My first real challenge

[Rockthatpiano06]

She is 18 Anto Kennedy, so your argument is invalid. She shouldn't be made to go to church, it's insulting to her if she doesn't believe in any of it. I mean, nobody is forcing you to go to meetings of an atheist organization, that would be just as insulting. It isn't about making some statement it's about being respected. If her family is going to breakdown over her not going to church then it's obvious the family had some problems to begin with, wouldn't you say? And how can you say a teenager couldn't buy a computer or a car? Teenagers have jobs, I did, and it is possible to buy your own things- trust me my parents didn't.

[Demonaura]

Auto's arguments are invalid because he is assuming I'm a jerkoff devil-worshipper same as her parents. Even in lines where I was quite clear ie. "even up until recently she was not allowed to so much as speak with a non-christian." He still chose to inject his own perception. So no, I didn't exaggurate, in all honesty her parents assumed we were christian at first.

He also assumes I was flat out lying about her money. I don't know what sort of area you live in but almost all of my friends have had the cash to buy a car. Most of us chose to spend it on university instead and use cheaper alternatives.


Either way I'm done responding to you Auto, if you choose to respond to this know you are wasting your time. You have decided who you think I am and no effort on my part could try to explain reality to you. You go on believing that taking your childs friends, social life, posessions or job away because "you don't need anything but god" isn't bad parenting.

But, if you will allow me one final statement. Any good parent should be willing to listen to critisisims about their parenting. I hope like hell that when I make my mistakes raising my children people will have the strength of character to approach me and explain why they feel I am making a mistake. Then I can listen and make the call based on what they have told me. You know why I want this? Because I give a shit about family, I will want to do the very best for them and I know that you need more than a sky daddy to get through life. Any parent that freaks out because their childs friends are concerned for their friends relationship with her parents IS a bad parent by any definition I've heard.

Broken up a family indeed, my whole argument with them from the start was that I believed they were building walls, lo! And behold! They put up a wall.

[Anto Kennedy]

You still sound like a spoiled rotten child with no respect for your nor your friends elders. A bad influence indeed. Enjoy your crusade against religion.

[fr0d0]

I think Anto's comments are quite level headed. That you take such offence is quite illuminationg I think. I expect better of you demonaura.

Put yourself in the opposite position. You are late middle aged with an 18 year old daughter who you've brought up to have sensible values such as your own. You enjoy the trappings of a community developed around your own belief system. Your daughter, unbeknown to you, has militant religious friends, one of which she is romantically involved with. On a visit to your house one day they attack you for your beliefs and nothing more. Of course you don't defend your belief stance and are happy to let your daughter go without a fight.

I think not.

No matter how correct the parents stance on letting their child be free to choose, no one could seriously blame them for reacting as they do. They're motivated by love.

[Anto Kennedy]

On a visit to your house one day they attack you for your beliefs and nothing more.

It wasn't the parent's house in which this incident took place, which is the only saving grace. Actually going into someone else's house and criticisizing(sp?) their parenting abilites is suicide (well it would be knowing the parents I know).

[Demonaura]

Fr0d0, I must assume that I have portrayed a bad image of what happened. While it does not surprise me that the only people who seem to see flaws in my action are the local theists I attribute that to people going with their team.

If you really want the full story the only reason all of us were together is because the mother is convinced that because we are not church goers we MUST be bad people and she wanted a chance to judge us all at once before the trip. This was no planned attack from our side, and in fact the only reason we brought it up, as I said in my original post was that I felt that forcing her to go every week, and taking away her social life when she said she did not want too was building walla between them. I probably sounded like I was christian, because all I said was that I felt it was getting between them.

I even stated more times than any of us could count, I meant no offense, I simply believed that people should be able to hear others thoughts, consider them. As I said earlier I hope that my friends have the balls to tell me when they think I could do something better. Instead they chose to make me the bad guy when I was, opposite to Anto's belief of me, trying to help. If thinking that a parent would care enough about their kid to listen to one word from their friends means I was attacks their beliefs then I need a bigger gun.

So good job guys, say what you want about me but, I recall spending the conversation trying my damnedest not to offend and to offer my honest opinion to help a friend. And if you feel that makes me the bad guy then I am glad that I do not count you among friends.


@Rockthatpiano, pretty much. Theres even more to it than that but, I think I've said way too much as it as. It's hard to try to tell the story without giving out personal information that isn't mine to give.

[Anto Kennedy]

If you really want the full story the only reason all of us were together is because the mother is convinced that because we are not church goers we MUST be bad people and she wanted a chance to judge us all at once before the trip.

That's what parents do, vet their friends before going alone into the woods. It's nothing to do with them being Christian, ALL parents do the same.

[Dotard]

Respect for your elders....

I refuse to repect religion nor those who hold such beliefs. Fuck 'em I say. If they want to be elder cry-babies because their daughter has an opinion that differs from their own, fuk 'em.

[Anto Kennedy]

Anger leads to hate and hate leads to the darkside, be careful dotty.

[Dotard]

No hate.

Read again, I didn't say "hate 'em". I said 'fuk 'em'. Big differance.