Date: 5/30/2003 6:31:00 PM
From Authorid: 15675
whelp frank i dont know how the good ol days were  . The good ol days to me were when I could go to ShowBiz Pizza and eat Amazin fruit gummies lol! Play wit barbies and listen to Spice Girls. But thats my childhood not what u meant lol! Also just (I know u know this but i must say it lol) I must say wiccans/pagans did have god touch their heart, to us its the same god or whatever but i guess to christians its not  which is a darn shame. I guess I cant say the same for athetist lol!  |
Date: 5/30/2003 6:33:00 PM
From Authorid: 28946
Frankie, I believe in God for if I didn't have at least Him to believe in, all would be lost to me. I have to believe He loves me.  |
Date: 5/30/2003 6:33:00 PM
From Authorid: 60945
Personally, I would like to be Wiccan, but o well. I believe that some of us no longer believe in a(some) God(s) is because we can't see them, and with all of the things we see on tv, a lot of us are pushed to ponder wether or not any of this is real. That's how I feel anyway, sorry for the dissappointment.  |
Date: 5/30/2003 6:40:00 PM ( From Author )
From Authorid: 47699
Kaja, DA, my understanding is that Wiccans worship nature. If God created everything in nature, it seems sort of backward to me. As for athiests, I think they're conceited to think that nothing could ever be any better than them.  |
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Date: 5/30/2003 6:41:00 PM ( From Author )
From Authorid: 47699
Look at what Penny had to say. God is love and hope. |
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Date: 5/30/2003 6:43:00 PM ( From Author )
From Authorid: 47699
'Author only', maybe he's finally coming around. I hope so and I'm sure that you do, too. Just always remember that no more than you can take will ever be placed upon you. That comforts me for I'm going through some very heavy trials of my own right now. |
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Date: 5/30/2003 6:54:00 PM
From Authorid: 28946
Ahhhh but Frank, don't you think maybe sometimes God has a lapse of memory and maybe heaped a bit too much of trials and tribulations on our shoulders? lol. I like what King wrote yesterday about the silversmith and God being refiners. Each put the material through intense things in order that the purest remain. That post gave me hope and comfort. |
Date: 5/30/2003 6:54:00 PM
From Authorid: 31765
Here's my belief on a few of the points. As we grow older, we reflect on the good old days. But there's good and bad in every era. If I look back to the good old days, I'll probably remember the fun and friends and family. I don't want to remember the Viet Nam War...or a father leaving and not coming back...or family members dying. See, there's really no such thing as the good old days. Nostalgia tends to make us remember the good stuff though, and that's the way it should be. In 20 years, THESE will be the good old days. "Weep not for the memories." Ok, to the God issue. Maybe this is just me, but yanno...our prayers all arrive to the same place. Call him, her, it what you will. But I believe when it comes right down to it...the label isn't as important as the belief. So all we can do is look at the positive. Take care.  |
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Date: 5/30/2003 6:55:00 PM
From Authorid: 28946
It's called the Silversmith, http://www.unsolvedmysteries.com/usm342354.html |
Date: 5/30/2003 6:55:00 PM
From Authorid: 14780
Dont be sad...I am Wiccan and Im blessed everyday...When I get up in the morning and the sun rises..Im blessed that Im healthy and can breathe...to see, touch, and feel my childrens face. Im blessed by the same energy that you are.... your God is my God too, just worshiped differently. Im not a debater and I see exactly what your stating here...Frankienstien, I really like you for who you are and usm just wouldnt be the same without diversity. **hugzzz**  |
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Date: 5/30/2003 6:56:00 PM
From Authorid: 28946
So true, Lady Phoenix. That was said beautifully. |
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Date: 5/30/2003 7:05:00 PM ( From Author )
From Authorid: 47699
LP, I understand what you're saying and I appreciate the input here. I was very young so I don't remember a great deal from the sixties except for some of the television show and other things which wouldn't mean anything to anyone else. The seventies was the era of sitting at granny's house and talking with her while the older folks cooked hamburgers on the grill and made homemade ice cream. It's also fun to try to spit watermelon seeds hard enough to blind your cousins. After all of that, we'd catching lightning bugs (fireflies). I worked part-time jobs and usually had the money to buy my favorite magazines which where devoted to old horror movies like the ones that Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi starred in. In the eighties, I graduated from high school and opened my own business. I made a lot of money and, as you can imagine, I had a whole lot of fun. The nineties weren't so great and this decade is starting out much worse than that. We're already three years into it and I hate it. Mom had to go to a nursing home and dad lost his house through no fault of his own and the list of bad things goes on and on. My 'life' is pathetic now. I'm lucky to just be sitting here. I've seen much magic and misery in my years. I really miss the magic and it's sad to me to think that so many will never know what it's even like. |
