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Post by scream on Nov 25, 2023 19:22:17 GMT
So, last week my electricity was shut off so an electrician could make repairs. He is a kind-hearted guy who helps people out all the time, especially people that can't afford an electrician or mechanic or whatever. He was going to replace my entire breaker panel, but didn't call the electric company for permission to pull the meter because he has never been officially licensed. He has rewired his own entire house, has been doing this kind of work for years, but times have changed. If a meter is pulled that isn't authorized by the power company, they send someone out to lock down your box and shut off power from the pole. Which is what they did.
I had stocked up on firewood for a few days, knowing it would take Mike two days to complete the installation, but the power company wouldn't turn the power back on until they cleared my account through Revenue Assurance. They weren't in any hurry to come out and inspect it, then wait 24 hours before they could turn it back on. Long story short, my power was out for FIVE DAYS, long enough for the temps to drop into the freezing zone, and my woodstove couldn't keep my house above 58F. Mike told me that all I could do was wait, because I was being "punished" by the power company for not following their rules. He said that he was praying for me.
I called another friend who brought me recharged batteries for my reciprocating saw so I could saw more firewood, and bring it in to burn. She even included some already cut wood to get things started. She brought regular batteries to put in my flashlights, so I wasn't completely alone in the dark. I live alone in a rural area, and I am 70 years old.
I called another friend who brought me a propane tank with a burner on top that would help heat the house. There was nothing I could do about the contents of my refrigerator; all the contents had spoiled.
I kept calling the electric company, telling them that I was cold and had only canned food and a woodstove. Finally, they arrived, inspected the new meter on the side of the house and turned the power back on.
When I texted to Mike that the power was back on, he texted, "Thank GOD, and I do mean GOD!" He knows I am an atheist, but I was supposed to thank a god that I don't believe in. I texted back that, though I respected his belief system and his right to have it, I thanked the POWER COMPANY WORKERS who actually showed up and restore the power, because I had continued to call the company. And the friends who brought fuel and battery power so I could keep the woodstove going.
What I wanted to say was, "Two hands working do more than a thousand clasped in prayer, " but since he had done so much work on the electrical box, I didn't want to be rude.
Any suggestions of how I can approach him - I consider him and his wife friends - to say, "I really don't want to hear about your religion and spiritual beliefs." I don't push my atheism on them, I just want them to shut up about theirs.
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Post by mikef6 on Nov 26, 2023 1:23:14 GMT
Reminds me of something Pope Francis said: "You pray for the hungry and then you feed them. That's how prayer works." And the motto of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) is "God's work. Our hands."
So, yeah, God didn't supernaturally turn your electricity back on. He didn't even give the electric company a nudge to get them out to your house earlier. It was you and your well-meaning amateur electrician who got it done.
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Post by Isapop on Nov 26, 2023 15:29:28 GMT
Any suggestions of how I can approach him - I consider him and his wife friends - to say, "I really don't want to hear about your religion and spiritual beliefs." I don't push my atheism on them, I just want them to shut up about theirs. I think that what you did say to him (about thanking the workers and friends) struck the right note. If you always respond along those lines whenever he brings up God, I think he'll eventually get the message, and you haven't been unfriendly about it. Keep one thing in mind about his ardent theism. Maybe it shaped him into becoming that kind-hearted guy who helps people out all the time (not that theism doesn't also have the opposite effect on others).
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Post by scream on Nov 26, 2023 16:13:41 GMT
Any suggestions of how I can approach him - I consider him and his wife friends - to say, "I really don't want to hear about your religion and spiritual beliefs." I don't push my atheism on them, I just want them to shut up about theirs. I think that what you did say to him (about thanking the workers and friends) struck the right note. If you always respond along those lines whenever he brings up God, I think he'll eventually get the message, and you haven't been unfriendly about it. Keep one thing in mind about his ardent theism. Maybe it shaped him into becoming that kind-hearted guy who helps people out all the time (not that theism doesn't also have the opposite effect on others). Oh, there is no doubt that his helping others is strongly linked to his faith, in fact, he mentions this to the people he helps. It isn't as bold as saying "I'm on a mission from God," but he lets recipients know about his reason for helping others. Psychologically, I think he grew up not having enough attention or external validation, and this is a way of getting positive feedback for himself. He's done good things, others know he's done good things, and God knows he has done good things. It is part of his need for a positive self esteem. I get it because I used to do the same thing, when I was young and was raised in the Christian community. I eventually did enough reading to see that this was what was termed, 'The Disease to Please.' Remove God from the equation and you have someone who needs others to notice them or need them, and they will bend over backwards to help someone, just to hear the words "Thank you, you really helped." I was taken advantage of so many times by people who knew how to manipulate me to put their needs ahead of my own, that I finally woke up to the concept of boundaries, and how I needed to take care of myself. I still do charitable things, but anonymously and privately. It's enough for me to know that I lessened the suffering of a sentient being, no one else needs to know. I volunteer with an animal rescue non-profit, and that organization has saved many animals' lives and improved their quality of life. I am a behind-the-scenes participant in all of this, and I am content with what I do. Thank you for your response.
