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Goodbye Jesus

Christmas Eve Sermon


Amethyst

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Well, I'm surviving the holiday so far.

 

So I was at church tonight, and among the usual Christmas eve sermon was the gem that the pastor decided that Jesus was adopted. Yep, adopted. *Sigh* Despite the fact that, if you believe in it literally, he was born of a virgin mother and raised by her and her husband.

 

Now this pastor's thing, apparently, is kids. He has like 10 of them, they are adopted, and apparently "dysfunctional." (All that means is that the fundies think that things like having ADHD makes them bad.) And he said that he wants everyone to not only like children, especially foster children, but go out of their way to do nice things for them.

 

Now, I'm not against doing nice things for people, by any means. And I'm not against other people having kids or whatever. I just wouldn't want them myself, at least not right now. But it seems to me that there are a lot of people who are traditionally ignored by churches, except at Christmas, and sometimes even at Christmas. The poor, the disabled (be it mentally or physically), the elderly, and people with AIDs, who most churches would rather ignore because of fundie beliefs.

 

So, it seems that pushing one group above all the others, just because it's his own pet project, is kind of...I don't know, pushy. Why not just encourage people to not forget those who are normally forgotten by everyone else?

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Hey, so you went to a Christmas Eve service too. I figured I'd be the only one from this group who was silly enough to go. I don't know how to feel about it. It was mostly singing and scripture reading. No sermon. That seems to be the modern Mennonite way of doing things on Christmas Eve. I love group singing but I'm spoiled. My own family, not to mention the entire community, are really gifted singers. finding a congregation that sings as well as my people do is extra-ordinarily difficult. I had taken all the musical talent for granted. Until I left my native community.

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Well, techinically, Jebus is supposed to have been a bastard, and for Joseph to have been his father would've required some form of adoption, so it kinda makes sense.

 

If anything in Xian mythology can, that is :crazy:

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Huh.. interessting I had always thought that Mary and Joseph were married by the time Jesus was born though..

 

I didn't go to xmas eve service though, my mom and sis did though... my sis came back and said that was the stupidest service ever.. I want to find a new church.. apparently there was no sermon.. which ticked her off and the new young music pastor led the service as well.. not one of the main pastors..gee

 

I did go last week to the kiddies xmas concert.... that was enough for me..

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Hey, so you went to a Christmas Eve service too. I figured I'd be the only one from this group who was silly enough to go. I don't know how to feel about it. It was mostly singing and scripture reading. No sermon. That seems to be the modern Mennonite way of doing things on Christmas Eve. I love group singing but I'm spoiled. My own family, not to mention the entire community, are really gifted singers. finding a congregation that sings as well as my people do is extra-ordinarily difficult. I had taken all the musical talent for granted. Until I left my native community.

 

I went because I'm with my family for Christmas. I wouldn't have gone otherwise. I don't feel like I have much of a choice when I'm around my grandmas; if I didn't go, they'd worry.

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Guest Woodleigh

You guys are not on your own... its just we all go to different churches ... is all.

 

I am still up to my ear-tips in this double life shenannigans.

 

Not only did I go to the christmas eve service but I sang in the choir...!

 

Not only do I sing in the choir but I am the main singer !

 

Not only am I the main singer but this time I also provided the words and music !

 

What with the morning service and also afternoon rehearsals for the evening service I was in there practically all day yesterday.

 

Thank f@@@ I wasn't Santa Claus too !

 

(Mind you, in that church he is the only one anyone can be bothered to say thank you to !)

 

 

 

Woody :)

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Woody, I guess you made a lot of people happy if not yourself. Amythest, I can sure see your reason for going. While we were singing Silent Night in candle light I almost thought it was worth sitting through some boring stuff and songs I didn't know. After standing around being bored for half an hour after the service because everyone else was catching up with friends they see only once a year, I was no longer so sure. I went with my landlady. I was not prepared to be asked immediately after the last tones died away whether or not I enjoyed it but she asked and what could I say? I said I did but I didn't gush about it. I guess that about sums it up. When we got out of the car at home she talked about how glad she is that I enjoyed it.

 

I have no idea what she knows or suspects about my religious position. She knows I don't go to church regularly. Can't hide that. She has not asked about my beliefs and I have not told. Some of the music I play is a dead give-away. I don't know if she hears it or not. Other music I play is the kind of things they sing in her church.

 

Woody, I am thinking if you can write the words for the songs you sing you could slip in a "message." Of course, you might get caught, so you'd have to decide whether or not you wanted that to happen, and how you would handle it. I did that in my circle letter to the family that I wrote about. They really pounced on me. I am not sure, had they not known about my unbelief, perhaps they would not have reacted so strongly.

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Guest Woodleigh

Slipping in my own words...?

 

 

He-hee...

 

 

That would be like scrabbling around for a box of firecrackers in the dark with a candle.. LOL

 

 

Actually I think some people deserve to know the truth and the rest can just make their own decisions...

 

 

Having said that... I have no real alternative to offer.

 

 

In this life there are many "don'ts"

 

 

What are the "dos" ? Follow your heart? Your heart can be fooled !

 

 

Caveat Emptor !

 

 

 

WL :¬)

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Speaking as an adopted person,

 

Children are not charity.

 

You don't "get" yourself a kid to "do some good in the world".

 

My folks worked hard to raise me into a self-sufficient human being. That is all the reward any parent needs for raising worthwhile kids (no matter how they got them). They didn't do it to get a cookie, or an "attaboy" from some puffed up dogmawhore and company. They bite condescending hands trying to pet them for "a job well done" raising their "rent-a-kid".

 

Folks who "martyr" themselves via relationship and family ties are sick sick people.

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