Other mysterious organizations

The Masons come to mind as one of the more secretive sects.  Also up there for me are the Christian Scientists and the Jehovah's Witnesses.  The Knights of Columbus, not so much.  With the exception of their secret initiation ceremony, the Knights are mainly a charitable and social organization.  One thing I do admire about the Catholic Church is its openness to any and all -- and I do mean all.  I have seen many beggars, drunks and down-and-outs in the churches I have attended; none have to be approved in advance for entry and none is ever turned away.  Seeing and interacting with these folks was a humbling experience and filled me with gratitude.

But a last word about the Mormons:  "I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is God's Kingdom on earth."  That's what a Mormon friend avowed in an objection to my earlier blog.  My question is, what about the rest of us?  Does that mean that if you're not a Mormon, you're sh-t out of luck when it comes to sitting at God's knee in heaven?  I think some people believe that heaven has compartments -- protestants to the left, Catholics to the right, Anglicans up the middle and Mormons presumably elevated to greater heights. 

(Note:  For other posts on Mormons and polygamy, see "Who are they kidding!!?", Nov. 3/10; "Beefy", Feb. 9/14; and "Child rape", June 25/22)  

And then there are those who practice Buddhism, Shintoism and Judaism; or the Janes, the Muslims, the Hindus, the Baptists, the Episcopalians, plus all the other odds and sods of faith -- like the United Church, the Methodists, the Lutherans, the Presbyterians....and on and on.  Where do these poor souls figure?  The whole notion is kind'a silly.  I mean, practice your faith and God will love you; you don't have to be a Mormon.

But back to the Masons.  I remember a very austere photo of my great-uncle Charles Lord that hung in reverence in my grandmother's home.  He was decked out in all his regalia, looking very important and grand, but when he visited, he was just jolly, old Uncle Charlie.  The Masons were never discussed in polite company.  I remember being seated beside a slightly over-refreshed guest at a large dinner, who happened to be a Mason.  I started peppering him with questions, which he enthusiastically answered.  Until his wife shut him up.  A few secrets were starting to emerge.  

Research tells me that the Masons have a book of scripture open in every working lodge, that every member must profess belief in a Supreme Being, that any discussion of religion and politics is banned and that no women be admitted.  Now I know where my Mother's tenet originated, i.e., that there were four taboo subjects in respectable company:  Religion, politics, sex and money.  Conversations had to avoid these at all costs, hence one grew up expert in the fine art of conversation.

The very name of Christian Science baffles me?  I mean, how can you combine the words "Christian" and "science"?  They are complete opposites.  Basically, this religion adheres to the principle of, "Do unto others what you would have them do unto you."  Pretty straightforward and in line with other Christian religions.

As for the Jehovah's Witnesses, they are very odd.  For instance, they do not celebrate Christmas, Easter, birthdays and all other feasts they consider pagan.  Like the Mormons, they are governed by a chosen body of senior, more learned Jehovah Witness out of Warwick, New York.  All men.  They also consider their doctrine to be "The only truth."

A good friend of B's was disowned by his family because he left the sect.  When he begged his mother to at least have a coffee with him a few years later, she refused, saying she could not be seen with him.  She died without their reconciliation.  That hurts.

Another question I have about Muslim girls and women is why do they have to be covered -- in some cases from head to toe?  This is mandatory when they begin menstruation.  Why is that?  How can this be a religious tenet if it just so happens to begin when they become fertile?  Is it because any sight of skin or hair would compel a man to want to have sex with them?  Rhetorical.

When I was teaching at Algonquin College after I retired, I took note of the incongruity of the girls who wore the hijab out of "modesty", yet were covered in alluring makeup, painted nails and high heels.  Didn't compute in the least.  Oh, and by the way, they had separate washrooms we non-Muslims could not use, I guess in case our contaminated pee mingled with their pure variety, but they were free to use ours.  Hey, it all drains into the same communal sewer pipes!  All a bunch of voodoo and nonsense.