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Date: 5/30/2003 7:07:00 PM ( From Author )
From Authorid: 47699
Thanks, Katsho. |
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Date: 5/30/2003 7:07:00 PM
From Authorid: 15675
lol frank we dont worship nature we may communicate with nature spirits but we dont worship them (less they be gods of various elements or things in nature.) It is sacred but not worshipped lol we worship gods and goddesses |
Date: 5/30/2003 7:09:00 PM
From Authorid: 53052
people have become more vocal and more independant as the decades roll on...people are pushing more freedom of speech and feel less of a need to hide thier lifestyle and thier faith behind closed doors...  |
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Date: 5/30/2003 7:10:00 PM
From Authorid: 31765
aww Frank...the kids now will have their good old days too. Look at it this way...the good old days for our parents were different than our good old days. That doesn't make either better or worse, it just makes them different. Things will get better, just keep believing that. |
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Date: 5/30/2003 7:16:00 PM ( From Author )
From Authorid: 47699
Kaja, the point is that there are no Gods and Goddesses. That's my opinion. There is one God and His Son is your only hope of salvation. I'm not going to preach to you and as I said, this isn't a debate. |
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Date: 5/30/2003 7:16:00 PM
From Authorid: 15675
im not debating, just saying what we do because you thought we worshipped nature lol! I guess I cant give u a universal belief but a lot of wiccans believe that an *all over (as you call god* has many faces, like per se` frank you could be an uncle, father, husband, brother, so forth. They believe its like that with names like Zeus, Hermes, so forth if ya know what I mean. But to each their own belief lol! |
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Date: 5/30/2003 7:18:00 PM ( From Author )
From Authorid: 47699
Yes, I agree. To each, his own. It seems to me that the pagans, Wiccans and atheists are forever in everyone's faces just as much as the Christians are. |
Date: 5/30/2003 7:24:00 PM
From Authorid: 46069
back then , when the world seemed like a better place, the memories of Sunday dinners, frilly dresses , and simplier times... i fear for what my children will think of their memories like.... Sars, AIDS, locked doors, and west nile...  |
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Date: 5/30/2003 7:27:00 PM ( From Author )
From Authorid: 47699
I know, SK8R. It's really sad. Big Brother's watching you now. Back then, we didn't want to get bitten by mosquitos because it itched. Now, it can kill you. I really, really hate what the world has become. |
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Date: 5/30/2003 7:32:00 PM
From Authorid: 31765
and before this time...Polio...the McCarthy trials...Watergate. Frank, there's always been bad stuff, this era doesn't have the monopoly on it. But you have to push on and not dwell on it. You'll drive yourself nuts if you do ;-) |
Date: 5/30/2003 7:36:00 PM
From Authorid: 53900
I sometimes questioned the existance of God...especially after I went through losing 3 of my neices and nephews in less then 3 months time. I could not understand how that he could let that happen but then I realized that he was not punishoing us or them. They are in Heaven with him. That is not punishment and I am just happy now that I was able to have them in my life for the tiem I did. I watched a movie a couple of days ago and I have seen it many times...thee lead character is questuioned how she can have such faith in something she cannot see she answered that she cannot see the wind but she can feel it that is the perfect answer in my opinion I cannot see him but I feel his presence everywhere....when I see a newborn baby, Hear my childrens laughter, watch the sunset, See a rainbow I can see Gods creation and just know tehre is something greater then what we are living. This was an awesome post...and hey I even agree with you on this one  |
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Date: 5/30/2003 7:37:00 PM
From Authorid: 46069
