I've landed!

[WiresNPipes]

I've posted on a couple issues and said Hi to a few of you, but here's my shingle:

Early 40s, railroader after 17 years construction, 5 children, BSME, deFOO'd and divorced about a year before my father, a lutheran pastor, passed a couple years back.  Ma calls on me monthly.  Though she was so tender and pleasant and loving to us eleven children, her prayers push me away anymore.  No, her telling me about praying turns me away.  Why would anybody share their prayers!?  My children are so well because I withhold prayer .

I love the show!!  I struggle with Stef's guessing at dream interpretations when I thought one would surely have to intimately know the persons background, but I sure don't see the harm in it, and trust he's right as much as wrong.  But I would like to hear him say he doesn't know once, and not edit it out.  I only get the podcasts.  But I'm eternally grateful for his sharing what he does know as so much of it would've bypassed me, and so very much of it affects me.

And thanks to you, FreeDomainRadio community, for energizing our spokesman and supplying rich topics and material to articulate.  I'm really thrilled to be part of something so grand - even if my part is a paltry few shekles.

I grew up skeptically conservative and regrettably admit having voted a few times.  Worse yet, for the lesser of three (yeah, Libertarian) evils.  TV and radio were sin, and we Christians were not to sing anything but hymns, fuss over contemporary issues of the world, participate in sports or any extracurricular activities that our public schools offered.  Looking back, I laugh about the elders (the missionary preachers from swedish Lapland, spawning ground of the sect) lauding that the world persecutes you Christians at school and work, but be comforted, and "be not of this world".  Now, as an atheist I've tasted ostracism!  They said believe in Christ to love, while I found no purpose in the church whatsoever other than to hate better insiders, leavers, infidels, and other outsiders - in that order because the clergy weren't paid, and being asked to serve in the church was nothing short of sacrifice.  I, pastor's child, was the main sacrifice.  Dues were to cover travel costs of the missions, building and maintenance, and infrequently to help the blighted.  Um, I like Mark Twain .

I spanked my children, shamed my spouse, and pretended to be a believing Christian till 34, when I was brought before the church for correction once too often and spilled that I was atheist - my whole life.  That prompted a separation and a half-divorce.  A reconciliation attempt failed, and she divorced me the following year, 2010 and we worst enemies have been best friends since.  The children played us pretty bad and struggle socially, but I'm optimistic and think they'll rally.  As for parenting, we were continuing the trend toward peace that locally the past few generations set, and I would only spank when one shot a BB through a window, left half a gallon of ice cream to melt under dirty laundry, or otherwise damaged property that I sorely resented  having to repair or replace.  She had a sharp tongue, and I suspect hurt them worse, which didn't sit well with me - being bested - no, having been loved.  Anyway, knowing something was wrong, we got some tidbits on parenting and were onboard with Love and Logic, and did ok, considering the formitive years were past.  But when a neighbor or fellow Christian criticized her, she gave it up as foolishness, and returned to exaspiration.  I guess the family members all found solace as victims.

My parents taught me voluntarism believe it or not.  I watched them learn from beating my siblings and I, and saw that they observed the reverse effects of their intended goals, and though I always resented spanking on me or anyone, and any other application of power authority, I had no use for it or I was too small, always short for my age.  My children's rash disregard for my property, perhaps due to frustration at us parents, finally ired me to hit.  But even then I knew that this was not according to parenting as I forsaw, and that I had erred.  I still feel bad for it ten years gone, and now feel dad's sincerity when he cried begging forgiveness for spanking us children.  Now my children show me the same earnest curiosity that I felt toward dad each time I confess to having abused them through spanking.  I suppose they too will forgive but never forget.

Not having a television, I didn't understood politics deeper than the myths that Republicans want to conserve small government but eradicate foreign heathen enemies to keep us safe, while Democrats would create programs to redistribute wealth.  Coming out of public high school, on the B honor role, I was that deluded.  Dad suggested that if there's any doubt, avoid the incumbent, and he advised me that the local officials warranted more attention.  Well, in 2000 I heard Harry Browne and became a Libertarian from just one debate or speech - I don't recall which, and for the 2004 election I was an enthusiatic libertarian having heard many of his archived radio shows.  In 2008 The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged vindicated me and at 38 I touched down bonified anarchist.  I've since delighted in atheist shows and books, predominantly Twain and Garrison Keillor, and history and anarchist podcasts.

[SuperAdventurer]

 

I've posted on a couple issues and said Hi to a few of you, but here's my shingle:

Early 40s, railroader after 17 years construction, 5 children, BSME, deFOO'd and divorced about a year before my father, a lutheran pastor, passed a couple years back.  Ma calls on me monthly.  Though she was so tender and pleasant and loving to us eleven children, her prayers push me away anymore.  No, her telling me about praying turns me away.  Why would anybody share their prayers!?  My children are so well because I withhold prayer .

A religious person praying for you is just an indication that they care about you. Them telling you they're praying for you might be something else. If they know where you stand as an atheist, they should also realize that their prayers won't have any significance to you and that you don't want to hear about it, so at the very least your mom is showing a lack of awareness here. But if you were religious and believed in the power of prayer, how could you not attempt to use that "power" for the benefit of loved ones? When my now deceased mother used to tell me she was praying for me (once she knew I was an atheist), I did find it annoying, but when I tried to see it from her perspective it was a little easier to shrug it off. The more troubling thought for me was that according to her beliefs, I was going to burn in hell for eternity. So if she really believed what she claimed to believe, that must have been awful for her.

