Hundreds have taken a long path to [Catholic] church (Converts -- Rite of Election)

Catholic Sentinel ^ | February 2008 | Ed Langlois

[Mr. Lucky]

The Hindu religion is millenia older than Christianity. God must really like them best, eh?

[Dionysius]

Hindus do not worship the God of Christianity (neither do the Druids, the Buddhists, the Taoists, the Wiccans nor the Earth, Wind and Fire Cults.)

[Mad Dawg]

Yeah about difference between the south and everywhere else. I'm a Yankee (but I try to hide it) from Long Island, and it was in Mississippi that I learned to schmooze (as we Yankees say). Honestly being in the South was so good for me! I learned that there wasn't any business so urgent that it couldn't wait while we asked after one another's parents and so forth.

Mind you, my first few months in Mississippi I was interrupting people all the time. I thought they were done talking, but they were just enjoying the moment.

Even Episcopalians in Mississippi greeted strangers! Folks up North just hardly know how to do that.

So how are your parents, anyway? Are they still living? Doing okay?

[Mad Dawg]

Aw Jeesh. You gotta stick with the terms of the argument.

Yeah Hinduism and the Buddha Dharmahave been around for a LONG time.

Can you id their person who is analagous to the Pope? Their Vatican, curia, their organizational structure?

There have been Popes, for better and for worse, for a mighty long time and expect for a few interruptions people knew their Post Office.

In othere words, the argument, such as it is, was about the identifiable organization, not about a loose grouping of peolpe who shared some beliefs.

[Appleby]

Mama and Daddy are flourishing, thank you — Daddy is 87 and Mama is 80. Last summer we moved them back up North so we could look after them; yesterday Sis took them to change their car registration and driving licenses and found that they both have motorcycle licenses! When asked if they would like to keep them, Daddy quipped *better change that to wheelchair licenses!*

I worked with the Union Mission in Atlanta and the head of the branch where I worked was from New York City. She said that at first it frightened her when strangers spoke to her and she would tell her son not to speak to people he did not know. That is why I think this is a cultural thing among the Canadians. Add to that the fact that this is a country balkanized into various refugee camps where no one speaks English unless forced to do so, and it is very hard for newcomers who have no Camp (or want none) to integrate.

One would always hope that a church would be different. Unfortunately, this is not the case at least as I begin my 11th year here.