Harry truman , doris day, red china , johnny ray, south pacific, walter witchell , joe demaggio... joe mccarthy, richard nixon, studebaker, television, north korea south kores , marilyn monroe... Rosenbergs, H bomb, sugar ray, panmunjom, brando the king and I an d the catcher in the rye... ... crap .. now that song is really stuck in my head lol |
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Date: 5/30/2003 7:39:00 PM ( From Author )
From Authorid: 47699
Thank you, Jessica. I think you said it all very well. |
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Date: 5/30/2003 7:39:00 PM
From Authorid: 31765
Ok...last attempt. Look at it in this perspective. I'm going to share something very personal. When I was a kid, my Grandpa was my hero. My father was gone, and Grandpa sort of filled that role. He was my best friend, my absolute buddy. I loved that man with all my heart. He had a motorcycle, and would come and get me, and take me for rides. I was like glue, wherever he was, so was I. So we went everywhere on that motorcycle. I remember this clearly, all these years later. And I get the warm fuzzies. THISE were some of my good old days. One cold late February night, Grandpa hit a pothole in the road...on the motorcycle. He was killed instantly. That, I don't think about. I remember me being on the motorcycle with him, NOT him being killed by it. See what I'm saying? |
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Date: 5/30/2003 7:44:00 PM ( From Author )
From Authorid: 47699
I know, SK8R. Those really were the good, old days. It breaks my heart to think that the young people of today will never know what it was all like. As I said before, it was magic. People didn't think twice in this town about leaving their door opened or unlocked so that relatives could come and go. Someone put gas in your car for you and the it was less than fifty cents a gallon. Nobody ever said anything on television that you couldn't say here at USM. I could go on and on but I won't. You know what I mean. Times really were much, much more innocent. I blame technology for a lot of this society's downfall whether I'm right or not. That's how I feel. There's no going back but we can always look back and embrace our memories fondly. I'll take them to my grave as I'm sure that you and many others will. |
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Date: 5/30/2003 7:50:00 PM ( From Author )
From Authorid: 47699
I know what you mean, LP, I appreciate you sharing that with me here. It's true that we appreciate and remember the good times. The problem is that the world is so different now. When we were kids, there was just enough technology to convenience us and yet not enough to control our lives and spy on our every move. There were vaccines for nearly every disease except for cancer, heart disease and things of that nature. Now, we have AIDS, SARS and other things which pose threats. I realize that it was a long time before they came up with vaccinations for things like polio and tuberculosis but they had already come to pass by the time I was born. I'm just saying that it's a much different and much uglier world now in many ways than it was when I was a kid. Does that make any sense? |
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Date: 5/30/2003 8:00:00 PM ( From Author )
From Authorid: 47699
'Author only', I wish I knew what to tell you to bring you some comfort. It's sort of like being pregnant. It's either you are or you aren't. You believe in God or you don't. Just as Jessica said, you can feel the wind but you can't see it. How could you prove to a person who had no sense of touch that there was any such thing as wind? You couldn't. They would believe it or they wouldn't. You're a good person with a good sense of humor and I would like to think that I might bump into you sometime in the next life. Heck, we might get together and see what kind of innocent mischief we could get into. I wish I knew what to say to help to restore your faith. If you ever need to talk, you know where to find me. Like I said before, I'm not a holy roller and I don't preach to people but I know what I know and I don't mind sharing it with anybody. |
Date: 5/30/2003 8:25:00 PM
From Authorid: 53308
It's hard to have people believe differently. There is not much people can do to change each other, all we can do is accept what each other believes in. People have their reasons for why they believe the way they do. God is a very controversial(?) thing to talk about. The good ol days....hmm...i remember hearing bout those!!lol I dunno God has his special way of getting to everyone...some people choose not to listen or care...Ur right in that God will only put upon us what we can bear...I myself have to admit that sometimes I think God is testing me to make sure I have not gone soft!! But anyways. Christianity has branched off in so many directions it makes you wonder if everything you believe in is really true....those are my thoughts...i just drew a blank soooo...yeah.