And then there is the "Church" of Scientology.  I'll have to get more into that too, but it's definitely a cult and all about money.  How Tom Cruise and John Travolta can be so involved  mystifies me?!  This "church" has only about 25,000 members world-wide, but billions in assets around the world.  The late L. Ron Hubbard invented "Dianetics", which is basically a mind-f-ck exercise, where you delve into your unconscious mind and "uncover" all the lies and sh-t you have done over your entire life -- going back to the cradle.  Yeah, whatever.  Like the Mormons, they own a ton of real estate.  Gee, wonder why?  Could it be about money?  Rhetorical. 

So, that's my amateur take on a few less mainstream religions.  I took Religion 101 at Carleton University and thanks to that course, learned that there are many different ways to skin the faith cat.  Obviously, some people don't agree.  

(p.s. This was the class in which I was enthralled by a guest lecturer:  The brilliant Northrup Fry.  Just re-posted this blog, "When the light went on," April 13/12, below)   

  

   

No interest in a cruise to Panama

But I would love to go on 'The Globe and Mail's' Panama cruise only because one of my idols, Cathal Kelly, will be on it.  Maybe just being in his presence would be enough for a little of his writing talent to rub off on my own meagre efforts.

I have been a dedicated fan since happening upon him during a morning perusal of the Globe a few years ago.  Kelly is a sports writer, but not really.  His take on sports always involves a unique angle and usually bleeds into other facets of life, written in the most lovely and beguiling way.  Oh to have just a little of his talent!  

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Anyway, what I really wanted to write about today are my years as a eucharistic minister at Our Lady of Fatima -- a fluke job that found me, not I it.  One morning at Mass at St. Brigid's in Ottawa, where we lived at the time, I was sitting with my kids and stepkids (B was out-of-town), minding my own business, when the venerable Sister Eleanor Hennessy quietly snuck up, tapped me on the shoulder and asked me to step up and give out the host.  I was shocked.  Me?!  "Yes, yes, just go ahead up," she instructed.  Since one never said "No" to Sister Eleanor, up I went on the altar.

I fumbled away, but managed not to drop any hosts and got through it.  After that, I was a regular Eucharist Minister and, sinner that I was -- and am -- felt it had to be right because I hadn't chosen the role; it had me via Eleanor's gentle hand.  When we moved to Britannia, I learned Eleanor had quietly called Father Martineau and pegged B and I to continue our roles at our new parish, Our Lady of Fatima.  Thus it unfolded that not only was I a minister, but I also inherited the role of coordinator and scheduler of eucharistic ministers.

As I have said, it was bizarre, but became more so when Father Martineau asked me to serve on the parish council.  I said yes, but as a result of one missed meeting I learned that he had made me chair-in- absentia.  "I couldn't bear to sit there during those meetings with someone who didn't know how to chair," he confessed, "So I nominated you.  You are now the chair."

Gee, thanks a lot!

Things progressed at Fatima and another task found me:  Bringing the eucharist to hospital patients.  I did this for several years every Sunday morning -- often seeing 30 patients a visit.  I found I had a talent for this mission because I could visit a very sick, or dying, patient, connect immediately and emotionally with them -- often to the point of crying -- and yet leave the room and take nothing home with me.  Sometimes I would see the patient's death notice the next day, but it never lingered with me.  That's why I could do it so easily for so long.

Strange things happened at the Civic.  One day, the list I had been given didn't have the name of a patient I had been seeing regularly.  As I left the ward, something made me turn back.  "Where is Ann?" I asked at the desk.  "Oh, she had been sent home, but came back yesterday because she is so ill," the nurse told me.  So, I went back to see Ann and give her the host.  She died that night. 

Why did I go back and ask about her?  You be the judge.

When we moved to Calgary, I did not continue this work and I don't really know why?  Perhaps because the pastor at the parish we joined was not a very friendly man.  Now, I no longer go to Mass; my spirituality lies within.

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Now a word about Mormonism.  I have been watching some very disturbing YouTube videos about this religion.  Made by people who have left the church, they paint a picture of rules and rigid regulations, do's and don't's and shunning.  Homosexuality is especially frowned upon and tithing is mandatory.  Apparently, the Mormon church has $100 billion salted away from tithing -- much of what is tithed in Canada ends up in the US and at Brigham Young University; very little is donated to charities here -- or anywhere, for that matter.  

