Wednesday, 15 November 2011
When we first moved in, there were a lot of things about this house to figure out. This included:
How do we get the sprinkler system to work?
How do we get the fireplace to turn on?
What’s up with the crazy electrical in the garage?
Is there a way to get the built-in radio to not automatically turn on outside?
So I think as of today, I can say that I’ve now figured everything out. Some things, such as the fire place, required the assistance of my brother-in-law. Other things, such as the electrical, simply needed replacing. And other things, such as the sprinkler system, necessitated repairs.
Today I successfully ‘bled’ the upstairs radiators, so we appear to have sufficient heat flow upstairs now.
But, as I write this, I realize there are two things I still am having trouble with – but, thankfully, neither is urgent:
1) There’s a built-in intercom system. I can’t get it to work.
2) The freezer door has an ice and water dispenser. I got the water to dispense fine, and the ice dispenses as long as I manually fill the ice bucket inside the freezer. But there should be a way to get the freezer to automatically manufacture ice. I can’t get that to happen.
Any suggestions?
Thursday, 16 November 2011
My friend recently posted about Richard Dawkins’ latest book, The Magic of Reality. Actually, she didn’t have much to say about it (she hasn’t read it yet), but she referred to THIS BLOG, in which the blogger laments Dawkins’ decision to term Judeo-Christian myths as…well…myths.
She claims it is disrespectful to religions, and ultimately to the followers of those religions, to term the stuff in the bible as ‘myth.’ She seems to have no compunction for Dawkins’ decision to call the Greek, Roman, Norse, Native American, and Australian Aboriginal stories ‘myths,’ and I’m not really clear on why.
Anyway, I figured I would look up the word ‘myth’ and see what the definition is. According to THIS ONLINE DICTIONARY, the definition is thus:
noun1.2.stories or matter of this kind: realm of myth.3.any invented story, idea, or concept: His account of the event is pure myth.4.an imaginary or fictitious thing or person.5.an unproved or false collective belief that is used to justify a social institution.
This is a rather comprehensive definition and, though I admit people are free to use words as they see fit, I think we can safely assume Dawkins will chose to use a word in its most commonly known form, unless he states otherwise (which I assume he must do for his choice of the word ‘magic’ in his book’s title). With that in mind, I don’t see how the bible stories are NOT myths, and can accurately be termed as such in books that are aimed at freethinkers.
Of course, the blogger doesn’t necessarily claim that Dawkins is misusing the word, merely that doing so is disrespectful. Well, sorry, but a spade is a spade: The Garden of Eden, Noah’s Flood, and the Tower of Babel are all fiction. They are false, fake, non-scientific, myths. I am quite positive that many of my relatives would find such a statement disrespectful and, in fact, probably most people I come into contact with everyday would likewise find it disrespectful. This is why my son, besides being taught that the bible is mythology, is also taught to be judicious in what he says and when.
Perhaps I could compare this to the word “Fuck.”
My son knows the word. He’s heard it, and I’ve heard him use it. But guess what? To my knowledge, he’s never said it in front of his conservative grandma, or his school teacher, or during a wedding or funeral. That’s because he knows there is a time and a place for everything, and I’m not going to hide the fact that Genesis is mythology just because little Virginia down the street would find such a fact disrespectful.
This question probably sounds sarcastic, but I’m asking it sincerely:
Am I missing something?
I just got the book from the library yesterday, and it is really great so far. 🙂
I just picked up a copy, too, though I haven’t read that far. I will be interested to hear your take on it once you’ve read it through.
It is nice to see that someone who was indoctrination into such a controlling religion can come out of it with rational and balanced ideas of religion. My husband and I are separated because of the religion you and your wife were former members of and I just hope that one day he will begin to think on his own again and use logic and rational thinking when it comes to religions of the world.
Thanks so much for your comment, Ruth.
Yes, I know of a few couples that have split over differences regarding leaving the religion; it’s too bad. Glad to hear you’ve accepted rationality, too!
I have been reading you & your wife’s blogs for a couple of years now. I thoroughly enjoy them, Thank you both for sharing your life stories. I think I’m always trying to find some sort of advice, about the J.W. religion I can use with my husband (currently separated). Do you and your wife have any specific advice for a man who stays in the religion because “It’s the only religion who truly follows what the bible teaches.” I would appreciate any advice you or your wife could give me. Sincerely, Ruth
Ruth:
Thanks for reading our blogs! Like I always say, I appreciate both people who visit my blog.
