In association with all the books recommended by Spirituality Stories.

12/6/98 I shared months ago with family and friends about my 12 year old stepson, Protestant, being taught to hate Mormons at his church and his shock and fear when he learned that his favorite oldest stepbrother's family is Mormon. We had an excellent family talk about not fearing or hating other religions.

Tara has become strict Catholic. She disowned me saying she disapproves vehemently of my allowing my 10 year old daughter to visit her brother's Mormon church. She assumed my son's family was trying to convert everybody. They are the least judgemental and have never forced their religion on someone else. She's adamant that I will never have the opportunity to "influence my children to change their religion."

"I want to put faith in something magic: a religion, an ideology, a "teacher", even a therapist...One of the gifts I don't use enough is discernment--otherwise known as "an automatic built-in shock-proof shit-detector"--Hemingway's line, not mine....." Peter

This is a traditional story from the Chippewa.

Coyote was walking along a lake and saw a flock of ducks, which put him in the mood for a good duck dinner. So he stuffed a bag full of grass and walked past the ducks, stepping lively and singing a catchy tune.

"Where are you going?" asked one of the ducks.

"I am going to a circle," replied Coyote.

"What's in the bag?" asked the duck.

"Songs that I am bringing to the circle," replied Coyote.

"Oh, please sing your songs for us," the ducks all said.

"I'm very busy"

"Please please please please ...."

"I'm running late ..."

"Please please please please...."

"Oh, alright. I'll sing a song for you, but I need your help. All of you stand in three lines. The fattest ones in the front, those in the middle who are neither fat nor thin, and the thin ones in back. All of you close your eyes and dance and sing as loud as you can. Don't anyone open your eyes or stop singing, because my songs are very powerful and if you do that you may go blind! Is everyone ready?"

"We are!" replied the ducks, and they fell into lines and began dancing and singing along with Coyote's tune. Coyote moved up and down the line, thumping the ducks on the head and stuffing them into his bag. The ducks were singing and dancing so hard that no one could hear the thumps or know what was happening.

This would have gone on till none were left, if not for one scraggly duck in the back who opened his eyes and saw what was going on. "Hey, he's going to get us all!" cried the scraggly one. At this, the other surviving ducks opened their eyes and made their getaway.

Coyote wasn't too upset; he already had a lot of ducks in his bag. He went home and ate good for a good while.

The ducks went home and mourned their dead, and gave thanks to The Great Duck that one of them had been wise enough to open his eyes, and that the rest of them had been wise enough to listen to the one who gave warning.

h. Emotional Blackmail

implying God, great causes, "the vast majority", your company, family or friend supports this idea. Propagandists make emotional references to our belief in God (and our distrust of the unbeliever), to freedom, to a strong economy, to "this great country of ours," to family life or family values, to "the vast majority" who support her ideas.

When you hear these emotional appeals, you better start thinking for yourself.

Remember: in war both sides usually think God is on their side.

Remember: 100 million Germans can be wrong.

Remember: freedom and wealth (while others are starving, uneducated and poor) may be sins, in spite of being in a "Christian" democracy.

Remember: millions have gone to war, but that doesn't make war right or inevitable.

When it is implied that your friends and/or family won't like you, unless you believe or act certain ways, that is emotional blackmail, not logical reasoning. Cults, religions and social cliques use this powerful method when they threaten excommunication, damnation, and rejection.

"We held hands in a circle and chanted. Just as we started the prayer (which is innocuously inter-faith and begins 'Grant, Oh God/dess/Spirit/Creator thy protection....) we were accosted by a pamphlet-waving christian fanatic, who attempted to drown out our prayer with shouts of 'God is the only way!' and 'You are sinners!'. I think he must have been a Jehovah's witness or something. We never did find out! We asked him who his God was, and he claimed that He was the Creator of the Universe, so we informed him politely that He was our God too and that we were ALL sinners, and we blessed him for his faith.(that shook him!)"

In association with all the books recommended by Spirituality Stories.

Spiritual Stories Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20