In a way, many of the rules and obligations are not unlike those of the Catholic church of a few decades ago -- such as women not working outside the home, marrying very young and having as many kids as they can in short order.  Still, as the sister of a gay man who committed suicide, I was struck by the high suicide rates among gay -- or "gender dysphoria" -- members.  

According to the videos I watched, Mormons preach love, but within their rules.  The largest, single land owners in the entire US, "Mormonism professes to be a religion, dabbling in business, but it's actually business dabbling in religion," said one man who left the church.  

I also watched a couple on Scientology and both religions are secretive, rules-based and focused on huge wealth.  Unlike the Catholic church, whose doors are open to anyone anytime, you can't just walk into a Mormon or Scientology church.  Their doors are barred. 

So, if you're interested in learning more about these sects, faiths, religions or cults, watch a few videos.  "Why we left the Mormon church:  A coming out story" is good because it features a young man, his wife and their three kids who have stayed together -- even though he has come out.  They could not, however, remain in the Mormon church and his family has shunned them.  Fascinating.

Note:  I have a couple of Mormon friends who I don't think will like this blog.  Doesn't seem to be a lot of objectivity in their thinking.

Epilogue:  As predicted one of my Mormon "friends" has gone postal about this blog, thus proving my point about practicing Mormons not being objective.  He has even demanded an apology, which is to laugh.  As if I would apologize for my blog?!  My blog is my opinion -- but always supported by facts.  I have done the research and I have the numbers.  Giving a several hundred million to charity does not jive with the $100 billion the church has in its coffers.  Frankly, it does not qualify them as a non-profit organization, according to reports I have read by forensic accountants.  But good money people have handled that wrinkle with the money within the church.  

I am sorry this person -- with whom I used to enjoy swimming and chatting -- has revealed himself.  When people comment on the Catholic church, I don't take it personally and demand an apology.  I don't run that organization.  But it seems Mormons take everything personally -- regardless of their high-minded intentions and works.

Ah well, as Lord Acton said, in the long run we'll all be dead.  And I know I will be reunited forever with my family -- even though I am not a Mormon, not perfect and definitely not "sweet".   

Stupidity

That's what Trudeau feeds on, our own stupidity.  The cynicism was breathtaking.  There was Trudeau, fake-caring about the victims of a mass shooting on the James Smith Cree Reservation, where a local native ran amok, killed 11 people and wounded 18 in a mass stabbing for no reason that anyone can articulate.  Oh, wait, ya, drugs and alcohol.

I was almost sick watching coverage of the visit.  There he was, visiting all the graves, kneeling, offering tobacco and blessing himself.  What a sacrilege!  Naturally, he pledged MONEY -- LOTS OF IT:

• $42.5 million for a "healing" centre
• $4.5 million for mental health and addictions treatment, and
• $20 million for violence against women and girls.

OMG!  When will it stop??!!  Where is the money coming from??!!  Our grandchildren and great-grandchild will be paying for this FOREVER.  It is to weep.  There are only 4,312 people living there!  That's a lot of money per resident -- on top of what we already give them!  

So sickening.  And let's not forget what the RCMP stats tell about us who is killing women and girls:  Their own kith and kin.  So, why do we need another $20 million to figure out what is available at the touch of a keystroke on any computer??!!  This image of Trudeau defacing the Catholic religion by blessing himself over a grave nearly made me scream:

So sickening.

  

"We don't have a clue what we're doing"

That's what a chiropractor I went to until a few years ago actually said to me one day while treating and charging me.  I should have clued in then, but it has taken me 30-odd years to finally get it:  Chiropractors are useless.

I have finally switched to a physiotherapist.

My back has been in spasm for the past few weeks and I have gone to three different chiropractors here in Cochrane.  They crack it back, but never get to the underlying problem, so out it pops again.  This has gone on for 30 years.  Ten years ago, I ripped an upper arm muscle trying to show off my speed in the Crowfoot Y Pool.  I have since learned that when you tear a muscle, it never heals back normally, which has meant I have been dealing with flareups since.

