Posted by InsomniaMom on June 7, 2002, at 15:06:03
In reply to Giving up on one, trying another, posted by wendy b. on May 27, 2002, at 20:21:24
When my last therapist learned that I was not Catholic, she was surprised because I have so much trouble with guilt. My mother was raised in a small southern town in a strict Church of Christ family. One of her brothers is convinced we are all going to hell because she raised us in other protestant churches: Presbyterian, Methodist and the oh so wild Baptist church!
One of my earliest memories is of a recurring nightmare I had as a child in which my mother told me if I was not in bed asleep by midnight that the devil would come and get me. I asked how I would know him and she said he drove a pickup truck. (Don't know where that came from...we were living in suburban California then). Well, sure enough (even an insomniac back then, I guess) in my dream the clock struck midnight and I heard the truck pull up. My point of view (being very small) was of the doorknob, my mother's hand and the devil's hand. I'll never forget that image of my mother just handing me over to that red-clawed hand when the door opened and me screaming and crying for her not to let him take me. In subsequent dreams I sometimes saw a screaming, red devil's face that would always wake me up in a panic.
Well, this may be getting too long to include my answer to the original poster's question. But I'm guessing it's probably obvious I have some pretty troubled thoughts about organized religion (not to mention co-dependency issues with my mother). My husband (another Dr. Bob!)was raised Baptist and is now atheist. We did raise our daughter with Judeo-Christian values and celebrate Christmas, but it is more as a family holiday than a religious one.
We are both interested in relgious history and he has been relaying some interesting information from some Joseph Campbell lectures he's been listening to. I have always been in search of something more spiritual and do feel a nice connection with a supreme "energy" when I take the time to meditate or do yoga, but with my concentration levels of late there's not much of that happening. I am intested in learning more about the Ba'hai faith (a pdoc actually suggested it for me)and Unitarianism.
I was very impressed with what most people posted here and happy that some of my sentiments were stated more eloquently than I could state them.
Peace to you all.
poster:InsomniaMom
thread:2
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20020527/msgs/106.html