Introductions

Introduce yourselves!!!

I have rewritten this so many times...here we go again.

I am Taoist Saint...a member of the LDS Church, but I am not really LDS.

My philosophy is closest to Taoism and Buddhism.

Anyway...its alway interesting to be here

[Jenda]

Good idea, Tao. (I'm glad you are back to being Tao. )

I am Jenda. I am a member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

I have been coming to this board for years upon years (5, or so). I came because I like church history, and I grew fond of my LDS brothers and sisters when I worked in Nauvoo. There are many things I respect about the LDS culture, and I wish some of their values were more widespread.

I like making stained glass and doing counted cross stitch (not that I do much of either since discovering the internet, but I am making a concerted effort to get a real life back. )

I am a SAHM, but was a RN prior to my youngest daughter being born. I worked for many years in an inner city hospital (NYC) on a pediatric medicine floor and mostly took care of kids with CF, sickle cell disease, and cancer. It was heartbreaking but rewarding to care for those who needed it the most. And I learned a lot about life from them. (They were wise beyond their years. )

I think I prefer being Taoist again too. For awhile I was trying to be Christian, so changed my name to Unorthodox. That didn't work out well.

[TheProudDuck]

Here's a question:

How come, in the media, the Catholic practice of clerical celibacy is generally regarded as repressive, retrograde, and pathological, but Buddhists' teachings on celibacy get ignored and they're considered magnificently enlightened?

[Jason]

TS,

I hate to tell you I told you so.....but I told you so.

That's okay though, because you seem to have gained some benefit from the experience none the less.

Jason

PS. Do you read any confucius?

Yes, in hindsight, it was a mistake to join a church I do not believe in...but I can't change that, so I am living with it as best I can.

I haven't read Confucious yet...

Here's a question:

How come, in the media, the Catholic practice of clerical celibacy is generally regarded as repressive, retrograde, and pathological, but Buddhists' teachings on celibacy get ignored and they're considered magnificently enlightened?

I am not sure all Buddhist monks have to be celibate...Tibetans are I think.

I have not heard much criticism of Catholic celibacy in the media, since it is a choice the priests make. Is there alot of criticism?

In general, I haven't seen much media attention given to Buddhists at all...which is why people are so ignorant about Buddhism (for example, westerners thinking that Buddha is a pagan god, when he was nothing more than a great teacher).

[pushka]

I've probably repeated this story in numerous threads already, but here it is again for those who haven't heard it already:

When I was 13 and 'In love with Donny Osmond!' I was regularly subscribing to the Osmond family magazine, Osmond's World, in which they talked not only about their life 'on the road' but also their Spiritual beliefs and whatnot. They were Mormons, and the Burnley Mormon church was only a 10 minute walk from my home. At the time that I read about them more, and saw an episode of Whicker's World on British TV where they were interviewed about their religious beliefs, amongst other things, I was going to parties and drinking quite heavily...I was shy though, and used to cry at the end of the evening because I didn't fit in with the other people in spite of trying to drink to relax. The stuff I read about the Mormon church and the WoW in particular sounded good to me...healthy, also my mum and dad were always arguing and my dad used to hit my mum a lot, so as I started to investigate the Church I found it a good escape from my home life...I had a group of friends, my own age, who didn't care about drinking and sex, but just hung out for a good time and had good ideals. I stayed with this until I was 18...I found a boyfriend out of the church when I was 16, and this compromised my standards, so eventually I had to leave the church...or become a hypocrite...

I have to say that, although I do not find the story of Joseph Smith and the BofM, BofA and others believable anymore, I did find the Church useful at a time when I was struggling to make friends outside of school and to look after myself physically...I can never thank the Church enough for helping me through those years.

I was married for 11 years to the 'man' I met when I was 17, we dated for 6 years before marrying...I should have known better than to marry him after all that time, however, now we are divorced and I am raising my 2 children alone, we have been divorced 6 years, and my children are now 12 and 16, and we are happy. I am glad to have put my marriage behind me.

I spent 20 years or so wondering about returning to the Church, however I did do lots of research online and decided that to return would not be the correct thing for me...I appreciate the good things taught within the WofW and I appreciate the importance of families within the LDS church...but, unfortunately, I cannot return to believing that which I believed at 14.

I have suffered from severe depression, attempted suicide, and am now re discovering myself and my abilities through voluntary work for community groups and self help groups for people suffering from mental health problems.

Thanks for your introduction

[pushka]

Tao, I recently attended a self help group for people suffering from mental health problems, and one of the things that was recommended for recovery was meditation as per Buddhism...I haven't quite got there yet, but from what I have read I feel that it would be very beneficial to me...

Some people...ie. my ex-husband! LOL...just call me a hippy because I truly believe that you can create a more peaceful atmosphere around you by being peaceful yourself...refusing to get angered unless something really atrocious happens, being reasonable about events that occur and trying to reconcile them peaceably...it must be very difficult to argue with a person who refuses to argue back!! LOL...

I'm by no means perfect, in fact I hide myself away from the world a lot when things become too much, I still rely on anti depressants and sleeping tablets to get me through the week...however, I feel tons better since becoming involved with voluntary Community work recently...still working from home (I'm slightly agrophobic), but doing things that benefit others and myself...I don't feel as if I need any particular church to attend in order to feel that I am doing right...I try to be good to others, put their feelings on a par with my own, so that I try not to be selfish, and to treat others as I would expect to be treated...what more can I do?