Speaking of issues with one's parents...

[grace0418]

There seems to be quite a few threads this weekend about parents who are fundies or RWers or mentally ill (or all of the above, in some cases). So I thought I'd share the latest email missive from my father-in-law. My sister-in-law sent the family a chatty, pleasant email letting us know what she and her family were up to since we saw them at Christmas. My father-in-law's inexplicable (and fucking shitty, IMHO) response was this:

"Hi guys, it's so nice to hear from you all and we enjoyed your
valentine greetings...You know it's been my intention for quite sometime now to admonish each
one of you not that I do not trust you but, as your parents we need to
remind you just in case you are complacent in the realm of
spirituality. We want you to be close to Jesus and The Blessed Virgin Mary at all
times in your daily life. The world today is in chaos and this we think
is a sign of the incoming tribulation; (we are sorry we are disturbing
your sense of security, please forgive us) we want you to be always in
sanctifying grace because we do not know when God calls us, as no one
go to heaven with a mortal sin in your soul. Pls go to confession and
pray always that you do not be tempted to sin grievously. We are all
sinners and if we go to purgatory we have chance to go to heaven someday."

Gee thanks, Dad. Way to shit all over your daughter's perfectly lovely email. :eyes:

To make matters worse, this was sent after NUMEROUS requests from all of us not to forward any more of his crazy religious and right-wing emails (in addition to religious crap, he sends every single "Obama is a terrorist" and "Mexicans are taking over America" rant that comes his way). But he just won't quit. I'm thinking of blocking his email address altogether.

[Generic Brad]

1. It could have been worse

The whole thing could have been typed in capital letters.

[grace0418]

10. Well, usually his emails include 25 layers of forwards and other people's addresses

and comments. That's almost as bad. And I sure am glad that all of his religious nut friends now have my email address.

[Bennyboy]

2. I am so glad my dad cannot work a computer.....

But every so often he sends us the most vile letters imaginable. Fucking nuts.

[grace0418]

11. Be very glad. We get some snail mail garbage too. But email is so much

faster and easier to forward. Grrrrrr.

One time, he actually cornered us in the crawl space of his house (ostensibly to show us how he had reorganized it) and gave us all packets of the most insane religious literature about the end of the world.

[LeftyMom]

3. Could you let him know he gets to pick, either the blessed virgin or the cRapture?

Assuming he's Catholic, the church doesn't believe in the Rapture and thinks it's heretical nonsense. Assuming he's a Protestant, veneration of Mary is idolatry and he's violating a commandment.

Either way, that rant is loony tunes and makes the Baby Jesus cry.

[mike_c]

4. utterly made my night....

:rofl: OMFG-- "the cRapture." :rofl:

[LeftyMom]

6. I just picked up "The Portable Atheist" a few days ago.

My tolerance for religious stupidity, never very high to begin with, seems to be at an all time low. That's beating even last year's high, which was caused by having to take a Philosophy class with a shocking number of people who seemed to think "my religion teaches that..." was a good explanation for how they arrived at a conclusion.

Higher education isn't making me more liberal or less religious, but it's sure making me impatient with stupid people. :P

[TrogL]

8. You're right - that's heresy on so many different levels

[grace0418]

9. Ah but here's the thing...

He started out a regular old, garden-variety Catholic. Well, not *exactly* garden-variety, Filipino Catholics are in a class of their own in terms of Catholicism. But about 12 years ago he got in a minor car accident and decided to kick up his religious fervor about 100 notches. So now the regular Catholic church is just not hard-core enough for him. He and my m-i-l go to a special secret uber-Catholic church. Some woman in Nebraska sends them literature about the end of the world and Jesus' second coming and they believe every word of it. They go on religious pilgrimages to Lourdes and Medjugore (sp?) and Jerusalem. This is especially ironic because they are afraid to drive to our house in the city because it's too dangerous, but they'll travel to war-torn areas on the other side of the world at the drop of a hat.