Jennie |
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Date: 5/30/2003 8:32:00 PM ( From Author )
From Authorid: 47699
Thanks, Jennie. |
Date: 5/30/2003 9:56:00 PM
From Authorid: 47296
I can remember the good old days. Back in the 60s when I could make a couple of dollars, and be able to ride a busr to town, watch a movie complete with popcorn and coke, go have a couple of Krystals afterwards, and take the bus home and still have a little change in my pocket. I alos remember the Civil Rights movement and Vietnam, and all the division that both caused. In the 70s, I remember my first motorcycle. My payments were $27 a month, plus another $12 a month for insurance. $5 would allow me to ride all day. I remember my first vehicle, an old '71 Ford pickup. I also remember that drugs and alcohol were an everyday occurance, even in the schools. Not everyone did them, but everyone knew someone who did. Looking back, the good old days were good, when they were good. There were a lot of days that were not so good though. Although I was very young, I can remember my dad being sent to Savannah to prepare for an invasion of Cuba during the missile crisis. I remember when Martin Luther King was shot, and also when Bobby Kennedy was killed. I remember Watergate, and watching the last troops leave Saigon. I remember the hostage crisis, and the debacle of Desert One. I remember my own trials and tribualtions of childhhod and early teen years. Yes, some days were good, but not all.  |
Date: 5/30/2003 10:21:00 PM
From Authorid: 12341
Frank, we also have to have a very open mind. THERE are athiests here that GIVE and GIVE and GIVE and there are Christians who do the same. That feeling of love and caring comes from the heart, not from fear of retribution after death. You and others may well say that God has touched their heart anyway, whether they believe or not, but that is opinion, not a fact. The ONLY reason I am responding is because there is someone here who does not believe in God and cares very deeply about others. She is the kind of person who does "give until it hurts" but you would never hear that from her. She would wash your feet or clothes and clean your house, she would give you all that she has simply because she is a loving, kind, caring, compassionate woman. Everything she does in this life, she believes will only be counted for in THIS life. She doesn't talk the talk, she walks the walk, some will know whom I speak of, knowing her and knowing all that she is and believes in and stands for has been a priveledge. Never a loss.  |
Date: 5/30/2003 10:35:00 PM
From Authorid: 51979
I am only 15 but have always longed to grow up in "your days". 5 cent candy, a local ice cream shop hang out. Being able to ride my bike into town not worrying about a child abductor. I miss it, replaced with road rage, highways, and murders. *Shrug*, I would take watergate over clinton's sex scandal any given day LP.  |
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Date: 5/30/2003 10:38:00 PM
From Authorid: 51979
Then again I love the technology 'n things in this day n age. Being able to wake up, take a shower every morning with hot water, and microwave my pop tart then throw the dish in the dishwasher is something they lacked. I don't know, maybe I just wish I grew up in a smaller town than I do. |
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Date: 5/30/2003 10:42:00 PM ( From Author )
From Authorid: 47699
SG, I wish I knew who you were speaking of but I don't. WS, I really do appreciate you sharing your memories here but must you always play the devil's advocate? Can I ever write anything that you agree with? I don't think that Christianity really differs that much from the teachings of native Americans in some ways. I thank you both for your input and I hope that you have a good weekend. |
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Date: 5/30/2003 10:51:00 PM ( From Author )
From Authorid: 47699
Vital, I really do wish that you could have known the innocence and freedom, as well. You're a littel off base but it's okay. Let me tell you how it was. There was always hot water for a shower or bath. I'm not Abraham Lincoln. LOL! I think I saw my first microwave oven when I was about fifteen. Before that, Pop Tarts went in the toaster. I never liked them hot or warm, though. I like them right out of the box. This next comment is my opinion only and I pray that nobody takes me to task over it but Richard M. Nixon was a good man. He did nothing wrong. Bill Clinton is scum and I hope that I never have to see his ugly face again. There were dishwashers but we never had one. I guess what you missed was sitting on the front porch of a tiny store eating a Moon Pie and drinking an RC Cola. This used to be sort of like Mayberry but it isn't that way anymore at all. |
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Date: 5/31/2003 3:00:00 AM
From Authorid: 47296