The physiotherapist I am now going to said, "These guys can straighten your back out, but they never get to the underlying problem."  He then proceeded to explain what mine was.  I have no idea what he said, but whatever it is and whatever he's doing, it's starting to work.  I have to do my part, so I contort myself all over the house, bending this way and that, rubbing a tennis ball between my bum and the wall and a few other bizarre moves he tells me I need to do because, "Your muscles are screaming and they're very angry at the moment."

I'll vouch for that!

_________________________________

A big shout out to my son-in-law, who arrived this morning to put up our outdoor lights.  What took him 20 minutes would have taken me two days.  It's wonderful to have him around the corner because he helps us with everything we used to be able to do, but no longer can.  

Getting into the Christmas Spirit!

You knew it was going to happen

Yep, the federal government has decided to make the "Truth" and Reconciliation Commission permanent.   It'll be funded FOREVER, it will have offices and it will just keep burrowing into the dregs of the past and will never, never stop.  When you keep picking at a scab, it never heals.  Neither will this.

And just to ensure it doesn't, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM), has installed the always-hysterical Cindy Blackstock as inaugural chancellor.  Blackstock, a professor of social work (what else?) at McGill and the executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society (by means of which she secured a $40 billion settlement for native children in care -- don't dare ask why they had to be taken into care) began her tenure with this forward-looking vow:

"We're going to be looking at the impact of colonialism on health care."  Well, if that isn't a promise to keep digging backwards in time picking at scabs, I don't know what is?  Please Cindy, try and move forward once in a while!  Both she and warrior-in-arms Tanya Talaga want to ensure northern communities have the same number of doctors and health care workers per capita as any other community.  I guess someone forgot to tell them that in Canada, doctors are free to practice wherever they want.  I mean, who'd want to go to a remote, deprived, barren reservation instead of a nice, modern hospital in a city in which they can live well?      

Why can't natives move on?  Why can't they make any progress?  Why can't they support themselves?  How long will they keep gnawing on 100-year-old bones to no avail?  

FOREVER.  Because it means MONEY.

And speaking of things that will never end, the war between Russia and Ukraine is another such interminable mess.  I used to sympathize with Zelensky, but I don't now.  His personal vendetta is leading the rest of the world into nuclear chaos and grave danger.  He has to sit down with Putin and talk -- even though we know Putin will win and will take Ukraine.  But Zelensky doesn't give a toss and the rest of the world is just sitting around doing nothing.  Hitler anyone?  World War III anyone?

________________________

Watching snippets now and then by accident of the ludicrous inquiry into the emergencies act, I happened upon the ghastly Freeland.  Her rude, dismissive and condescending "answers" to the female lawyers questioning her is appalling.  Her sense of righteousness and never-wrongness is jarring.  The woman doesn't have the brains to have a second thought about anything on any position she holds.  And could she look any more disheveled?  A bag lady comes to mind -- and that's an insult to your average, respectable bag lady:  

More shots of our finance minister and "esteemed" deputy minister:

How can a minister of The Crown comport herself like this?  No wonder Canada is a laughing stock on the world stage.

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A night out at the local hotel here in Cochrane exposed me to this:

All I can say is, I better keep swimming.

       

 

Pretty shitty show

Tuned into the Grey Cup half time show and it was pretty shitty.  Who were the those guys?  No clue?  Were they American?  That was dumb.  Anyway, not really watching the game, but wanted to put out a few comments on other bees in my bonnet.

One of my favorite shows is 'Airplane Repo'.  Love those macho guys who steal planes!  One of them, Mike Kennedy, proves that you don't have to be handsome to be sexy.  With his pock-marked face and stringy hair, Mike proves the Charles Bronson theory that sex appeal has nothing to do with looks.  The other repo men are Kevin Lacey, Ken Cage and Danny Thompson and they all have more nuts than anyone I know.  They also make $ thousands for each repo, but they earn every cent.  In case you haven't seen it, tune in.  