I’ve been thinking about your question on advice for people who stay in the religion for that reason. That’s a tough one because most JWs have never looked into any other religion. So, in a way, they are correct: The only religion that teaches the bible as interpreted by the Watchtower Society is…the Witnesses! In the same way, the only religion that ‘correctly’ teaches Papal Bull is…Catholicism! The difficult thing is getting a person to see this. JWs are shielded from criticism, reasoning, and logic by being told that anyone who leaves the religion is in league with Satan and will try to use ‘cunning’ tactics to ‘lure’ other people out.
If I or my wife can think of any advice that would be well-received, we’ll let you know.
Ruth,
I can’t think of any specific advice. Unfortunately there are no magic words that make JW’s stop believing. It seems you will either have to accept his involvement in the JW’s, or let the relationship go. It sounds like a difficult thing and I’m sorry you are in that situation.
Jennifer,
Thank you so much for your honest and straightforward advice. I have been reading many blogs over the last few years, but this is the first time I have ever written to any bloggers. I really appreciate you and your husband’s responses to my comments and questions. THANK YOU!
I am just curious if you or your husband came to a crossroads in your relationship when you had become a “non-believer” and James was still “in the truth”. I feel very connected to your blogs because as a mother to 7 and 3-year-old little girls who I nursed 2 years and 3 years respectively, I can relate to your parenting and birthing methods. The hardest part of this religion that I can’t wrap my head around (as an outsider who was not raised as a JW) is how my husband can be more devoted to attending meetings rather than spending time with our daughters and being a family. I’ve read and researched enough to know the basics of the religion, yet every time I bring up specific ideologies that I don’t agree with, which I got from outside sources and then verified through their own publications, he distorts the ideas to be more neutral and less extremist.
We have been separated for a year and a half and I am constantly swaying from letting the relationship go to thinking I might be able to endure his involvement in the religion for our daughter’s sake. If I do decide to give it a try again, what, as a woman can I do to not feel as abandoned, angry, frustrated, and confused with his involvement is this controlling, Stepford-like, extremist, illogical, and unhealthy religion. I know it is a lot to ask you, but again any Advice??? Sincerely, Ruth
Ruth,
James and I were strange in that we both had major doubts for years together. We openly criticized the religion with each other and asked questions of each other trying to rationalize our involvement with it. When I realized it wasn’t true, I told James one evening when he got home from work. He didn’t say anything, and then was really anxious and didn’t want to talk for a couple days. He then told me that he knew it wasn’t true, and that he would rather us leave together than just I leave. He tried to talk me into staying with it longer because leaving made him really nervous, but we were both in agreement that leaving was inevitable and we both mutually agreed the JW’s did not have the truth.
So, I’m just not sure what I would do in your situation. For me, during those couple days when James would not give me any response, I made it clear to him that he could keep going to meetings if he wanted to, but that I would never go again to any JW function and that Owen would not ever be going either. I knew I could say this to him though because I knew he didn’t really believe the JW’s were true, he was just too nervous to leave. So, I knew he wouldn’t divorce me and fight for custody, but that he knew exactly why I didn’t want my child going there even if he wasn’t willing to admit it yet.
Your situation is very different though and I’m not sure what I would suggest. I think if you are going to live with him and make it work you would have to come to some compromises. It’s a lot of time away from the family, and a lot of time you will be sitting home alone or with kids, which is not fair. They don’t see it that way though and never will. How into it is he? Does he ever skip meetings? I think the best thing you could probably do is just completely ignore everything that has to do with the religion. Simply pretend it’s a non-issue to you. Never mention it, never fight about it, never try convincing him to leave, never engage in conversation about it at all. I think that when JW’s are questioned about their religion and they someone telling them it isn’t true, there reaction is to go into it try to do more in the religion. So, by having it be an issue in your marriage, it may push him further into it. Ignoring it might cause him to get lazy about it. He might want to stay home and have fun every once in awhile instead of leaving. I guess that’s the only advice I have.
That’s cool about the breastfeeding and birthing stuff. It’s always nice to meet a like minded mama 😉 Email me anytime if you’d like: mamaofoz @ gmail .com (without the spaces)