doctor scrumpy

Red-Headed Jewish lady who shares a flat with her gay friend ?




Two weeks ago I went out for a meal with a lot of my neighbors, there was 22 people at the table and when the food came we all held hands and said grace. I think if you even suggested doing that in the UK never mind did it you would be ridiculed.


Yeah, I was slightly bemused when we were all sat down at Mary Ann's the saturday after Thanksgiving last year, saying grace before we tucked into a vindaloo I had made. It seemed stranger than when we had done it at Thanksgiving.

Lion in Winter

I think the religious fervour is a lot stronger in the south than in the north of the country. There are certainly plenty of churches here, but I have never been propositioned by any religion. Having said that, I have run into a few grace-sayers sitting around the ceremonial turkey, and one frankly didn't believe me when I mentioned what a tiny percentage of Christians in the UK actually practice the religion. I mean, a lot of us got baptised in Church, maybe married there, and possibly buried there, but nothing in between.

whatever

On a visit to Holland, Michigan a few years back I was struck with the number of churches seemingly on every corner... I remember even commenting to the driver who had collected me from the airport "You have churches on every corner as we have off Licences". There was the evangelist this and the born again that etc. I arrived on a Sunday and after a pretty rough journey, had called down to Room service and asked for a glass of wine with my meal - Dry State - No Alcohol on a Sunday.
Anyway, the next day I went into work and I had those same sort of questions about what Church did I go to back home etc... and I could see that the people I met were very conscious of their 'duty' and moulded their lives around their church.
Finally, on my last day one of the women from Customer Services had taken me to the town for shopping and drove me back to my hotel before my flight. We had met a few times over the fortnight I was there and chatted about different things. On pulling up to my hotel, what had been light drizzle transformed into an almighty hail storm and the ice was pounding at the car. I collected all my bags together down in the footwell and turned to say goodbye when she snatched my hand with the force of a WWF wrestler from my bags and held it in a tight lock - I was so thrown I just sat there frozen! Her eyes were shut tight and she started praying like it was the last prayer she'd ever say! She said something about get me home safe and to bless my son and that lord let life work out for me lord guide me etc.... I was scared sh*&tless!!!! and when she was finished she hugged me like I was her child and I was speechless!!! I just thanked her and backed out the car.
It's kind of funny now but it wasn't very amusing at the time!
She was a very genuine character so I didn't make anything of it but it really spooked me out!

MarsBar

I know what you mean. That actually reminds me of a little incident that my step-dad and I have a good chuckle about almost everytime we speak!!

I was visiting my mom and bob (step-dad) in Houston and we'd gone to this great icecream place called The Marble Slab Icecream Parlor (or something simmilar). Bob and I call it "The Slabbery". Mom wasnt feeling to well and sat in the car while bob and I went in for our biggest weakness besides cheesecake.

Inside whilest waiting in line a man from Africa who was standing just in front of us turned around and said hello. He told us he was on a Mission from Africa to spread the word of God, which was nice (said in a Fast Show Stylie).

Apparently he thought we were married, which was funny because I was just 20 and bob's in his 50s lol.

Anyway this very kind but chatty man suddenly asked us if we'd found Jesus.

Bob's immediate reaction was (you can probably see this coming) "I didnt know he was lost!" *budum chhh* Poor guy took that as a que that we needed to be taught about the greatness of Jesus while we waited for our cholesterol laden cream of ice. He prompty proceeded to give us his phone number and asked us to call him for more information about Jesus. WAHEY!

Once they guy got his icecream and left bob handed the number over the counter to the lad serving up our icecream and said "that guy wants you to give him a call".

We enjoyed our icecream that night and I'll never forget the forward slightly psychotic man that had lost jesus at the slabbery.

I think I was just really surprised that this bloke was so forward. It was obvious that he was enthusiastic and thats great - but Ive never before or since been approached by someone who's opening line was "Have you found Jesus!?"

Im sorry to report that I have not yet found him. Perhaps he is in Chrispy Creme.