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Watching the ridiculous inquiry on the legality of the invocation of the emergencies act all I can say is, who cares?!  Living in Alberta, no one I know.  It's such an "Ottawa bubble" fiasco, with everyone blaming everyone else and you just know when the report comes out in February -- a year after the whole mess fizzled -- no one will know anything, be accountable or give two sh-ts about the "conclusions".  Cute trick that Trudeau and the ministers, who will testify at the very end, have been allotted the equivalent of about 10 minutes to answer questions.  Talk about scott free!

I wrote a carefully-worded letter to 'The Calgary Herald' pointing the finger at one of the biggest culprits -- literally and figuratively:  Brenda Lucki.  She continues to disgrace herself and the once-revered RCMP by her inaction, incompetence and torpor in the face of crisis.  Here's the letter:

I had to word it very carefully, with a lot of "may have's" and "?'s" so they would publish it, but if you read between the lines, you know I am blaming her incompetence.  (I have also blogged about another fiasco, Peter Sloly -- sadly, another affirmative action disaster.)  

And speaking of affirmative action, the clerk of the Privy Council Office, Janice Charette, and her flunky testified last week at the "inquiry".  I was appalled!  I remember the days when clerks were experienced, astute and able; now they are token appointments.  Jean-Luc Pépin once said that public servants must be political, but not partisan.  He was dead-on, but that's all poofed.  Now senior bureaucrats are all partisan, as Charette demonstrates in her role as clerk.  

She said that the act could be invoked, but that a legal challenge would ensue.  Whaaaat??!  Obviously, she knew the threshold hadn't been met, but advised Trudeau to invoke away with gay abandon.  She should not have knowingly given him that advice, but having been fired as clerk by Trudeau in the past, I guess she wanted to keep her job.  

Googled Charette and her background for the job leaves a lot to be desired; her gender, however, doesn't.  A graduate of Carleton (OK, me too), she has been a policy advisor in some form or another her entire career in the public service; never run a chip stand.  Someone needs to tell "policy" advisors that all that stuff is dreamt up by the kids-in-the-hall gang in the PMO.  And, as I said, it's all purely political; nothing to do with anything that will help Canadians.  She is also a dyed blonde and you know my opinion on that file.  Here she is:

B's boss, when he was at PCO, the venerable Gordon Robertson, is turning over in his grave.  

Once again, affirmative action fails and tars all of us who share the gender.  Fifty years of work by many of us on the feminism file and nothing's changed.  Sigh.

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Guess the Greens have a death wish.  They've elected Elizabeth May as leader.  Again!  She is another unmitigated disaster who will ensure the Greens never see power -- thank God.  Frankly, what is the point of that feckless and ineffectual party?!  There are so many disgraces to our gender I have lost count.  Here is the hapless May again blabbing incoherently into the void.  Over-refreshed anyone?

More sighs......

   

     

   

Two

I've had two 'I Remember' columns published in 'The Globe and Mail' in just a couple of months.  I am quite pleased about that because it's not easy to get into that publication.  Here I proudly offer my contributions:

I don't know anyone else who's had even one.  I also wonder about the people I've worked with over the years -- especially at the Canada Revenue Agency, where I was not the most popular with other women, for some reason -- think?  A couple of female bosses spent their entire careers in CRA, the big moments coming when they finally made it out of a TC counter or TSO clerking to HQs.  On the other hand, I was lucky and my talent allowed me a varied career in both the private and public sectors; it was my writing skill that always gave me the edge.

 

(Note:  I remember one appraisal I got from M J-K, which I am sure she regretted having written, after digesting my "comments".  They ran for two articulate pages and were essentially a truthful, but damning, appraisal of her incompetence.  All but one of my managers couldn't have been bothered to read my CV.  The one who did, SW, nosily only quizzed me on my personal life and why I had been "Nancy Russell" for early jobs and "Nancy Marley-Clarke" for later positions.  She didn't give a toss about my experience.  I've listed my career path in "They used to all be hippies", Oct. 26/22) 

I especially loved working with Blanche van Ginkel because, as I write above, she was a pioneer feminist.  B sent the articles to his daughter (my stepdaughter, who I raised, by the way) and she couldn't bring herself to congratulate me -- couldn't even thank him for sending them along.  That's real dedication to envy!  I have no clue what happened to her, but we are completely estranged.  Her choice.  She's gone to the dark side.