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Pastimes : Don't Ask Rambi -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: koan who wrote (69776)	1/8/2009 9:37:12 AM
From: KonKilo	Respond to of 71178

I have had a couple of unexplainable supernatural events occur in my life. Its ironic that the Christianists are usually the first to deny the existence of anything supernatural, as if a risen savior and a virgin birth are natural events.

To: koan who wrote (69776)	1/8/2009 11:40:28 AM
From: Rambi	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 71178

Well, I won't set my hair on fire because that article didn't try to make a blanket statement that it's only Republicans who are religious and Dems who see clearly; it's comparing America- very unfavorably- to the rest of the world. The first para alone negates the partisan angle [Americans are three times as likely to believe in the Virgin Birth of Jesus (83 percent) as in evolution (28 percent)]. As a whole, we have some religious hangups, regardless of politics. In fact, thinking about it, Hispanics voted strongly Dem, didn't they? And they are a very religious culture. Speaking of Mary, somewhere years ago I did a rant on the what hte Church did to women as they destroyed Gaia and the female goddesses in their coup to take over the world. They had a hard time holding back Mary and had to make it a sin to "worship" her; you were only allowed to appreciate her as the vessel that brought us the REAL thing. ANd you can pray to her, but only so that she'll take the message to God, who is Boss. Anyway, I was looking for those posts, and came across this one that cracked me up, even if I did write it in 2001, about religious indoctrination. Ammo introduced me to an interesting TV channel tonight. There was a little old nun-- the kind we used to have in school and catechism- in full nun regalia - and she was holding up a picture of Our Lady of Lourdes. "Here's Bernadette with Our Lady again," she says, patting the picture lovingly. "Just like in the movie you saw years ago." Under her the screen displays: #324- Visitation at Lourdes- 20.00. I crack up. Is this SNL? COmedy Central? MAD? No mom- this is real, Ammo says. Ammo the kidder- I mean this was great material. The little nun is very serious. She pulls out a book. "It would be better if children read more and watched less Satanic television." she said sternly, and somewhat ironically, I think, given that she is hawking her wares on the evil screen; funny stuff. She shows us four more books on Our Lady of Lourdes. THis seems very long for a skit. "Wasn't Bernadette pretty? She was very bright, although she didn't always act it." she sighs, leaving us dying to know what deficiencies poor Bernadette exhibited. She was probably fine. Those nuns were really into making you feel inadequate. She says after the commercial she's going to show us holy rosaries. It wasn't COmedy Central. It was the Religious Home Shopping Network. Really. I kid you not. The announcer said, "We'll be right back with Mother after these messages." After the commercial, we got a chance to buy rosaries with real water from Lourdes in them. "How do you know it's really water from Lourdes?" she asks. "Well, you don't. But look how pretty the beads are. They're blue and pearl." she holds them up. "well, they aren't really pearl. They just look like pearl." Her hands are very old. She is so serious and so sincere. We find we like her- a lot. "What are those for?" Ammo is fascinated. I try to explain- how can you, though? THe rituals, novenas, the mysteries, the Stations of the Cross. He is now more than fascinated; they 're showing statues of the crucified Christ over an altar, blood dripping, arms distorted, crown of thorns. He is horrified. He can't believe I grew up exposed to this. He thinks I was brainwashed as a child. Yes, I tell him, it's true, of course I was. He says that telling children that the Virgin Mary might appear in their backyards is child abuse. Yes, but I prayed a lot to my glow in the dark statue of Mary with my glow in the dark rosary, begging her not to appear at the foot of my bed, I tell him. I still sleep with a sheet over my head. The sweet nun only wants 25.00 for the rosary. He says, mom, you know now this is a lot of hooey, right? Sure, I say. But I realize as I say it that deep down I still hear a voice yelling at me, "You're going to hell for that!!"