We've tried to get them to come to their senses but nothing works. When the local bishop in Nebraska sent out a letter condemning the woman and her nutty literature, my in-laws just sighed and talked about how the devil must have possessed the bishop. When her predicted end-of-the-world scenario didn't happen on 01/01/2000, my in-laws declared "It's a miracle! God has changed his mind to allow us a little more time to prepare!" Even the current pope is apparently aligned with the devil. According to my in-laws, he's the "anti-pope" and will bring about the end of the world.

So in his world, it's perfectly fine to have 4,900,000,000,000,000 statues of the Virgin and Jesus everywhere in the house AND believe in the Rapture. Two layers of religious lunacy in one! YAY for us! :eyes:

[av8rdave]

24. Those kinds are all over...

I have an acquaintance from the military that wouldn't let his kids watch Power Rangers because they were evil (and stupid me thought it was only the purple Teletubby!). He has found biblical "justification" for not paying taxes.

I recently received an e-mail from him that basically said Jesus wants me to give money to Ron Paul.

Amazing.

[skater314159]

16. I love your post.

Most. Awesome. Post. Ever.

You captured the idea I wanted to make, but said it waaaay more nicely.

Thanks for your eloquence!

[Maraya1969]

5. The world's going to hell in a hand basket. Well at least the crazies

are creating some common sense offspring. I have a few of those in my family. We should have a type of Alanon program for family and friends of religious abusers.

Sorry you have to go through it. Know that you are not alone. :hug:

[Connonym]

7. you know that's really a very good idea

some sort of support group is needed. It's surreal how they act like we're the ones who are crazy.

[grace0418]

14. And they're so fucking sure they have all the answers.

As an agnostic, I'm perfectly willing to admit that I DON'T KNOW the answers, that things aren't so black and white. But these people just have to have rules for everything, and when confronted with the fact that their rules make no sense, or contradict one another, or are down-right un-Christian, they just sigh and accept everything as God's wil. :mad:

[skater314159]

19. I posited my thoughts on this

in another thread...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2878719&mesg_id=2882399

It pisses me off too... but na ja. There's just some people you can't teach shit.

[grace0418]

21. Excellent post.

Thanks for the link. :hi:

[skater314159]

18. Yeah... that would be very helpful

and healing.

As for "it's surreal how they act like we're the ones who are crazy", think of those nature shows you see on Animal Planet or Discovery Channel... it's an adaptive strategy. If you keep thinking they're the crazy one, you'll either get them help (and they HATE change!) or you'll leave (and they won't have anyone to beat up on to feel better about themself).

[grace0418]

12. I wish there weren't so many religious nuts out their, spewing

their bullshit all over everyone. So in a sense I wish I *were* alone in this, because I don't wish it on anyone. I'm sorry you have to experience it too. I love your idea of an Alanon meeting (but NO religion in it!). :hug:

[lightningandsnow]

13. That's idiotic.

Sorry you have to deal with such a crazy person. :hug:

[grace0418]

15. Thanks. The weird part is that they are perfectly lovely people when you

are with them. Except for a few notable instances, they are loving and kind and generous and love to be around us and their grandkids. If you can ignore all the freaky religious crap all over the house, that is.

It's when they get access to email it all goes to shit.

:hug: back atcha. I know you were one of the people dealing with parents not being nice. You don't deserve that. :(

[redqueen]

17. "pray always that you do not be tempted"

:banghead:

What is the big problem with grammar? WHAT?

[grace0418]

20. Well, to be fair, English is his second language and he speaks it far better

than I speak Tagalog but still...

His emails are difficult to read even without the grammatical issues.

[redqueen]

22. Ah, well that's okay then.

Stuff like that just jumps out at me, and makes me want to cry.

[grace0418]

23. Me too. The whole thing made me want to cry.

I hear that some people have normal parents with whom they have a warm and loving and honest and mature relationship. My husband and I are not those people.