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Interesting, because I too was something of a "little angel" as a child. I behaved, did well in school, sang in the choir, and I did my very best to please my parents, teachers, elders. I have to say that much of my inclination along those lines lead me down the path of becoming an atheist, because my want to do well in school (that continued well into my college years) is what helped me to develop whatever critical thinking skills I was eventually able to develop. If my successful education is any indication, those skills became fairly well developed. I don't mean to boast about this but rather just express appreciation for as much learning we can manage while growing up. Not just in school however. Like I always like to add...
"Don't let school get in the way of your education!"
LOL! Naaah. Pagans are concerned with this life in this universe.
And Mystic is well...Mystic...
That may not be true. Pagan beliefs vary widely. Many believe that what others call God is our connection with all things, both in this realm and the spiritual realm. You know, like the "essence of existence".
Many believe that what others call God is our connection with all things, both in this realm and the spiritual realm. You know, like the "essence of existence".
Absolutely! One reason why 'Christians' tried to convert pagan indigenous Indians into the Christian faith was because of how closely the Indians believed in an "Almighty."
...while at the same time, having respect for the earth...and all 'she' had to offer.
*said in a dead-pan voice* I'm a screenwriter, MQ. Don't TEMPT me...
(Playwright, that would be. ) Somebody beat you to it, namely, Trey Parker. It's called The Book of Mormon, and it has been running on Broadway since 2011.
It was either 1959 or 1960 when I was 10 or 11. My grandparents took me on a driving tour through the West both of those summers. And the one year we stayed a day in Salt Lake City. My grandmother wanted to visit Temple Square and just look around...after all, we were from Palmyra, NY (the birthplace of Mormonism). Joseph Smith's farm was within walking distance of our house and the first real Mormon church in Palmyra was nearly across the street from us. But we were not Mormon. We parked adjacent to Temple Square and when we got out of the car, two of those Mormon boys spotted our license plates, and at that time you could tell which county someone was from in NYS by the license plate. Ours was WYN-something, so we were from Wayne County...where Palmyra is located. They immediately walked over to us and started their proselytizing, first asking us if we were from Palmyra and were we Mormon. My grandmother (Methodist) was very polite, and asked them to please stop, that we just wanted to walk around. But they wouldn't stop. They started following us, very persistent. They had become locusts . Then one of them made the mistake of asking my grandfather, "What do you know about Joseph Smith?" My grandfather was a totally not-religious person, and he was getting very annoyed. He stopped and looked the young fellow straight in the face and said, "Well, I know he was a horse thief". With that the Mormon boys walked away. And, btw, that was what many Palmyrans thought about Joseph Smith back then, although that was clearly religious prejudice.
The next time I was in Salt Lake City was when I was in my 40s. And I wanted to do a tour of Temple Square and visit the Mormon museums. No pushiness at all. A couple of Mormon girls came up and said to seek any of the young 'guides' out IF we had any questions or needed directions. That was a good change! I got the main museum and inquired at the front desk if there were any displays about my home town -- Palmyra. The docent said just a re-creation of the print shop that printed the first Mormon bible. But I took about 90 minutes to go through the museum...quite interesting. Every few minutes some other docent would come up and ask if I was the gentleman from Palmyra; it seemed I was sort of a celebrity. I was about to leave when yet another docent came up...and older guy...and asked if I was "the young feller from Palmyra". I said I was, and he said that was his hometown, as well, and that we probably knew some of the same people. He started naming quite a few people, all of whose names were at least familiar to me. And then he asked, "Did you know a woman named Hilda Schultz?" I was stunned. I said, "Hilda Schultz...that's my mother!" "I used to date her", he said. When I got back to the hotel that evening I called my mother and told her about the encounter. "Oh yuck. I went on one date with him in high school. He was awful".
I think I remember you sharing this story before. At least in part, about him dating your mother. Quite the coincidence!
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