Religion & Spirituality - 25 December 2006

I am an environmentalist and agnostic, but I come from a family of V-8 driving, 12 kid having, non-recycling, anti-environmentalist, fundamentalist christian rite-wing nut-jobs.

I believe in tolerance, so at family gatherings I always try to avoid the topics of the environment and religion, but inevitably they pick a fight with me. It goes something like this:

"God told us to be fruitful and multiply to replenish the earth, and god can't be wrong, so if you think there is a population problem you are brainwashed by the liberal-environmentalist agenda"
"We should just burn all the plastic if it doesn't decompose"
"The world is cleaner now than it was before because humans use machines to clean it up and develop the wilderness into useful land as god intended"
"It doesn't matter because god is going to cleanse the world with fire and take us all to heaven before the world is destroyed"

ON, and On, and on the ignorance flows until I can't take it. How can I NOT hate them?!

2006-12-25 09:51:24 · 12 answers · asked by Heather L 4

The Tablecloth
>
>
>
> The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned
>
> to their first ministry, to reopen a church
>
> in suburban Brooklyn, arrived in early October
>
> excited about their opportunities. When they saw
>
> their church, it was very run down and needed
>
> much work. They set a goal to have everything
>
> done in time to have their first service
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> on Christmas Eve.
>
>
>
> They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,
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> painting, etc, and on December 18
>
> were ahead of schedule and just about finished.
>
> ;
>
> On December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving
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> rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days.
>
>
>
> On the 21st, the pastor went over to the church.
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> His heart sank when he saw that the roof had
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> leaked, causing a large area of plaster about
>
> 20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall of the
>
> sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about
>
> head high.
>
>
>
> The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,
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> and not knowing what else to do but postpone
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> the Christmas Eve service, headed home.
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> On the way he noticed that a local business was
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> having a flea market type sale for charity so he stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful,
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> handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth
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> with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross
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> embroidered right in the center. It was just
>
> the right size to cover up the hole in the front
>
> wall. He bought it and headed back to the church.
>
>
>
> By this time it had started to snow. An older
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> woman running from the opposite direction was
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> trying to catch the bus.. She missed it. The pastor
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> invited her to wait in the warm church for
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> the next bus 45 minutes later.
>
>
>
> She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor
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> while he got a ladder, hangers , etc., to put
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> up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor
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> could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and
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> it covered up the entire problem area.
>
>
>
> Then he noticed the woman walking down the center
>
> aisle. Her face was like a sheet.. "Pastor,"
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> she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?"
>
> The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check
>
> the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were
> crocheted into
>
> it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman,
> and she had
>
> made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria .
>
>
>
> The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor
;
> told how he had just gotten the Tablecloth. The
>
> woman explained that before the war she and
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> her husband were well-to-do people in Austria .
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> When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.
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> Her husband was going to follow her the next week.
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> He was captured, sent to prison and never saw her
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> husband or her home again.
>
>
>
> The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;
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> but she made the pastor keep it for the church.
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> The pastor insisted on driving her home, that
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> was the least he could do.. She lived on the other
>
> side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn
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> for the day for a housecleaning job.
>
> ;
>
> What a wonderful service they had on Christmas
>
> Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the
>
> spirit were great. At the end of the service, the
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> pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door
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> and many said that they would return.
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> One older man, whom the pastor recognized
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> from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the
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> pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he
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> wasn't leaving.
>
>
>
> The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on
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> the front wall because it was identical to one
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> that his wife had made years ago when
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> they lived in Austria before the war and how
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> could th ere be two tablecloths so much alike.
>
>
>
> He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he
>
> forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was
>
> supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and
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> put in a prison.. He never saw his wife or his home
>
> again all the 35 years in between.
>
>
>
> The pastor asked him if he would allow him to
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> take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten > > Island and to the same house where the pastor
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> had taken the woman three days earlier.
>
>
>
> He helped the man climb the three flights of
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> stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on
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> the door and he saw the greatest Chri stmas
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> reunion he could ever imagine.
>
>
>
> True Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid
>
> Who says God does not work in mysterious ways..
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> I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for
>
> you today, to guide you and protect you as you go
>
> along your way. His love is always with you, His
>
> promises are true, and when we give Him all our
>
> cares you know He will see us through.
>
>
>
> So when the road you're traveling on seems
>
> difficult at best.. Just remember I'm here
>
> praying and God will do the rest. Pass this on
>
> to those you want God to bless.

2006-12-25 09:48:53 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous

2006-12-25 09:46:35 · 20 answers · asked by tulip 4

He wants to put into practise what he preaches... the catholic church is one of the richest organizations in the world...i will not call it a church or anything spiritual. i don't want to offend the spirits. but he needs to grow spiritually and help thje poorer people of this world. and if i can add. if he followed jesus's teaching to the letter, the pope would not be sat surrounded by all the gold, money and othe extravagansas the vatican has....

