"Going to church does not make you a Christian, anymore that sitting in a garage makes you a car".
I hope my daily lifestyle represents my Chrisitanity. However, going to church and joining in worship with other Christians is a privelge I enjoy every week.
Ummm... I took the question as having to do with RA.
I do not go to sunday school, because of many of reasons.
1. I have to wake up much earlier and hope I am having an ok day, if not I have to depend on hubby to help me dress. I have a hard time going to sleep at night so my sleep is cut short if I have to wake up at 8am just to get to sunday school. Most times I have not even went to sleep until 6am or 7am.
2. It is to much sitting and not enough moving, so I will hurt and gel way pass a time I need to and will be miserable the whole time there. I do not want to make other feel sorry for me or bring them down with how my face conveys how much I hurt and how my lack of movement is.
3. I do not go to church every sunday, but because of how my RA is. I have told my mom and in-laws I would go more often when I am doing better and can stand to sit there without much problems. Right now... I just do not want to expose people to how I am now, it would just ruin their day. And if I did not get enough sleep I am very grouchy and get irritated fast and then I snap.
Ok....on the church and RA subject. I do make an effort to go to church every Sunday. It is very hard and sometimes I get up and go for a quick stroll down the hall to losen up. Yay Catholics-in and out in about an hour! However, I did end up talking to the Sunday School Cordinator. They were all on me to teach a class since I am a teacher. I finally told her the deal-it is really up in the air every weekend. I make a huge effort mainly for my son. He loves "Church School". I think teaching Sunday School would be fun-just the little ones. I get middle schoolers all week-need a hormone vacation. So yes, RA does play a role in church for me. Now, I did tell her that I would be on the emergency call list if a teacher can't come in. That way I can say no or yes. I have taught two classes this year and it was pretty funny.thank you , shelly for your honesty. you have helped me because you understand. i miss being a part of a church congegation and sunday school class but i can not physically do all that. do you know i was kicked out of bible study fellowship because i missed 3 times in a study and when the next study started up they told me i missed too many. i have never joined anything else. if a bible study is going to kick you out when from the get go i told them i had severe ra and may not be able to make every meeting. oh well it has been difficult. thanks for understanding.
I used to be in BSF!! I wouldn't take your ousting personally. They have such a waiting list they don't like to give a space to someone who can't attend. I certainly wouldn't refuse to join your local churches study because of that.
thanks joonie that is exactly what i was getting at. how hard is it for you to get to church and physically enjoy it and participate with ra. i am struggling with missing it and when i go i get the look of here is the lost woman whose daughter is a missionary. they do not realize my health struggles. i tried once to talk to my paster about my health and he could not understand he laughed when i said i can not make the early service because my body does not co-operate with me.
I don't know how comfortable you'd be doing this, but why not print some really good information up about RA, and take it to him? Try to show him what it is, and what it's like to have it. I can imagine it might be hard to try to explain for a second time - especially since he laughed. That can make it hard for us to be persistant when we need to be.
However - this really is a good opportunity to educate a community that apparently "doesn't get it" And needs to! After all, you are a part of the church, and they should be there for you. If you feel up to it, try to be the squeaky wheel. I know it's hard though. *hugs*
thank you katie
he is a friend so i could even mail him some facts about it, but honestly i think until you have lost some of your own health or have a close family member struggling healthy people do not get how hard it is. and yes i want to make friends and yes i want to go and be a regular and yes i want to be in a sunday school class. but i am lucky if i make 11am service on sunday period. i am a christian, and i too have some struggles with judgemental attitude and how to do church etc and the way people look at you and talk about you i think it is wrong.
Well... I stopped going to church because when I was going to the church down the road with MIL & SIL every Sunday morning, the choir director got on to me for not standing all the time while singing. So... instead of explaining why I did not stand, I quit going.
He told me that I needed to stand every time everyone was to stand to sing. He made it out like I was a teenager, when here I was 23 years old, married and had my own kid. Yet, he felt I needed to stand every time everyone was to stand to sing. I did not get mad about, I just did not like how I was being viewed as a teenager when I was not one.
He told me that the kids & teenagers looked up to me for guidance, yet none of the kids talked to me, and probably did not even know me or my name, except I was married to MIL's son, and SIL's brother.
