elektra

There we go again, this constant facile harping on the assumption that happiness can only come from material possessions.

Nuns have one really great thing that would be bound to make them happy even if the conditions of their life were not good: they believe strongly that they are serving God's plan, and that whatever anybody else in the world thinks, God loves them and cares about them.

That's an admirable belief that is directly beneficial to the happiness of the nun. The happiness of the nun does not depend on the existence of God, only on her ability to continue to have faith that God does exist and wants her to continue in his work.

elektra

A spanking! A spanking!

You must spank her well, and after you have spanked her, you may deal with her as you like, and then, spank me.

Shadowy Man

And after the spankings, the oral sex!

penumbra

Answer to the first question - not to this one. I see no evidence of a cause-and-effect relationship.

Answer to the second question - simple self-delusion.

Seriously.

sophie

Shadowy Man :
You could choke!

Now here is a strict left branching tree of nunnery. The 5 steps of being a nun. Most of what was previously mentioned was the right branching twigs, the ones who snap, no need to mention this here. Not every cop is a good cop. Not every politician is the best politician.


(1) I wanna be a nun, I wanna be a nun.
The attraction. Leaving former environments. Getting the call.

(2) I am a nun, I am a nun.
The realisation. The responsibility. The effort.

(3) I like being a nun, I like being a nun.
The rewards.

(4) I'll stay a nun, I'll stay a nun.
The revealation.

(5) All of the above, recursively appropriate.

Milton

I would never claim such thing. My post was to show that the nuns are not like the little children who believe in santa and are happy when christmas time comes by.

The nuns don't get anything in this world, except the promise that after death, they will be given eternal life. It is quite different from seeing and receiving all that you wish every year, as opposed to never seeing it or receiving it, until after you die.

livius drusus

Nuns get total employment security, food, shelter, clothing. Some of them teach, nurse, run large institutions like colleges and hospitals. That's more than most people get in this world.

Ensign Steve

The santa claus metaphor was to point out the faulty logic of the original "argument," not to actually compare god to santa. Believe in something does not make it exist, no matter how happy such a belief makes somebody. If every human being on earth (and cat and dog and mouse for that matter) truly belived with all their hearts that god exists, and they sacrificed all their worldly goods for a life of happy celibacy and joyous worship, that still would not be an argument for the existence of god.

Doubting Didymus

Not to overlook the obvious: some nuns might be happy because they are devoting their entire lives to what they think is the supreme ultimate good. If you're convinced that the best thing you can possibly do with your life is to give glory to god, why shouldn't it make you happy to do it?

Note that that has no impact on whether their veiws are accurate.

A more interesting question is, given that a life glorifying god is supposedly a path to happiness, why are any nuns deeply unhappy, depressed, dried up old bitches with tendancies toward physical child abuse?

Hopeful Monsters

Very appropriate language for a MODERATOR to use, huh?