people leapt at the aliens' offer, and some even went so far as to become agents of the alien society. They helped spread the "peaceful" propaganda that encouraged others to join the cause, and to discredit or even destroy those who resisted the aliens' encroachment of their society.
This went on for a while, until a handful of people woke up and realized that the invaders from outer space were actually infiltrating the government, revoking freedoms, and slowly eradicating the human race.
These few observant humans formed a resistance, started a war, and eventually saved the tiny remnants of humanity from total extinction. Just barely, though. In the interest of TV drama, the good guys had to win. This, despite the fact that it was totally unrealistic considering the scope of domination the aliens had achieved in all facets. But I digress...
Now, I know it was fiction. I understand that we don't have outer-space aliens in our government, courts, and schools. There's no man-eating lizard people taking away our heritage and replacing it with their own. There's no UFO-bound race of beings teaching our children to accept a future with fewer freedoms. There is obviously not an other-worldly agenda trying to wipe our country off the planet.
That would be hard to believe, right? We would never just sit around and take it, let alone join the cause and march side by side with those who want to enslave us and destroy our way of life.
Or would we?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
