Hi Lola,

Yea at lest once a year I meet the opposite of the Christian tenant of unconditional love and respect. If I am lucky it's only once a year. It's always in the street in public, it's always noisy and potentially violent as its necessary aggressive. I am always a sinner and dammed to hell.....It's quite intimidating, first time since I had the child with me rocked me to the core just trying to make sure he would be ok and not even scared by the carry on. Regardless of the so called "unconditionally loving" people filled to brim with hate spilling all over the streets and everyone in its wake. This is the more vocal of the fundamentalist opinions. The subtler less scary and a bit more civilised but strange nevertheless. We get patronised to death....the constant attempts at brainwashing....the quieter but still adamant attitude of damnation of the soul...Not as obviously harmful but not necessarily loving or respectful either, as it's based in the belief that I am fundamentally wrong and dammed. It's a one way conversion them necessarily trying to change me. I am fine and don't need or want changed in some respects. The necessary’s I will do in time as part of my evolutionary learning.

If you’re from the UK then you know the craic over here and what’s going on at the minuet.

L is at pre-school he's only coming up to 3. I originally enrolled him at an integrated school but their wasn’t a place for him. He's at a Catholic pre-school at the minuet, I wouldn’t want to split him from his buddies but I would, depending if I could get a better education on all levels for him. The 1 draw back of integrated school is there is not a clear religious direction of any kind and the practical education can be patchy. Yet they are full to the point you can't get a child a place on occasions, perhaps reflecting the changing times in NI

I had been brought up catholic myself, I had a big trouble accepting the creed. In terms of the "one true god" it kind of leaves out half his non catholic relatives and the rest of the non-Christian society. Hence he's as yet not christened into any church.....

I consider going catholic or protestant depending wear the child will get the best deal. I don't reject Christ far from it and it's one of 3 religious icons I do have in my house.

I was in another relationship where the child was christened catholic but went to a protestant school, due to his mum's religion and no place at an integrated school........Yes lifestyle dos interfere with friendships within Christian backgrounds. It's hard to work out if it's just about religion and its influence or about society and how slowly things change.

My other friends with teenage children in the same practical situations mostly have their children, by their own choice turning away from religion completely because they couldn’t reconcile that their parents wear doomed to an eternity in hell....

Does that make it clearer or helpful for you? Before you answer?

Hope things have changed a lot within the religious schooling for all our children’s sakes

celtic_flame