2006-12-25 09:43:44 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous

Sorry for the trouble.

2006-12-25 09:42:10 · 6 answers · asked by I love Jesus 1

2006-12-25 09:42:07 · 13 answers · asked by mmmfilipino 2

2006-12-25 09:41:50 · 22 answers · asked by Kerilyn 7

2006-12-25 09:40:18 · 8 answers · asked by bobbyrio33 1

What would you ask/say to him?

2006-12-25 09:39:56 · 16 answers · asked by hot carl sagan: ninja for hire 5

only 3 points left .....

2006-12-25 09:38:38 · 25 answers · asked by scholar 1

Ok, theres this girl i really like. I am an indian christian guy. and she is an iranian (im not sure but i think muslim ) girl. I really like her. But the thing is i dont know if i am allowed. My religion/culture (mayalam) says that were are not allowed to date/marry someone of a different religion. My question is, is it weird or bad to like someone of a different religion if your religion says you cant. I honestly dont care about culture or relgion in this case. But my family will. PLZ HELP ME!!! I really like this girl and need as much help as possible!

2006-12-25 09:37:37 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous

2006-12-25 09:37:03 · 16 answers · asked by TinyPuppyWuppy 2

The devil is always potraied as a hidious creature, an ugly demond.

But is that really true ? He was Heavens most adorned Angel, setting at the very side of God's Throne.

2006-12-25 09:35:41 · 15 answers · asked by Bridget 3

If mass is spelt with a double 's' where is the second 's' gone in christmas , christ-mas.

2006-12-25 09:32:48 · 10 answers · asked by MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION 5

2006-12-25 09:32:03 · 14 answers · asked by whitney 1

2006-12-25 09:31:06 · 19 answers · asked by whitney 1

I believe in reincarnation (and those of you who don't...fine...go preach to some other question if you don't mind).

My question is this . . . With reincarnation...a person keeps returning to experience and live various lifes for purpose of soul growth, karma, darma, awareness and enlightment. Is there an end to cycles of reincarnation...does / can a person become so enlightened that they don't return to reincarnate on earth ? If so, does that person simply ' burst ' / expand into a greatness of Pure Light ? Being One with All Energy ? I'm aware that we (in this state of form and being ) can't actually know . . . just wondering your thoughts.

2006-12-25 09:29:35 · 6 answers · asked by onelight 5

saying directly: do't use your mind, instead follow the instructions:

2006-12-25 09:28:18 · 11 answers · asked by scholar 1

2006-12-25 09:27:30 · 14 answers · asked by TinyPuppyWuppy 2

does anyone know any specific ones and what they are famous for?

2006-12-25 09:27:28 · 7 answers · asked by BM33 3

2006-12-25 09:27:07 · 10 answers · asked by Alex 2

I heard that Prophet Muhammed prescribed camel urine for some people as a cure for their illness.

I am not a physician but I expect camel urine to be very harmful due to intoxics in it. I heard that they had the same in Europe by that time but they stopped it long time ago.

What makes me surprised is that I heard some Muslims still believe in that until now. Is this true?

2006-12-25 09:26:28 · 20 answers · asked by Anonymous

In Revelation 2:12 we read; And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the "sharp sword with two edges;"

The actual question is two. Who has this sword and what is the purpose of the "edges" of the two edged sword?

Other words; What are there functions?

2006-12-25 09:25:57 · 6 answers · asked by n_007pen 4

the truth about islam
i don' want u to be a muslim like me
i won't kill u if u never convert
i dis agree with those who killing innocent ppl
that is Islam
so
y u just belive lies
and
don't accept the truth

http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-4dX1cBUwaK5n.pzSn77dp2I-?cq=1&p=157

http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-4dX1cBUwaK5n.pzSn77dp2I-?cq=1&p=234

2006-12-25 09:25:18 · 10 answers · asked by ashrf6581 4

2006-12-25 09:24:27 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous

2006-12-25 09:24:14 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous

If somebody breaks into my home and shoots my infant child in the head, and later repents to god for doing so, he gets to go to heaven whereas I ( an unassuming by-stander who doesn't worship jesus) will be sent to hell when I die, and on top of that,when I get there I won't get to see my child again because he'll be in heaven?

2006-12-25 09:22:43 · 7 answers · asked by reverend_jarvis_mcgee 1

does it realy matter if god exists or not?

2006-12-25 09:22:00 · 18 answers · asked by daidiiro 2

birth date of Jesus?

2006-12-25 09:22:00 · 5 answers · asked by Kerilyn 7

2006-12-25 09:20:36 · 23 answers · asked by JJredshot 1