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Post by scream on Nov 26, 2023 20:20:39 GMT
Reminds me of something Pope Francis said: "You pray for the hungry and then you feed them. That's how prayer works." And the motto of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) is "God's work. Our hands." So, yeah, God didn't supernaturally turn your electricity back on. He didn't even give the electric company a nudge to get them out to your house earlier. It was you and your well-meaning amateur electrician who got it done. Yes, it was. And it couldn't have been done without his skills. I have thanked him for that. But the prayer thing... As I said before, it was the actions of others who got it done. There was no "Let there be light" moment. It was the result of human actions, not a supernatural event. But he gave God the credit. I remember when I was being treated for cancer at the young age of 35. I heard so many other patients thank God for their remission. I thanked the oncologist, the surgeon, the chemo nurse, my therapist and the countless people who spend their lives making advances in medical science. My older relatives didn't have those advances, and most of them died of the same disease I had. It was a genetically linked cancer. Their families prayed, and watched them suffer and die. I am alive, 35 years later, because of science.
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Post by mikef6 on Nov 27, 2023 1:07:17 GMT
Reminds me of something Pope Francis said: "You pray for the hungry and then you feed them. That's how prayer works." And the motto of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) is "God's work. Our hands." So, yeah, God didn't supernaturally turn your electricity back on. He didn't even give the electric company a nudge to get them out to your house earlier. It was you and your well-meaning amateur electrician who got it done. Yes, it was. And it couldn't have been done without his skills. I have thanked him for that. But the prayer thing... As I said before, it was the actions of others who got it done. There was no "Let there be light" moment. It was the result of human actions, not a supernatural event. But he gave God the credit. I remember when I was being treated for cancer at the young age of 35. I heard so many other patients thank God for their remission. I thanked the oncologist, the surgeon, the chemo nurse, my therapist and the countless people who spend their lives making advances in medical science. My older relatives didn't have those advances, and most of them died of the same disease I had. It was a genetically linked cancer. Their families prayed, and watched them suffer and die. I am alive, 35 years later, because of science. May you live long and prosper.
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Post by scream on Nov 27, 2023 1:18:00 GMT
Yes, it was. And it couldn't have been done without his skills. I have thanked him for that. But the prayer thing... As I said before, it was the actions of others who got it done. There was no "Let there be light" moment. It was the result of human actions, not a supernatural event. But he gave God the credit. I remember when I was being treated for cancer at the young age of 35. I heard so many other patients thank God for their remission. I thanked the oncologist, the surgeon, the chemo nurse, my therapist and the countless people who spend their lives making advances in medical science. My older relatives didn't have those advances, and most of them died of the same disease I had. It was a genetically linked cancer. Their families prayed, and watched them suffer and die. I am alive, 35 years later, because of science. May you live long and prosper. Thank you, Mike. I always did like the Vulcan hand signal.
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Post by mikef6 on Nov 27, 2023 1:54:42 GMT
May you live long and prosper. Thank you, Mike. I always did like the Vulcan hand signal. Here is probably more trivia than you would ask for, but...the Vulcan hand signal as well as "Live long and prosper" was invented by the popular 1950s &'60s science fiction writer Theodore Sturgeon. They first appeared in the Sturgeon authored TOS S2 Ep1, "Amok Time." Sturgeon also came up with the Prime Directive in an unused script but the producers and writers took the idea and used it in their own scripts.
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Post by scream on Nov 27, 2023 4:33:38 GMT
Thank you, Mike. I always did like the Vulcan hand signal. Here is probably more trivia than you would ask for, but...the Vulcan hand signal as well as "Live long and prosper" was invented by the popular 1950s &'60s science fiction writer Theodore Sturgeon. They first appeared in the Sturgeon authored TOS S2 Ep1, "Amok Time." Sturgeon also came up with the Prime Directive in an unused script but the producers and writers took the idea and used it in their own scripts. Actually, I find that very interesting, the story behind the story. It is one reason I keep going back to old IMDb, for the trivia, the quotes and the connections! And the reviews, which is as close as we can get to discussing a movie or TV show. Thanks for sharing that!
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Post by PaulsLaugh on Nov 27, 2023 11:47:30 GMT
Sounds like you handled it right. Your friend seems like a nice guy and means well. Of course, it’s irritating when these folks think it was their prayers that convince God to act. Had God really wanted to help you, he would miraculously cause the power companies to charge nothing for their electricity.
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Post by scream on Nov 27, 2023 16:16:52 GMT
Sounds like you handled it right. Your friend seems like a nice guy and means well. Of course, it’s irritating when these folks think it was their prayers that convince God to act. Had God really wanted to help you, he would miraculously cause the power companies to charge nothing for their electricity. Exactly!
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Post by Isapop on Nov 27, 2023 17:01:59 GMT
Had God really wanted to help you, he would miraculously cause the power companies to charge nothing for their electricity. No, that is not God's way. Had God really wanted to help, he would have rained brimstone and fire upon their main office.
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Post by Catman on Nov 27, 2023 17:06:17 GMT
Had God really wanted to help you, he would miraculously cause the power companies to charge nothing for their electricity. No, that is not God's way. Had God really wanted to help, he would have rained brimstone and fire upon their main office. But he would have missed and hit the Baptist church two blocks away.
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Post by scream on Nov 27, 2023 23:57:56 GMT
No, that is not God's way. Had God really wanted to help, he would have rained brimstone and fire upon their main office. But he would have missed and hit the Baptist church two blocks away. "It's hard to believe in a just god when certain people aren't incinerated by lightening." I was raised Baptist. The church is still standing. Go figure.
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Post by Meseia on Dec 7, 2023 6:08:16 GMT
"God helps those that help themselves."
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