The Only One Who Could Ever Reach Me Was The Son Of A Preacher Man

My dad came from a long line of Presbyterian and Dissenting and Wesleyan and More Protestant Than The Protestants Ministers - and he is a dedicated atheist.

My mum came from a long line of Atheists and Freethinkers - and she is an Priest.

Go figure.

I'm just confused.

I am a lot closer to Christianity the Atheism these days, but just get stuck playing Devil's Advocate for both.

I have a pretty good relationship with my parents, comparatively.

I ended up moving an average of every five years growing up as a result of Dad getting "called" to a new church within the denomination. I don't begrudge this at all; I think it has made me a much different person than I would be if I had lived in the same part of the country my whole life.

When we lived in a small town in New England (age 7 - 12) it was very weird because 90% of the town was Catholic and none of my schoolmates could wrap their brains around the fact that my FAHTHA WUZZA PRIEST. I got ostracized pretty badly and my first fistfight ever resulted. I ended up trying to hide what my dad did for several years until I realized in High School (now living in the West) that it wasn't a big deal.

More like Baby Sitter with a pony-tail and a Bible.

When we moved to new england it was at a time when real estate prices were super high so the church helped with a down payment, but my parents still owned the house.

must be kind of weird though, for those who did.

http://a509.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/13/l_073052cbf733d605cd96b3611b44f0f4.jpg

Great guy, wish I'd kept in touch.

I am not religious at all.

i never really noticed this!

waiting around forever after services were done and being the last car out of the parking lot every fucking week was near-traumatic. i still get twitchy on Sunday afternoons.

Actually, I think you'll find its Thingee Simpson.

I liked cleaning up after communion - retrieving the communion cups from the cup holders in the back of the pews. And pouring sweet juice down my throat. (not much has changed, there!)

My father kept a key under the altar - perhaps a key to one of the doors of the church? - and I was the only one small enough to crawl behind, and under, the altar to get the key. I loved it! It was the best secret hiding place ever! Thinking about it now, of course, makes me nervous about the implications of LOVING being under the altar.

The God=boss part is always going to be weird, I think. being a ministers daughter meant lots and lots of attention. And maybe i was savvy enough, at six, to figure out that all these people were paying attention to me because my father was in charge of their mortal souls.

My parents conducted a very seventies, churchie type club for married parishioners - the Ball and Chain Club! Which would be referenced in conversation - "You need to go to bed because the Ball and Chain Club is coming over!"

Anywhoo, my three brothers went to St. Thomas choir school around the same time as my father having this church. St. Thomas is about as high church as you can get, without moving to England. When my parents divorced, and my dad moved back to Scotland, I horrified everyone in the tiny Church of Scotland parish by genuflecting.

I was baptised Protestant, confirmed Episcopalian. An Episco-Prot.

my brother is graduating from Yale Divinity this year. it will be fun to see where he ends up - because he is a great preacher, already. He truly uderstands what a parish is - he's a good shepherd, and all that, I guess.

Until he is "placed" - or hired (the Anglican Bishops have a lot of sway in where and how anyone gets placed), I have been enjoying going to lots of different churches. (Waiting to go to my brother's church!)
I like the UCC in Northampton - because it was founded by Jonatahn Edwards, and there's a fierce statue of him in the sanctuary. "Sinner's In The Hands of An Angry God!" The pastor has written some great treatises about Jonathan Edwards and his image in the sanctuary.
I like the free thinking Unitarians - but I miss the churchiness.
Not so fond of the Catholic church - probably because I'm not Catholic. But the pageantry is good.

I call it "church shopping". And I think seeking an experience, a portal, a temple....is a valid activity to pursue.

Discussions of hymns are sort of de rigeur in my family. It can be very off putting to an interloper. Singing the doxology, in three or four part harmony, is expected. (or, maybe, graciously encouraged.)

"The Churches One Foundation" was one of my first memorized hymns - and it still haunts me because of the marriage part. I get it now, but at the time I could not figure out how Jesus got married and died for his bride. Mary confusion! Plot summary please!

I'm a HUGE fan of "Come Labor On".

he was a pastor in kansas and mass. when i was younger, but we moved to AZ 15 years ago and he's still a pastor there.

i graduated from NPU and everything.

where did you grow up?

i think that chic plus thing only lasted one year.

i was going to go back and work the skatepark with my dad this past summer but moving out here got in the way.

the big scandal in 03 was that they were going to change the name starting in 06 but i think they got talked out of it. one of the main reasons: at the time, chic.com was registered as a porn site. i'm not sure why they ended up keeping it.

but i miss the organ n' hymn church music of my youth. all this praise chorus, read the power-point screen shlock doesn't do anything for me. (though i still enjoy hearing my mother play the drums).