Talulah

I asked my Dad today where Noah's sons got their wives. I said, "Out of the whole world full of inquity about to be destroyed, where did they find these women?" He said, they were the leaders of their households is why. I pondered on such a dubious explanation for a moment while half listening as he continued on about men being the leaders of the family and it being their duty to make their families obey. I said 'So then, it doesn't matter whether they really believe or not?' He said 'No, you know it isn't like that. We see no examples of that in the bible, but there are examples of men who cared enough about God to make sure that their family knew about him and obeyed his laws." He referenced 'as for me and my house we will serve the Lord,' and 'straightaway, he and his whole household were baptized.' I saw the fervor and determination in his eyes as he talked about men and their God-given duty to make sure that their families were God-fearing. I thought about how sad that it was that he thinks he has control and is some sort of 'spiritual leader' of his household. How pathetic is this denial. He doesn't know my thoughts and certainly can't control them. I should be the prime subject of his control, being an unmarried woman and his daughter. He doesn't know that I am an atheist or a lesbian or that I only go to church to have a place to live and to spare his feelings since this religion thing means so much to him. He doesn't even see how ridiculous I view this whole exchange to be. I know that there will never come a day when he looks at me and asks 'What do you believe?' I think about my infidel internet activities, my atheist reading material, my collection of lesbian music, and it seems so funny yet so sad at the same time.

B. H. Manners

You love your father and that is what makes it bearable isn't it? (though barely so)

diana

I said, "Out of the whole world full of inquity about to be destroyed, where did they find these women?" He said, they were the leaders of their households is why.

Hm. That's a good question. I always thought the "eight souls that were saved by water" had all chosen to obey God, but now that you mention it, it was only Noah and his family that were considered righteous in all the world, so unless those women were his daughters....

...he continued on about men being the leaders of the family and it being their duty to make their families obey. I said 'So then, it doesn't matter whether they really believe or not?' He said 'No, you know it isn't like that....

Like hell. It's exactly like that, nicely summed up with the fact that they made their families obey.

"...We see no examples of that in the bible, but there are examples of men who cared enough about God to make sure that their family knew about him and obeyed his laws."

Whether they agreed with those laws or not is beside the point.

He referenced 'as for me and my house we will serve the Lord,' and 'straightaway, he and his whole household were baptized.'

Ah. You just hit upon a couple of those verses that never made sense to me. So...the head of the household believes and subsequently has everybody that lives under his roof or protection gets dunked, even the slaves. Considering the rate of "obeying the gospel" you see every time you go to church, what are the odds all those people in that household really believed? I'd say, oh, about 26 billion to one.

I saw the fervor and determination in his eyes as he talked about men and their God-given duty to make sure that their families were God-fearing.

And if not God-fearing, at least parent-fearing, which was considered a viable substitute in my house. But I won't get into that again.

I'd be interested to know how he supports the idea that it is his duty to make sure his family is God-fearing, as opposed to teaching his children what he believes is right (there being a difference)--but I won't ask you to pursue the matter with him.

He doesn't know that I am an atheist or a lesbian or that I only go to church to have a place to live and to spare his feelings since this religion thing means so much to him.

Oh my GOD! You're a lesbian? Ew.

I have just the thing to cure you. There's this guy named Tony Earl who has a gay outreach ministry who could help you....

I know that there will never come a day when he looks at me and asks 'What do you believe?'

Perchance he already knows and doesn't want his suspicions confirmed.

d

[ April 28, 2002: Message edited by: diana ]</p>

case

Sounds very sad. No way you can "come out", in both senses of the term, eh?

Bree

((HUGS))

I'm going to move this to Secular Lifestyle and Support. You might get more responses there.

&lt;bree waves magick wand&gt;