Tired of this

Command0182 said:

Wow, I can certainly relate to you there. I can recall when I was a little younger, I was very disgruntled with the anti-American attitude that I felt I was getting from my Church. It almost seemed like they were saying, "Greece does everything right, America does everything wrong. " I don't like everything my country does, but I can only take so much Greece is better than America (read, Gatorade's better than water). I can't take America bashing every day.

PS
On a funny side note. If I remember correctly, we once had a priest from Greece give a homily at our Church. He chewed us out for our modern convinces. Which one you ask? DVD players. He encouraged us to watch VHS tapes since they weren't as convenient. He eluded to the fact that he (& I'm guessing his family) never watch DVD's...they only watch VHS tapes. There was (I believe) an allusion that this was common in Greece (VHS tapes, to fight the American influence I guess). Newsflash, Greece is big on DVD piracy...what do you think they're watching those movies on? Oh, right, they download them off the web then copy them to VHS tapes...OK, right.
A bit of advice when you visit a foreign country, please don't cling to stereotypes.

There have also been a few times when the idea was thrown about, dreamily, of everyone just selling all that they have and going off to live in a monastery. He even encouraged the married couples to become monastics by telling them that most of the married saints of the Church died as monastics. We read often about the lives of the saints and how they just threw everything away and became monastics. But I could never leave my wife...I wonder what kind of Christian that makes me.

PPS
Nothing against Greece.

In our Church it's supposed to be more like, "Yeah, hurray we're being persecuted!" And we all march before the judge, joyfully and declare ourselves as Christians. Then we are subjected to boiling oil, or having our limbs ripped off, or being ran through with spears and then we become martyrs and it's a very joyous occasion. Although, I get a little nervous about the idea of being butchered...wonder what kind of Christian that makes me.

Sorry I don't mean to slander them, but it just feels good to express my feelings once in a while (shudders...feelings aren't a comfy spot).

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trvlgurl said:

I have been lurking in this forum for about year but decided to de-lurk. The isolation of being CF* is tough, especially in churches. I thought I might offer a little unsolicited advice...

My husband and I did a complete friend overhall. We had many friends who just could not understand our choices and they were quite vocal in their dispproval. Well, they now get a card at Christmas and that's about the extent of our friendship. It may sound harsh, but I think it has been a healthy choice for us.

We also made a point to start befriending childed couples at our church, but we chose them carefully and did make a few missteps.

I also have learned to verbally shut down any sort of "questioning" of my choices. As a result, the people who disapprove of our CF status pretty much leave us alone. The childed couples who are still open and friendly to us are the people we choose to get to know better. So far its working...we have made several new couple friends and we are optimistic. Our new friends seem to enjoy being around us because there is no pressure to buy into the whole "perfect parent world" craziness.

(FYI perfect parent world is not meant to be deragatory, it is a term used in the book Kingpin Dads and Queen Bee Moms...it describes the pressure parents feel to project the image that they have perfect kids and lives)

*CF=childfree

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trvlgurl said:

Them: Why do you hate children? Are you gay? You must have had at least one abortion? Aren't you afraid your husband will leave you? etc etc. etc

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