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GapCohen, thanks for checking me out!
My answer to your questions was long, so I made it a post in my Oddments blog. I hope you'll drop by often!
posted by
editormum
on June 13, 2008 at 12:43 PM
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Sorry
Reminiscing that should be. My brain is addled from the three hour wait in the Royal Children's today.
posted by
Norwood
on June 11, 2008 at 4:53 AM
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Aww Mal You had me rolling on the floor and reminicing...
I worked for a year last year part time casually in the Mazel Tov Bookshop in Melbourne and I also worked for the owner years and years ago in the early 90's. He also works in counselling and does cult busting and rescues people from all sorts of interesting cults (If it is too good to be true, it probably is). Because it is a Jewish Bookshop we get a rash and I mean rash of these born again Christians coming in and 'witnessing Jesus' to us the workers. It is kind of freaky and weird because some of these bods look quite normal little old ladies and conservative Joe citizens. Normal, that is until they start going on about Isiah and then the New Testament quote start flying out and I usually sit there and polish a few Kiddish cups and resist the impulse to hand out free popcorn (kosher of course). I asked one little old lady why she bothered and she told me that they had a quota of people to witness to every day....seems sort of pointless, doesn't it?
The freakiest wintnesser was this lady who used to teach with me in 1993. She gave me a kift to school and one day she came to pick me up and saw the Mezzuzot on my doors. It was like a red flag to a bull. For weeks the focus of our conversations turned to religion and why we don't believe that 'JC' is the 'lord' and yeah I was thinking the train and the bus would be soo soo much more relaxing than this woman. It was the end of term (they transferred me to another school which was closer to my home) and I was saying goodbye to this lady and told her it would be the last day that I would be getting a lift with her. So we pull up in the parking lot.
All of a sudden to my shock and horror, this woman smashes her forehead against her steering wheel and starts to cry in a distraught and uncontrollable manner. She keeps smacking her head against the steering wheel and in between sobs tells me that she will stop if I admit that 'JC' is the one true Lord. I said very quietly, sorry I can't do that and was as still as a mouse looking to get out of that car so fast. It was freaky. She starts babbling 'I have to save your soul from the hell fire. You are such a nice person. It is not fair that you will burn in hell. Oh, gentle Jesus I am trying to save her. Oh gentle Jesus I am trying to save her.' I thanked her profusely and luckily the door was centrally locked and got out of the car and never got in a car with her again.
I mean that sort of behaviour means she could decide to do anything crazy if she thought it would bring me around to the 'true way'. BBBRRR Believe me I was astounished but I should not have been, as she did tell me she went to one of those places that they speak in tongues and YEAH enough said.
posted by
Norwood
on June 11, 2008 at 4:52 AM
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Re: Sholom Aleichem!
Nice to meet you, editormum - thanks for reading! I'm curious about your use and knowledge of Jewish terms. On your "about me" page, you write that you are "mostly Protestant". Is the other smidgen Jewish? I'll be eating lunch at Chabad on Tues. for Shavuos - otherwise, not really celebrating. I'm not very observant; but very culturally aware. By the way - my husband, whose family is from outside of Nashville, worked at Goldsmith's in Memphis in the early 80's and his first cousin married into a Memphis family. (Uncle owns the Peabody). I lived in the South (Nacagdoches, TX, then Houston) and I can attest to your observation that the worlds of the North and South are WORLDs apart!!
posted by
gapcohen
on June 7, 2008 at 8:06 PM
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Re: gap
Thanks, Naut - people get too damn serious about religion. Just lightening it up a bit.
posted by
gapcohen
on June 7, 2008 at 7:58 PM
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Re:
You got it, Zen. Gotta find G-d from the inside out! At least, that's just ME! I know you find goodness in other ways!
posted by
gapcohen
on June 7, 2008 at 7:57 PM
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Re:
Thanks, Sam. This one was fun to tell!
posted by
gapcohen
on June 7, 2008 at 7:56 PM
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Sholom Aleichem!
Glad I stumbled across your blog! Good read. You tell stories well. I trust you are looking forward to Shavuot ... will you be participating in a
tikkun leil Shavuot?
posted by
editormum
on June 7, 2008 at 7:37 PM
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gap
Very funny! It may have been a bit of a pain at the time, but it
was good for a laugh...
posted by
Nautikos
on June 7, 2008 at 7:05 PM
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Mal - I know guys like this...........still looking for something that can only be found
inside themselves. Well, at least you won't have to put up w/ his "I've accepted Christ as my personal savior" anymore. ZM
posted by
ZenMom
on June 7, 2008 at 5:34 PM
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What a great story. I think the boy is lost. Forevermore you can tell a story. This was rich, vibrant and so very entertaining! sam
posted by
sam444
on June 7, 2008 at 4:41 PM
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Re: gapcohen - what an engaging read and too funny
Thanks, Gomedome - I've encountered more than my share of them!
posted by
gapcohen
on June 7, 2008 at 1:34 PM
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gapcohen - what an engaging read and too funny
Ben could well be representative of thousands of "on the wagon, off the wagon" people finding religion, that we all have encountered/endured in our lives.
posted by
gomedome
on June 7, 2008 at 1:29 PM
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