I love the show!!  I struggle with Stef's guessing at dream interpretations when I thought one would surely have to intimately know the persons background, but I sure don't see the harm in it, and trust he's right as much as wrong.  But I would like to hear him say he doesn't know once, and not edit it out.  I only get the podcasts.  But I'm eternally grateful for his sharing what he does know as so much of it would've bypassed me, and so very much of it affects me.

And thanks to you, FreeDomainRadio community, for energizing our spokesman and supplying rich topics and material to articulate.  I'm really thrilled to be part of something so grand - even if my part is a paltry few shekles.

It's "shekels". After hearing Stef mention shekels a few times I had to look that one up. Turns out they're the basic monetary unit of Israel. Too bad the name is taken, because I think it would be a great name for a competing crypto-currency to bitcoins and based on the name they'd get instant traction among FDR listeners.

I grew up skeptically conservative and regrettably admit having voted a few times.  Worse yet, for the lesser of three (yeah, Libertarian) evils.  TV and radio were sin, and we Christians were not to sing anything but hymns, fuss over contemporary issues of the world, participate in sports or any extracurricular activities that our public schools offered.  Looking back, I laugh about the elders (the missionary preachers from swedish Lapland, spawning ground of the sect) lauding that the world persecutes you Christians at school and work, but be comforted, and "be not of this world".  Now, as an atheist I've tasted ostracism!  They said believe in Christ to love, while I found no purpose in the church whatsoever other than to hate better insiders, leavers, infidels, and other outsiders - in that order because the clergy weren't paid, and being asked to serve in the church was nothing short of sacrifice.  I, pastor's child, was the main sacrifice.  Dues were to cover travel costs of the missions, building and maintenance, and infrequently to help the blighted.  Um, I like Mark Twain .

I spanked my children, shamed my spouse, and pretended to be a believing Christian till 34, when I was brought before the church for correction once too often and spilled that I was atheist - my whole life.  That prompted a separation and a half-divorce.  A reconciliation attempt failed, and she divorced me the following year, 2010 and we worst enemies have been best friends since.  The children played us pretty bad and struggle socially, but I'm optimistic and think they'll rally.  As for parenting, we were continuing the trend toward peace that locally the past few generations set, and I would only spank when one shot a BB through a window, left half a gallon of ice cream to melt under dirty laundry, or otherwise damaged property that I sorely resented  having to repair or replace. She had a sharp tongue, and I suspect hurt them worse, which didn't sit well with me - being bested - no, having been loved.  Anyway, knowing something was wrong, we got some tidbits on parenting and were onboard with Love and Logic, and did ok, considering the formitive years were past.  But when a neighbor or fellow Christian criticized her, she gave it up as foolishness, and returned to exaspiration.  I guess the family members all found solace as victims.

My parents taught me voluntarism believe it or not.  I watched them learn from beating my siblings and I, and saw that they observed the reverse effects of their intended goals, and though I always resented spanking on me or anyone, and any other application of power authority, I had no use for it or I was too small, always short for my age.  My children's rash disregard for my property, perhaps due to frustration at us parents, finally ired me to hit.  But even then I knew that this was not according to parenting as I forsaw, and that I had erred.  I still feel bad for it ten years gone, and now feel dad's sincerity when he cried begging forgiveness for spanking us children.  Now my children show me the same earnest curiosity that I felt toward dad each time I confess to having abused them through spanking.  I suppose they too will forgive but never forget.

No kids for me (yet!) but I had a similar experience with my cats. The
immediate effect of the peaceful parenting message on me is that I don't
hit my cats anymore. It was never necessary and everything is better now that I'm no longer giving them reasons to be afraid of me. Occasionally, but less and less frequently, I'll see what I interpret to be a look of fear in one of the cats when I catch them somewhere they're "not supposed to be". But the most that happens now is I'll say "down" in a somewhat stern tone (but without shouting, I had to tone that down too), or I'll pick the cat up and set it on the ground. That gets the message across, no need for abuse.

Not having a television, I didn't understood politics deeper than the myths that Republicans want to conserve small government but eradicate foreign heathen enemies to keep us safe, while Democrats would create programs to redistribute wealth.  Coming out of public high school, on the B honor role, I was that deluded.

I was a B student in public school too. Didn't do much homework or I'd do it late, never studied. The typical half-assed effort which seems to be the natural reaction to the way irrelevant assignments get thrown at unwilling students in public school. I'm still a horrible procrastinator, which Stefan in one of his youtube videos has described as part of the slave mentality, and I think that fits my experience in public school (and childhood in general). Still something I need to overcome because that attitude is something I've internalized quite deeply, even in regard to tasks I personally consider to be important.

Dad suggested that if there's any doubt, avoid the incumbent, and he advised me that the local officials warranted more attention.  Well, in 2000 I heard Harry Browne and became a Libertarian from just one debate or speech - I don't recall which, and for the 2004 election I was an enthusiatic libertarian having heard many of his archived radio shows.  In 2008 The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged vindicated me and at 38 I touched down bonified anarchist.  I've since delighted in atheist shows and books, predominantly Twain and Garrison Keillor, and history and anarchist podcasts.

Speaking of Harry Browne, have you read "How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World"? Worth a read, in fact I should reread it myself. The main message I got from it has to do with living your life as freely as possible, in the here and now, without wasting your efforts on trying to change things you don't have the power to change (ie political action).