dropping in quickly
I continue to alternate between working my ass off and staring blankly into space when my brain finally completely slips its gears. (With a few other things jammed in there as well, like, Saturday we unpacked Geoff's grandparents at their new home in a seniors' residence. Sad in some ways, but unquestionably the best -- and only possible -- thing for them now.) The current job is due this coming Friday, and "catch up on EVERYTHING ELSE" is next on my to-do list.
But I'm dropping in quickly to share an anecdote I told in church this morning. The topic today was "Unitarian Universalist parenting," and service was led by a couple members of the congregation, plus me facilitating. I ended with this story:
A bunch of years ago, several years before I ever came here, I was having dinner with my stepson, who was pretty young then. My stepchildren are members of their mother's fairly doctrinaire Christian church, and over dinner, out of nowhere, he asked me, "Do you praise God?"
I said something that amounted to "Buh?"
He said, "The Bible says, if you don't praise God you'll go to hell. You should praise God."
Now, my stepson was in no way ready to hear me talk about the fact that I don't believe in God, certainly not in the kind of God he believes in. Saying that would have shut the conversation down in a way that I didn't want to do. But, as a proto-Unitarian, I couldn't let that comment go.
So I said, "Well, some people interpret the Bible to say that, but not everyone. Plus, that would only matter to Christians, and not everyone is Christian.
"And anyway, the Bible also says that God is love. So I figure, if I'm as loving, and kind, and generous as I can be, that's praising God."
He said something that amounted to "Buh?" But I felt pretty good about the conversation.
read
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But I'm dropping in quickly to share an anecdote I told in church this morning. The topic today was "Unitarian Universalist parenting," and service was led by a couple members of the congregation, plus me facilitating. I ended with this story:
A bunch of years ago, several years before I ever came here, I was having dinner with my stepson, who was pretty young then. My stepchildren are members of their mother's fairly doctrinaire Christian church, and over dinner, out of nowhere, he asked me, "Do you praise God?"
I said something that amounted to "Buh?"
He said, "The Bible says, if you don't praise God you'll go to hell. You should praise God."
Now, my stepson was in no way ready to hear me talk about the fact that I don't believe in God, certainly not in the kind of God he believes in. Saying that would have shut the conversation down in a way that I didn't want to do. But, as a proto-Unitarian, I couldn't let that comment go.
So I said, "Well, some people interpret the Bible to say that, but not everyone. Plus, that would only matter to Christians, and not everyone is Christian.
"And anyway, the Bible also says that God is love. So I figure, if I'm as loving, and kind, and generous as I can be, that's praising God."
He said something that amounted to "Buh?" But I felt pretty good about the conversation.
read
comments | post a comment at Dreamwidth
How to use OpenID (optional unless you are commenting on a locked post)