Jxab12

Interesting article in the NY Times recently that the number of Epilcopalians (Anglicans) continues to decline in the US - now only about 2.5 million. One of the only religions where attendences are continually lower.......

doctor scrumpy

Really ? Hope they got enough left for Halloween, off to watch Va Epilcopalian School play football !

Manc

I live an hour north of Holland. There'd be a riot if the banned drinking on Sunday here..........
shoulda come to Manistee instead!

Yorkieabroad

Maybe it is now - I'm no expert on porn (honest guv) but we were channel surfing the other night and came across the Amateur Porn awards from Boston (or something like that). Some of them were quite amusing - well endowed teddy bears going at each other with a bit of scandinavian-accented dirty talk thrown in for good measure. And I'll never be able to look a gingerbread man in the eye again after what I saw that night - I had no idea that was how they were, erm, baked.... But some of them were pretty explicit autobiographic short movies of husband/wife, boyfriend/girlfriend going at it. Everyone sat very politely in the auditorium and watched these movies with the stars/director/screenwriter sitting there, then politely applauded, while the starts blushed with pride(?). It was all quite bizarre! and I'm not quite sure how I got to this from a thread entitled Religion.... sorry

doctor scrumpy

One or two handed clapping Yorkie ?

Taffyles

The bible belting here came as a surprise to me when we first arrived- and I still get fed up with it at times. My daughter though got a bit of a complex- she was only 9 at the time and she was asked so many times what religion she was, that it really worried her that we didn't go to church. For years she went trying out different churches - she did them all, even Jehovah's witnesses (knew that one wouldn't last long once she found out they didn't celebrate Christmas).

Another shocker was what she was being taught in science class- that the theory of evolution is a "sin". Also when I was in college I was stunned by the amount of people who believed totally in creation and immaculate conception... and how careful the professors were in the science courses when broaching the subject of evolution not to upset anybody. One professor quipped that the bible was just symbolic- half the class walked out!

Our funniest story was when my middle son, who has a wicked sense of humour, then 16, was persuaded into attending some church or other by his friend- it was one of those 'hallejuia' types- so he sat for while watching the goings on ...the sudden outbursts of the congregation made him jump and he knocked his can of coke over...so he leapt up and cried " Oh My God, its a sign, its a sign..hallejuia!!!"...and that was the end of his religious endeavours.

Yorkieabroad

LOL
But it really really wasn't like that - it was like they were sitting round discussing the relative merits of Earl Grey versus English Breakfast, rather than the relative strength of their spouses orgasms!

MarsBar

Im afraid that was my bad!!


Funnily enough Im really quite shocked about Reverend Gene Robinson (the Gay soon to be Bishop of New Hampshire). I know there are still lots of debates about it going on in the States but Im really thrilled about the open-mindedness of the diocese of New Hampshire. Its really progressive stuff. On the flip side the higher-ups in The Anglican Church are being very uppity about it. Its interesting to see the stir its caused in England.

I watched Question Time tonight on BBC1 and their caller vote revealed something like 31% of callers were for gays in the church and a staggering 69% were against it. A few people on the panel suggested that the result of the poll may not actually be an accurate representation of public feelings - obviously only people who are really interested in the subject are going to call in and vote and those people are likely to be the ones pissed off about it.

Just thought ya'll might be interested.

doctor scrumpy

I thought Boris Johnson was on the mark....Where does it say in the bible that same sex relationships are wrong ?

Waiting to see the furore when the first lesbian is created Bishop.

All those against his appointment must love bashing the Bishop.

doctor scrumpy

Just a thought on religion............

Do Catholic schools have ' rubbers ' on the end of their pencils ?

Webbie

Newsday.com article-->

General: We're in a 'Spiritual Battle'
Says 'Christian army' fights Satan, Muslims worship 'idol'

Washington - A three-star general active in the search for Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein has told religious audiences that the war on terrorism is a battle between a "Christian army" and Satan, and that Muslims worship an "idol" and not a "real God."
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationwo...news-headlines