A while back I started writing a post about my religious upbringing and how I chucked it all and became a Quaker about 12 years ago. Admittedly, except for the part about vowing not to kill people, I'm not a very good Quaker. I stopped my work at the homeless shelter a few years ago and haven't bothered to start up again yet. I drink and swear a lot. I'm sarcastic, and take pleasure in mocking other peoples' religions, like Catholicism and Mormonism. I only sporadically attend my local Meeting, and even then I have never officially joined it because I'm afraid to commit. And anyway, if I did join, they'd probably throw me out.
I have struggled a lot with my spirituality, but I'll admit I'm comfortable being an incompetent Quaker. I was planning to tell you the whole sordid tale of my Lutheran upbringing and how I ended up rejecting it and searching for a better fit.
But it all started getting too long, so I figured I'd just let Betty Butterfield share some of her own story. Like me, Betty spent many years searching for the faith community that was right for her. Below, she recounts a visit to the Scientologists when she had decided to try them on for size.
Enjoy.
6 comments:
You drink and swear a lot and you're opposed to killing people? We need to party sometime!
I know what happened to Horatio Sanz finally!
Why did you not warn me that this would upset me, you bastard?
I think vowing not to kill people is a pretty good start. And they don't even DO anything at their meetings anyway, do they?
Grant, just because I'm opposed to killing people doesn't mean I don't slip up and do it on occasion.
Dale, should I know this Horatio Sanz you speak of?
MJ, confused here... what exactly is upsetting about Betty? Does she remind you of someone we know?
Megan, Quaker meetings are the boss, especially when some lunatic takes the floor and won't shut up until a "weighty Friend" says "Friend, please draw thy message to a conclusion."
Don't sell yourself short, CP. You're a much better Quaker than Richard Nixon was.
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