Cody’s Baptism! August 12, 2008
Posted by NettyD in Family, Lifestyle, Religion.2 comments
This past weekend was a total time warp for me. Even though I had just visited Virginia Beach during the 4th of July weekend, this past weekend was more emotional and memorable.
First, I stayed at Brenda’s parent’s house – a house I pretty much grew up in until I left for college. They had made some changes to the house, but for the most part everything was still the same. As I walked through different rooms, I would remember different memories from being a kid. HEAD TRIP!
Then, Brenda and I took Cody to see Brother Damian (Alex) and his mom at their house down the street. We lost Cody for about 10 minutes as he was being passed around a hoard of Filipinos! Too cute. We got a hot tip that Joy was in town this past weekend to help her parents pack up the house they just sold. We showed up in the middle of the chaos for a mini-reunion. Joy hadn’t seen Brenda or Damian in a long time, and hadn’t met Cody yet. It was great to chit chat and catch up.
The day of the baptism brought another trip down memory lane when we showed up at the church where I used to spend every Sunday. Of course, for Brenda’s sake I went through the motions of Baptism rituals. But I have to say that I was really weirded out. In the middle of the mass, it started to downpour outside and the lights started to flicker inside the church. I swear it was because I was in the house. hehe.
CLICK ON ANY PICS TO MAKE THEM BIGGER!
Okay, my baby’s baptized. Now it’s time for mama to relax!
A hot new blog! July 4, 2008
Posted by NettyD in From the blogger, Millennials, Philosophy, Religion.add a comment
My dear friend Alex, who now goes by Brother Damian, has a new blog about his life as a monk! He is a novice-monk of the Missionary Benedictine monastery of Christ the King Priory in Schuyler, Nebraska. He’s just starting it up, but I know for a fact that this will be a great blog to keep up with!
Check it out at www.nebraskamonk.wordpress.com Or click on the link under my Blogroll to the right. Enjoy!
The faithless are not cold, bitter Scrooges. December 3, 2007
Posted by NettyD in Philosophy, Religion, Sociology, Theories and Thoughts.2 comments
This December I have been invited to five different holiday parties. It has made me take an honest and in-depth look at who I am and what I believe. The dilemma I have is that although I don’t celebrate any of these holidays personally, I see nothing wrong with celebrating life through the festivity of the season. I’m not religious, I am not African-American, and winter is my least favorite season. But please trust me -I’m not a Scrooge! It bothers me when agnostics and atheists are classified as cold, hard, and arrogant. I don’t understand why these adjectives are so easily placed on us!To not believe in religion is not to be heartless. We feel the same way everyone else does when our relative dies, or when a child’s face lights up. We need hugs and kisses too, and we have positive ideas about the direction of the world. Emotions are still a part of our basic human function, and our not sticking them in a box and labeling them doesn’t mean we are less spiritual.That’s why when deciding on whether or not I would participate in these upcoming functions, I decided to rely on my instinct. And my instinct told me that disassociating myself from others during the season would be rude and selfish, and would undoubtedly strain personal relationships. It does more good when we get out of our comfort zones and try to relate to others we are different from, than when we shelter ourselves from a false fear. The next time you speak or interact with an agnostic or atheist, I beg of you to not write this person off as a pompous, heartless bastard.And my wish for this season is for everyone to close their stomachs and open their minds.Cheers!
Barack I love you, but quit the religion crap! October 22, 2007
Posted by NettyD in Campaign '08, Religion, Sociology, Theories and Thoughts.2 comments
[Image courtesy of telegraph.co.uk]
Hmmmm. Though I still feel very strongly about my choice for the Democratic presidential nomination, I sometimes feel a little bothered by Mr. Obama.
He’s been hanging out in South Carolina lately, and doing lots to garner the black evangelical vote. It’s been said that Obama has made an effort to tout his religion more than any other Democratic candidate before and during this campaign year.
It concerns me because I believe in the total separation of church and state. That line gets blurry every time an election cycle rolls around, and it’s to our country’s detriment. We are supposedly fighting governments around the world who don’t make the distinction between the two, yet we are the same kind of offenders. The Evangelical Christian movement seems a lot like the radical Islamic movements who infuse their beliefs into public policy. (and for those of you who think Christians are non-violent, let me remind you that sometimes the pen is mighter than the sword). The hypocrisy runneth over.
Barack better realize that by trying to get certain votes, he could lose many others in the process. You’re a smart dude Barack, so quit hangin’ around the Christian Fiction Club!
Are Millennials really Indigos? October 3, 2007
Posted by NettyD in Religion, Science and Technology, Sociology, Theories and Thoughts.1 comment so far
[ Photo courtesty of crystalinks.com]
Being agnostic, I have found peace in my own non-traditional path of spirituality. Many of my beliefs are centered around the facts about the world that have been proven through science. That being said, I do feel it is important to constantly search for new explanations for how the world works, and to not settle on one school of thought. Because of this, I have become very open to learning about metaphysics and thoughts from the New Age movement.
One theory that has come out of the New Age movement is the notion that since the late 1970s, a new generation of children have been born who are psychically sensitive and spiritually evolved. They are named Indigo Children because of the deep blue aura psychics claim to see around them. These children are now coming into adulthood, and the newer babies are being called the Chrystallines. It is thought that these individuals have an awakened consciousness, and are being born onto the planet in order to facilitate a “Golden Age” of peace.
Many call metaphysics a psuedo-science, and I can understand the label. After reading the characteristics of what make up these “special” children, I found parallels between ADD and ADHD qualities. Maybe this alleged “awareness,” is more about the influence of the society we live in and how the parents of these children are raising them.
Despite my skepticism, I think what I’ve taken out of the research is the understanding that evolution shouldn’t be limited to uncovering the secrets of our physical progression. I think it’s just as important to realize that we have spiritual and emotional evolution patterns as well. I secretly hope this theory is correct and that a true Golden Age does emerge from the hate and war-filled world we are currently inhabiting.
Do you think you are an Indigo or have a Chrystalline child? For more information visit:
http://www.mastersinstitute.org/indigo.html
http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2005-05-31-indigo-kids_x.htm
(Remember to always think critically! Thanks to Janelle for this blog idea!)
Save the Burmese Monks! October 2, 2007
Posted by NettyD in Religion, Theories and Thoughts, U.S. and World News.2 comments
[Photo courtesy of chinapost.com]
4,000 Burmese monks who were detained after participating in pro-democracy protests against the country’s military, are now going to be “sent away” from Rangoon. A militia source says that the monks have been disrobed and shackled, and are refusing to eat. (BBC News)
This is an atrocity!! Where is the international community? What crime have these monks committed? The people of Burma are suffering under an oppressive military-led government and these monks were attempting to rally the people of the country to stand up against it.
How can the rest of the world sit back and just let this happen? Any silence or inaction opens the door for other countries to think they can get away with this behavior.
Does anyone have any information about what one person can do for these monks? If so, I’ll post it and try to rally the blog community into helping. I’ll be finding ways too.
For more information about the background of this story visit: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7010202.stm
