I went on You Tube recently to search for something to give me some comfort: you can always switch to another video or turn down the sound if it turns out to be not-helpful.... I realize it's just everybody on there talking, but sometimes there is a video that offers various ways to look at situations and life, and helps you manage your feelings.
I listened to one video from a rather peppy priest -- a young man, wearing the collar, speaking energetically to the camera, and I thought it was OK at first, except then he got into some differentiation that he says God makes, and I just couldn't believe it -- I thought, My goodness! -- That's a pretty petty God you're believin' in there, my friend.
God may be many things, but I do not believe He is petty. The teachings I grew up with were all -- "God is love."
Of course, this priest is a Roman Catholic -- but I didn't think his ideas would be far from mine. I assumed they would be basically the same. If a minister or rabbi would have showed up first, I would have clicked on that video....I always think Jewish, Protestant, Catholic -- all the same God and same idea: be nice; don't kill people.
But his video teachings were far from my ideas -- getting all authoritarian on us -- no wonder Martin Luther put up the notice on the door about starting a different church. Vatican was getting too bossy.
This is the potential problem for any institution, any hierarchy, or bureaucracy. They get carried away with making rules for other people and -- the ultimate "drug" for narcissists, sociopaths, psychopaths, and the personality-disordered: control.
Suffice it to say, I did not find comfort from that you tube video.
I almost typed in a comment to tell the guy why he was wrong ("you might be that petty, but God isn't!") -- and just thinking about doing this did give me a little comfort -- but then I said, Do I want to spend my free time "arguing" with miscellaneous members of the clergy, over the Internet?
Instead, I traveled to Netflix to watch "Episodes." This is a situation comedy that was on Showtime 2011 to 2017, starring Matt LeBlanc (Joey on "Friends") as himself.
Funny; true; cynical; not for children.
In the show, Matt's phone has a very catchy ringtone: Google tells us it is a jazz piece titled, "Two Time" by Syd Dale.
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