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LadyCeeMarie - that fact that all professions will have a few bad apples is
something we must remind ourselves of when we meet them.
Reminding ourselves of this is the only way to be fair to the larger group and to maintain a balanced perspective towards them. I know that not all self appointed Christian pastors are as loopy as the one that graced this site a couple of years ago.
posted by
gomedome
on May 13, 2007 at 10:30 AM
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uh oh,
Should I get thee to a vomitorium? It sounds like you had a run-in with one bad apple. There are more than one out there, too.
I just got a letter from a former student whose pentecostal relatives molested her when she 5 years old; went on for years.
Our paster, a Methodist from Indonesia, is the most kind, forgiving man. My husband and I went in for marriage couselling a couple of years ago. He never judged me as a Jezebel or whatever they could call an adulteress. He asked one question, 'is he (the other man) out of the picture?' and we went forward from there.
We concluded our sessions quickly because my husband & I knew each other better than any couple he'd counseled. (Results of some tests we took.) No hell or damnation sermons. He said to enjoy the comfortable love which may not have the fireworks every day, but it would be comfortable. He was right and we felt he made an honest assessment.
I guess you have a few bad apples in every profession. The clergy none the less. Take a few rotten ones to know when a sweet one comes along. Sorry in my trying to be light on the subject that it turned your stomach.
Ladyceemarie 
posted by
LadyCeeMarie
on May 13, 2007 at 2:35 AM
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Hmm ... 
posted by
Jenasis
on May 8, 2007 at 1:02 PM
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LadyCeeMarie - the good pastor was a she and the thoughts derived from your
closing question make me ill.
I would not doubt if this person used these types of comments with the same sense of their implications as your youngster. But having said that, I do not remember a more vulgar and downright vicious individual gracing this site than this person. Armed with a child's perspective, a completely deluded interpretation of the bible and seeming to be completely oblivious to the lies, hurt and downright nonsense she bestowed upon others, she was spreading the good word. . . . at least in her mind.
posted by
gomedome
on May 8, 2007 at 12:56 PM
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Gomedome
My comment is totally off the wall, because of what goes for "profanity" these days. I am not offended by "Bite Me." (I'm known for wordy comments, so prepare for a story.) My son was barely in school, 1st or 2nd grade, and he was reported to the principal by a little girl's mother whose 3 year old daughter had said "Bite Me." Supposedly the brother had heard NICK (my son) say those 'dirty words.' Hell, for all I know he had a T-Shirt with Bart Simpson expounding his now famous "expletive." We asked the principal why both parents (us) took off work to expound upon the two words "Bite Me?" We asked our son what he thought it meant. He said, in all his youthful wisdom, "Well, Bart said it so it must be a smart aleck remark."
We all accepted that and I think we talked about respect, yada yada yada. We later told Nick that it could be interpretted by some grownups to mean "bite my penis" and he replied 'OOOOOOOOOO, GROSS!' We told him he'd be wise not to repeat words like that until he asked us what they meant first, even if they WERE printed on T-Shirts, because kids think one way and grown-ups may not find it so funny. (There are a certain group of people who have a limited sense of humor.) We promised would always be truthful about questions he had, but if he was ever in doubt, ask. We never heard him say "Bite me" again! And he did ask (luckily) about all sorts of things. Always, I took the direct route, usually asking, "What do YOU think? Then I'll tell you how close you came."
So did the good pastor just being irreverent and disrespectful or did he want you to perform a horrific form of fellatio? Just wonderin' . . . .
Cee
posted by
LadyCeeMarie
on May 8, 2007 at 12:33 PM
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Jenasis - sometimes just two words is all that needs to be said
The funny part about this post is how it came about. The person who said this to me was here trying to start an online church. I found it rather funny how little it took to make her lose her cool and start hurling profanities . . . this is just a mild example.
posted by
gomedome
on May 8, 2007 at 11:42 AM
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Gome, you enjoy an impressively extensive vocabulary.
posted by
Jenasis
on May 8, 2007 at 10:52 AM
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Talion - that is exactly the problem, for many people tolerance is levied
only towards those who act in accordance with their prescribed opinions.
I find it rather amusing when fundies bring up the subject of tolerance, quite often with pleas to other members of society to stop being so tolerant of actions that they simply dislike or that do not adhere to their beliefs. It seems not to occur to them that they too are being tolerated by those of us who do not have such rigid perspectives.
posted by
gomedome
on May 8, 2007 at 7:12 AM
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gomedome
I think the biggest problem with the whole tolerance issue is many foolishly believe tolerance means agreement. In order to "tolerate" something, one agrees wholeheartedly with the concept. That's simply not the case. Tolerance is allowing others to live their lives as they see fit (as long as their actions don't intentionally cause harm). Whether or not one agrees or disagrees is beside the point. However, the true measure of tolerance is how one treats others. Most can say all the proper things, but few actually practice what they preach, so to speak. Actions speak louder than words.
posted by
Talion
on May 8, 2007 at 6:57 AM
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Transcendental_Child - there is definitely something to be said for basic
honesty but there are limits.
I too prefer to know where I stand with people but the manifestation of their disdain had better be, for their sake, justified and controlled. We all have the right to disengage social contact with those we dislike for whatever reasons, as soon as an individual begins demonstrating their disdain for another however, an entire set of new responsibilities come into play. If there does not exist an identifiable transgression, representation, or a propagating action to foster the disdain, then we merely have a case of one person dumping crap on another because they don't like them.
posted by
gomedome
on May 8, 2007 at 6:42 AM
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Gomes....
My take on tolerance is that I would rather for someone to openly demonstrate his or her disdain rather than to merely tolerate my presence. I get the sense... you are of much the same mind.
posted by
Transcendental_Child
on May 8, 2007 at 2:17 AM
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