Frank, the point I was making is that the good old days, while I admit they were good, were really not much different than today. While we see things as more expensive today, and life being lived at a faster pace, we do not stop to think about the fact that today people make more money, and that it is the end result of our parent's, as well as our work, tht made life the way it is. I remember living in town, when a Saturday trek to the lake was a big event that was planned several days in advance. By my late teen years, that trek to the lake was something you thought about the night before, and now, if you live in town and want to go to the lake, you don't even think about it, just grab your keys and go. Back then, a trip to the beach was a vacation, took you 5 to 6 hours to get there, and you always bought a souveneir. Today, I can get up, jump in the truck, hit the interstate and be at the beach in about 2 1/2 hours. As for man's relationship with God, a look around today will show more churches than at any other time. A lot of those churches are just as full today as they were 20 years ago. What makes it seem that a lot have lost touch with God is that we see more of the evil of the world today thanks in large part to television. While a serial killer 30 years ago was a local matter, that might make the national news after a year or so, today it is reported promptly, and is considered a national problem. Our highly mobile way of life has made that a fact. Also, things like wiccan or paganism back then were kept low key, while today, there is not the fear of letting others know how one thinks or feels. |
Date: 5/31/2003 5:41:00 AM
From Authorid: 17417
Just to keep the record straight this is how my Profile starts off : "I am a Penticostal Christian,Mother of 4,I have 24 Grandchildren and 1 Greatgrandson here in RI"...You will notice I make a Point of stating I am a Penticostal Christian First,with that being said I can tell you that I Believe you need to come out of the box Frank...This is 2003 and everyone including You and I have a RIGHT to Believe what they choose to Believe as far as "A" God/Goddess is concerned of even their Lack of a God Belief...Here's the thing Frank, I have a VERY Dear Friend here who Chooses to Not have a GOD Belief...We talk on Yahoo and on the Phone ALL the time,do I curtail my Christian Enthusiasm,Heck No,does she try to surpress it,Heck No!!...She is Loving,Supportive and Caring and will go Out Of Her Way to help ANYONE who needs her with or without a GOD Belief...I also have Family Members here at USM who are Pagan and Wiccan and Believe it or not I take My USM Family as seriously as I do my Real one....We Laugh,Cry,Support,Care For and Love one another Very,Very Much the thing is had it been the Good Ole Days I probally would have missed the Blessing GOD allowed these people to give to me ...Wearing Blinders is all well and good if you want to Remain in the Good Ole Days but I for one want to move forward and experience Life including the Rainbows GOD has allowed to enter my Life...I guess it all boils down to Respect Frank,I don't Pity anyone who doesn't Believe as I do, I Respect the fact that according to My Beliefs they have The Right to do so ...This comment got a bit long but I'd like to end it with a few lines from a Poem I wrote..."There is one thing that still hurts me, a pain that is so deep,It's the ridicule one suffers for the God they choose to keep...My heart breaks and I feel so hurt, when I hear someone say,"That so-and-so thinks he is right,We'll see on judgement day...Don't we serve a loving God,who's golden rule is plain,What we do unto others brings to us, the very same...One's language,or religion may sometimes keep us from,The Blessing of a Friendship, a Wonderous life to come...As you know, I am a Christian, this fact I'll never deny,The thing that keeps me in the race,God's given me an eye...To see others as He sees me,a child that still must grow,With longings only of the Friends I'm waiting,still to know"...Open you Heart and Mind Frank it is 2003 and I for one Thank GOD there are No Longer the Prejudices of the Good Ole Days...Much Love In Spirit,Sis
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Date: 5/31/2003 6:00:00 AM
From Authorid: 54987
I know this isn't a debate Frank, but you seem to be one-sided in your observations. The insults usually come from biblical believers when they are faced with facts. Believers have faith that they interpret as fact. You say not to take the bible literally, but you see biblical believers do. They say it is the word of God and interpret it literally. Then, when faced with something unpleasant in the bible, they say "Oh it wasn't meant to be take literally." Yet, they quote the bible as literal. If, as you say, much is lost even in one translation then it has to be looked at without rose colored glasses. As to your statement about a prolification of wiccans, atheist and pagan, you don't mention Christians at all. With the number of members we have there is bound to be a varying amount of different people. The thing is Frank, nothing can happen to God! "Where has God gone?" I hear the cry. Well if you understand what God is, then you'll understand that God can go nowhere where God isn't. The God is everywhere, it is our very life force. It is healthy to challenge the existence, not of a God. I will repeat that I find that the fundamentalist biblical believers here are the ones who become rude when faced with good arguments. Words like 'cruel' 'evil' 'hard' to name a few come to mind. You say wiccans and pagans challenge the existence of a God. No! they don't. They don't have the same definition as bible believers, but they believe in a God. No this post is aimed at atheists and that is fine. I don't happen to be an atheist, but I do not believe in the biblical God and the bible. Frank its OK not to be christian. It's ok to be christian too. But debate or discussion is an open forum for challenges to a post. If posts keep coming up like this, then you can expect people to answer who don't share you belief.  |
