2,964 hours I won't get back....

[Ivy]

Earlier this week, I was thinking about how many hours I would have spent in (NI, "anti" cofc) church as a child. Let's just say from birth until age 19 to give it a little wiggle room, since I didn't just stop going upon reaching the age of majority. 3 x week x 52 x 19. The number I came up with for hours spent in c/c formal indoctrination during my formative years would have been 2,964.

That explains a lot of my issues.

[onward]

Even more hours if you throw in the Sunday schools and other indoctrination classes. But on the brighter side, consider all the hours enjoying the yummy Sunday potluck meals ... or not!

[B.H.]

Look at it like this. You have almost 3,000 hours of material you can use as a pool to create all kinds of jokes with.

I'm seriously thinking of emailing a bunch of non-institutional churches and telling them that I am a Muslim and had a question about their church. I heard from some of there former members, and wondered if it was true, if it would be sinful for you to donate a cardboard box if paid for out of the "treasury" to a poor homeless man so he would have some shelter. He could sleep in the cardboard box.

If they dodge the question I will bring up the Bible verse about being upfront and honest and tell them to answer directly, not fudge. And if and when they do say it would be wrong then I would reply that Islam and the Quran teaches that the Bible has been corrupted and this seems to prove it true. Only Satan would inspire a verse begrudging a homeless man a box.

[KLP]

And probably lots of Muslims would enjoy a cardboard box since poverty is real issue in many Muslim countries. Maybe have the box covered in the story of Jesus and the Gospel. Might be a good way to reach the Muslims and convert them to Jesus. This would be a hand up as well as a hand out. Of course smoking, dung fires, and open flame heat would be problematic. But if you think Muslims want cardboard houses then I who can deny your wish.

Basically, I am saying that people who live in a house of cardboard should not lob Molotov cocktails.

[faithfyl]

That's a lot of hours.

My sister still stresses out over trying to get to the required 3 services per week, I have to wonder what she thinks will happen to her if she misses one. It's hard to juggle this with having a life.

[agricola]

At least 3 hours every Sunday and an hour every Wednesday, plus VBS plus 'meetings', and your total seems low, actually -
figure about 5 hrs/week as an average (to account for VBS and meetings) and 52 weeks/year - 260 hours/year x 22 years (a bit more, but I slacked off drastically on the weekly hours by then) -

I come up with closer to 6000 hours.

[B.H.]

KLP,

The Krushchevkas were painted in fire retardant paint. The commies can throw all the Molotov cocktails at their housing they want and they won't burn all up.

And Muslims don't need any stinking cardboard boxes because if they don't live in a house they can live in a tent.

[Ivy]

At least 3 hours every Sunday and an hour every Wednesday, plus VBS plus 'meetings', and your total seems low, actually -
figure about 5 hrs/week as an average (to account for VBS and meetings) and 52 weeks/year - 260 hours/year x 22 years (a bit more, but I slacked off drastically on the weekly hours by then) -

I come up with closer to 6000 hours.

I tried to be really conservative and truthful in my estimate. Surely there were times I may have missed due to my parents having an "ox in the ditch". And there was that time when I was out of school (and I assume church, although I can't remember for certain) due to having mono. We were strongly encouraged to go if only slightly ill / noncontagious. And even if you might be slightly contagious, just sit a bit apart from the flock. That way you're able to punch your time card. That's why I added on the 19th year. I think you could be overestimating, Agri. However, the 6000 hours could help account for the informal indoctrination at home, family gatherings, pot lucks (off site), and childish imaginings about hell while falling asleep, etc. Not to mention any time spent involved in personal angst, psychotherapy, reading self help books about spiritual abuse, and browsing the ex-cofc support site. All of these hours should be counted toward the total.

[KLP]

KLP,

The Krushchevkas were painted in fire retardant paint. The commies can throw all the Molotov cocktails at their housing they want and they won't burn all up.

And Muslims don't need any stinking cardboard boxes because if they don't live in a house they can live in a tent.

Turn off your video tape of Lawrence of Arabia, the Muslim poverty exists in crowded cities where pitching a tent is nigh impossible.

[katisha]

I figure the entire 26 years I was in there as time I will never be able to recoup. Between actual worship services, the "good works" we were expected to do, the socialization that was mandatory, and the limited amount of exposure to the outside world during that time, it was pretty much all there.

You know, the thing that surprised me the most when I left, and it shouldn't have because I was almost 19 when I joined, was that the rest of the world really doesn't give a rip about the CofC and it's petty little beliefs. Most people, at least here in the north, don't even recognize it. I stopped saying I used to be a member of the CofC a long time ago. I just tell people, when asked about my religious affiliation, that I am a recovering fundamentalist and leave it at that.