So... after that I stopped going. MIL asked me why I did not want to go anymore I told her I was a grown up and if I did not feel like standing everytime were to stand to sing then I did not have to, and should not have been talked down to like a teenager. SO... MIL told some of the people at the church mainly the choir director and pastor why I could not stand all the time.
I went back for some function at the church because my daughter was a part of it, and the choir director told me if I did not want or could not stand when everyone was to stand and sing, I did not have to. Oh and that he had a bumped knee and he stands all the time during singing. I just nodded and walked away.
At FIL's church everyone knows I have RA. FIL announced it to everyone on my first visit to the church. He also told them instead of shaking my hand give hugs to me. He explained it very well and they are all nice people. But I just do not want to ruin their day with my looks and my grouchiness. I know I bring my mom down when she sees me hurting and it kinda ruins her happy mood, I just do not want to do that to anyone else, except hubby of course
*** Edited because I did not know how to spell a simple word like choir - chore*** LMAO!
joonie2008-02-29 22:31:24joonie i bet you would be surprised to know that you inspire people with your continuing forward in your disease. all your posts on here are so wise. i really appreciate you thanks. people is general just don't get it. and the gotta look good bunch that judges us they are nobodies because that is not how jesus worked. i sit when we stand for 30 minutes straight. i dare then to say something! i would never go back and never forget their stupidity.I do not really know if I would call ALL my posts "wise"; but I do have my times when I am "wise".
Thank You.
[QUOTE=lorster] [QUOTE=arriscolwell] lorster likes to pretend she didn't see peoples posts.So yes, I did need giant caps. :)And before that, yes I did, again, because other people also like to pretend they didn't see posts.Is it *ever* possible for you NOT to engage in an argument that's not about politics, without mentioning or making the argument about politics?I seriously don't think you can.
[/QUOTE]
Katie, what are you talking about? I don't think I stated that I didn't see a post. I read all of them. I have to ask what intent the op had that started this thread? Who cares who goes and who does not?[/QUOTE]
Lorster, I think it was as simple as Susan (wonderwoman) wanting to know if RA had effected people's ability to attend church regularly. She didn't put it very articulately but I think that was what she wanted to know. Just like people ask if RA has effected other people's ability to work. I think she was esquiring if RA had effected other's as she is starting to find church difficult to get too.
Oh and my answer is no. Strong belief in God but I do not attend church as I find it ruled by doctrine and dogma rather than love and compassion. If anything I am probably Buddhist although I am not about to run off to a monastery, shave my head, and eat vegetarian. I am also quite pagan.
When I read your post, I though, "How can she have a strong belief in God and be a pagan as well?" I realized I must not know what a pagan is so I Googled it and found that there are many definitions. What is yours?
My answer to the original question:
I was very faithful in church attendance until I got sick. Then, I started missing lots of the Sunday morning services, but still made it to most of the Wednesday and Sunday night services unless I was flaring. I've recently quit going to my home church for reasons other than my RA and am searching for a new home. I can't seem to find one that "feels" right and I miss the fellowship terribly.
kweenb2008-03-01 09:45:24
Put simply, kweenb, pagan to me is the reverence of nature. God is a universal energy for good that I believe is in people, animals, and the earth. As people, we choose to act lovingly or with fear. Love is tapping into that God energy...it means we act with compassion, caring, empathy,equality and respect for all beings, fear is not and is usually leads to hate, anger, judgment.
Thanks Cordelia.
No problem, kweenb. Always happy to answering a great question. Hoped my answer helped. That is certainly my definition which is pretty simple.
this is some boo shoo, yall.
niggas trippin' hard up in here, yo.
Cordelia. I like how you believe. Well, thank you Lorster. My beliefs are something I have come too after great thought, research and study. I have examined them intensely and for me I feel I have come to a peaceful place where I am happy and content. My main values are about compassion and kindness. Quite simple. I also do not feel any need to push them onto anyone else instead I prefer to show them through my behaviour and actions. Actions speak much louder than words ever do.
actions are loud, but words are always louder.
speaking of one selfs beliefs is wonderful, to show an example of how faith can fill a life with happiness and divine love.
but sometimes displaying your heart only shows how much of a hypocrite you are.
make sure you listened correctly to what the Jew said.