Date: 5/31/2003 8:18:00 AM
From Authorid: 61977
I have a lot to say after reading this post and the replies. Linda said it well, real well. I talk to many paople here at USM who are not dedicated full throttle Christians as I have recently become, and every day learning a bit more when I read the bible or step in church. There is only one God in my life and in my beliefs. I believe that only one God, the one I worship shall be praised and worshipped too. The others are all false according to the bible. But I will not stand there and tell others that they will be judged or that since they believe the way they believe I will not associate or speak with them. When you are truly with God, you are not of this world, you are with Him. Yes we live here but we are His, and belong to Him not to the ways or of the world. No one is perfect, I do not claim to be for I am a sinner, just as we all are. I strive everyday to be better in Him. O.K. now about the world today. You are right Frank, you are. To me the whole world has lost sight of a lot of morals and values. They have also lost faith in God. They are followers, not servers unto God. They live unto themselves and have no faith. The end is soon near my friend. We never know when that day will come. Jesus has given us a choice that is the beauty of it to have salvation when the time comes or to be of the world and not belong to HIM. Anyway I hope you feel better soon. If I offeneded someone I am sorry but that is how I feel.  |
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Date: 5/31/2003 9:00:00 AM
From Authorid: 54247
All of you are really hitting my Faith buttons! Lady Phoenix, needed your Grandfather story - in the old days and my family I never had a grandfather I could trust! God had to send me a husband who is so wonderful and a good, honest, loving grandfather. Loss of a loved one is always hard, but if you have faith they live with God! TODAY is probably not any worse than the yesterdays - it is just in the media and in your face! KOOLADE,I loved your comments about Biblical believers - God sends so much written stuff - problem is I would never sit down and read it - sooo He has to send me pain through Life Lessons (had to wear out four mothers). My first child, our son was premature and is profoundly deaf - in that struggle, I have learned what you probably already know - touting scripture is baloney - UNLESS YOU CAN PUT IT IN YOUR OWN WORDS YOU JUST DIDN'T GET THE MESSAGE. Some people are so sure that if you are a profound believer only good things happen to you. Sorry, no pain, no gain. Hey Frankensten, great posting - I have really gone over the edge on this one. Love you all (God tells me to) RAT |
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Date: 5/31/2003 10:16:00 AM
From Authorid: 61977
I wanted to say it again in case you did not understand. Just because you do not have the same beliefs as I do, it does not mean that I will not speak to you or ridicule you. I will love and show you kindness in spite of our differences. Love, |
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Date: 5/31/2003 10:41:00 AM
From Authorid: 28946
Frankie, I thought alot about this post since last night and the old days. I read alot of these comments and the wheels of memory started churning. Yep, things were cheap back in my era. Haircuts were $1.50, full size candy bars were a nickel, Chicken was .10 cents a pound, Hamburger/ground chuck was .29 cents per pound. But you know, my family still ate alot of beans, potatoes and Mom's canned tomatoes about 5 days a week. On Saturday we would have chili with lots of spagetti as a filler in it. Sunday there would be fried chicken and homemade chocolate cake and icing. I only had cake mixes and store bought icing on cakes my aunt made and brought to pitch in dinners at my grandmas. Family dinners were once a week and all the cousins usually ended up fussing/fighting. Going out to dinner was maybe a once every 6 month thing and involved a sandwich and no drink or french fries. I was 15 before I got my first pizza, baked potato with sour cream, or a steak. Ask man of asgard because he was the one who bought them. Things might have been cheap back then, but the wages were too. Plus there were alot of kids to feed in every family- baby boomer generation. There was no welfare money but the really poor would get commodities and people would whisper about those kids and families. My girlfriend was one of those people and the other kids shunned her because of her family. Mothers had to stay at home and Dads never helped with the babies or babysit. I thought I missed the old days but what it was, I was missing not having to worry about the adult stuff. But worrying about the kid stuff was still tramatic. There has to be a good even somewhere. Bad things have always existed, even in the past. We all have seen the people that hide behind masks. Bad policemen, arsonist firemen, sadistic doctors and immoral religious learers. We also see the good ones too. We see wonderful athiests, sweet pagans and we see bad ones. But really we need to see just the person. I'm off my soap box now. Sorry if I offended anyone. |
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Date: 5/31/2003 11:18:00 AM ( From Author )
