OK, here's my love of my parents: I sincerely doubt my dad believed in god when I was born, but mom still did. We went to quaker meetings where I mostly got schooled in the new and old testaments. Sorta. Really what I learned was the quaker (of the west) manner, which was this whole witnessing and human rights thing. And then I watched (and fretted) as my faithless father practiced those principles alongside those who believed.

What I got (and what he didn't) is that there is a conduit there, a bridge. He crosses it but denies it existence. I see it, but I haven't crossed it in practice.

Fretted, huh? What was it about doing the same things but without the spiritual underpinning that was upsetting?

(That's an honest question, not snark.)

What I got (and what he didn't) is that there is a conduit there, a bridge. He crosses it but denies it existence. I see it, but I haven't crossed it in practice.

I think I know what you mean here, but can you elucidate?

I kind of went a little nuts with the polish about a week ago, at Head2Toe beauty, that has discount prices, and ordered: China Glaze: Dorothy Who?, C-C-Courage, Electric Lilac, Grape Pop, Cosmic, Meteor Shower, Stella, Let's Groove, Skate Night, Watermelon Rind, Grape Juice and Orly Nail Polish-Velvet Rope

I LOVE all of them, except Stella, which is going in the give away pile. Tonight's color is Grape juice.

Wearing the brown cassock of a Franciscan, Father Cantalamessa took note that Easter and Passover were falling during the same week this year, saying he was led to think of the Jews. “They know from experience what it means to be victims of collective violence and also because of this they are quick to recognize the recurring symptoms,” he said.

Violence? Has there been violence against Catholics (collectively) over this?

I swapped two of the songs on the musical quiz (both Julie Andrews shows). I got 20/25 on the uncomfortable synopsis quiz. Four of the misses were shows that I've heard of but don't know.

Check out this poster for a lost Bond film. [link]

I'd wager that there is just as much abuse (and perhaps more) in Central and South America and Africa as there has been in the US and Europe.

In Africa there are a few other issues for the church to deal with. Like Rwanda, and insisting that using condoms promotes the spread of AIDS.

Fretted, huh?

It was the daily stuff. Worried about my dad being arrested and what that would mean to the family (my young self was worried about the car being confiscated, because of course they wouldn't arrest my dad! But no car was bad for us! Several of his compatriots went to prison in AZ.)

Liese,my dad, I love him. He's got a good heart. But also he's got a serious chip on his shoulder when it comes to any religion (got to be back to being thrown out of school. Or not.) He'll align himself with their actual actions, but he holds pretty much all faiths in contempt intellectually. He's done more in person for the things I believe in than I.

Liese. I think maybe it is a question of words, not deeds. Pre-internet. Dad kinda hates religion except for the western quaker variety, which is heavy on action. And even then, suspect.

Okay, that makes sense to me. I understand that viewpoint.

I had a pretty big chip on my shoulder about churches while holding the belief, so I can see having a chip about religion while acting the, err, acts.

The son of one of our missionary buddies, who is one of Dave's closest friends, is an agnostic. But he lives a more Christian life than pretty much all the Christians I know. His rejection of Christianity had more to do with Christians than Christ; i.e. if Christians really believed what they said they did, they would have to lead radical lives, desperate to save people. But since they don't, he felt that Christians must not believe either, so why should he? That does his carefully thought-out views some disservice, because there's more to it than that, but that's the crux.

So I can understand acting without belief.

O, I have thoughts. But I also need to sleep. So later.