ScottPalmerRocks2008-03-02 07:12:34JSNM: Your quote, "Right after WWII, my parents moved to
Alaska to raise their children away from the influence of religion and
other's dogma. They must have succeeded. I was 8 when the 1964 Great
Alaskan Quake and Tsunami hit (9.2 earthquake and tsunami that last 3.5
minutes). I was holding on to the couch with Mom as we were being
thrown all over the place and I was going - what are they doing? (we
were at a friend's house) She goes - they are praying. I said praying
to who? She said God. I said why? To make it stop. Boy, there's an
introduction to religion and God. Nothing like surviving something
like that to form your belief in a Higher Power. "
I have a bit of problem with this kind of reasoning. Not just this disaster but whenever there is any kind of disaster you know people are praying. Do you have an explanation to offer the families who lose loved ones in these disasters? We are speaking of innocent children, handicapped people, our elderly, etc. Are you saying that the prayers of some people are more worthy than others?
Sorry, I can't go with that kind of reasoning!!!
[QUOTE=watchingwolf]
Not just this disaster but whenever there is any kind of disaster you know people are praying. [/QUOTE]
Well let's see, she was 8 and had never heard of God or praying..........so I guess that statement was wrong.
If you've never heard of prayer, of course you don't know what people are doing during an earth quake.
The rest of your post I can't even reply to, because it didn't make sense as a response to JSNM's post. Like, at all.
This Just in,
ScottPalmer doesn't rock anymore and you don't rock either. You need to go back and edit your boo shoo, got it?
Katie: There's that attitude again!!
Do I know about prayer? Yes. However, my prayers focus on others not myself.
Example: My daughter and I were involved in a car accident which could have killed us both. We came out of it okay although the car was totaled. Who was I praying for? My daughter and her safety.
Do I ever pray for myself? Yes. For guidance and the strength to deal with my health issues and always to remind me my health issues aren't because of anyone family or friends or anyone else caused so I ask that my lips be closed before speaking harsh unkind words.
Does this prayer work? "yes."
All I can say is, please re-read my post because you missed it. Completely. Your reply had nothing to do with what I said.
Screw it I'll try to lay it out again.
You said that everyone knows that people pray during natural disasters. JSNM was 8 at the time of the 'quake and had never heard of prayer nor God. So OBVIOUSLY NOT EVERYONE HAS HEARD OF PRAYER OR WHAT IT MEANS.
get it now? Yeah I have attitude, you're frustrating the hell out of me with your ignorance.
the purpose is faith. either you have it or you don't. no need to argue over it. ignorance is shown during this and this is what gives Christians and atheists a bad name.
this is what gives everything a bad name.
So Scott if you don't have faith...you never will?? What about those that find their faith through studying or devine miracles. Did the disciples have their faith before they met Jesus or is that something that was given to them as a "gift?" Can you never find your faith in this lifetime?
I honestly do not believe that going to Church has much to do with my love or relationship with Jesus. I used to when I was younger and I was there no matter what. I think as we grow and mature in our love for the Lord and for each other Church becomes a place of corporate worship and a time of fellowshipping with others of the same belief systems or common ground not the beginning and the end of our faith. I still go back to the idea that if God is our Father and many times in Scripture He is portrayed as that...would He then demand "Church" attendance from His hurting and ailing followers. I have never demaded my kids get up when they are sick and just go and do things, no I send them to bed and try to give them things that will help them get better. I think that we lose the sight in today's society that we are human beings and NOT human DOINGS.
I like what has been said about showing grace and mercy, because our world does not need any more condemnation. I am sure everyone on this board is just like me and will condemn themselves for things they have no control over and even things that we perceive that we do have control over. The world is the same way. Look at the advertising..."if you are this skinny, and you do that for a living..." condemnation all around. We live in a society that values only what you can produce or do, when really we should value those that are weaker and more vunerable and let God's love and compassion be our guides to love and help all mankind.
So my prayers these days center around me showing mercy and love to those that have hurt and offended me. Showing love to those that come into my house on a regular basis. Loving people right where they are and not where I want them to be. (REmember...I live with teenagers!)
Copyright ArthritisInsight.com