From Authorid: 47699
Thanks for the input here, everyone. I guess I'm just getting old and jaded. I've seen how the world has changed and I see more bad than good these days when I contrast it with the way things were in the past. I think they should change the name of Heaven to Mayberry. I can't imagine anything better than eating Aunt Bea's fried chicken on a Sunday and then sitting on the porch drinking iced tea and talking and telling jokes while Andy plays his guitar. For fun, I could kick Opie into the rose bush. It just doesn't get any better than that. LOL! |
Date: 5/31/2003 12:30:00 PM
From Authorid: 22721
I have been a believer in God for most of my life. Without him, I would be so lost, or in a grave somwhere. If someone needs to challage his exestince, he or she needs to have faith, I think. This is just what I think, but I know I am a better person because I chose to accept God. Also, I not meaning to offend anyone, and I apologize if I do.  |
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Date: 5/31/2003 12:56:00 PM
From Authorid: 54247
Penny, I agree - there are many atheists, pagans, etc. I have one sweet neighbor who is so angry at the world and hates churches. But, I welcome her and listen to her rant. Life is not easy and I really do not know how people survive without faith and no one lives forever. Hope to see them all - my mothers and relatives and friends - they sure put up with the brat I was. RAT |
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Date: 5/31/2003 1:38:00 PM
From Authorid: 62123
"Hope for a brighter tomorrow," Frank, I think that line from your original post is really important. Hope....it is almost as if we are afraid to hope anymore. The environment alone makes us less hopeful for the future. Also, the fascination with evil and "getting inside the mind of the murderer". Just look at all the tv shows, newscasts and re-enacted crimes. I don't want to get inside the mind of a murderer! I want to get inside the Mind & Heart of God and goodness. and kind people. And there are a LOT of wonderful people still doing their good deeds. So, I hope that we all can help each other a bit when times get difficult. I'm from the same generation as you Frank, and I remember fondly my childhood and a feeling of safety. With my Dad now gone to heaven, I'm caring for my Mom as she use to care for me. Everything has changed and "we're not in Mayberry anymore." Have you read any Thomas Merton? His autobiography, "The Seven Story Mountain" is a good read, and I think it helps explain this feeling of hopelessness that seems to grab us all at some time or another. The good news is, it doesn't grab us all at the same time, so I call on my friends for a little of their Light when I'm feeling lost in the dark. I'm there for them when the situation is reversed. It seems like you got a lot of caring replys from the USM folks. I just want to chime in with mine. I'm a Christian, and I don't think God is going to condem any person to hell for not belonging to the "right" club. Well, I jumped around a lot of subjects, but basically just want to say...dare to hope and don't forget to notice all the daily miracles around you. God Bless. Hyiath |
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Date: 5/31/2003 3:36:00 PM
From Authorid: 47296
If one really looks back to "the good old days", were they really that good? Oh sure, when we were young, we did not have the responsibility that we do now. We were free to live the life that kids live, or at least some were. We did not have to worry about where our next meal was coming from, that was mom and dad's problem. To make spending money, there was always someone's grass that needed cutting or a kid that needed babysitting. Of course, mom and dad would do without that little something extra so we could have the things we needed. The fact is though, when we were young, we lived with a certain fear in the back of our mind, fear that the Cold War would go hot, fear of the childhood diseases that had not yet been eradicated, or fear of losing our own parents after watching a friend lose one of their's to what is today considered a minor illness. Things may not be as rosy as they were 30-40 years ago, but when one looks at the advances in science and medicine, they are definitely better today then they were back then. As for people's beliefs, it is our beliefs that make us who we are. No one on Earth can know which belief is right or wrong, or even if any are right. It is called faith. It's likethe old country song, "You've got to stand for something, or you'll fall for anything". |
Date: 6/1/2003 11:19:00 PM
From Authorid: 26598
I regret the hard times your parents are having,and the grief that is hurting you. When things change for the worse for someone I love,Its like I am raged and ready to fight, except sorrow, soul deep, grief has not a body for me to pound and break. I would think about yesterdays, I chose to let go, but keep the memories to share with the next generation and show them how to churn home made icecream by hand, fly a kite with a fishing rod.
I have my thoughts on,God, that the isness is like a diamond, the many diverse people with many religious paths home to the same source of life are the many facets of that gem of life. that is named and unnamed. Each awsome difference reflects God to his or her and his or it self.  |
