My darling said that very thing to me as I pondered an issue we’re having at work. In case I hadn’t made myself too clear, I’m a Pagan. I’m pretty tolerant of other folks’ beliefs, and can ignore most comments. Faith isn’t talked about much at work, but I’m open enough that they know where I stand on the issue. I listen to them, they listen to me, it is a fair deal for all, and we DO NOT DO THIS IN FRONT OF THE STUDENTS. Just so you know.
But this morning at work, a mother came completely unhinged at the mention of pumpkins and celebrating the harvest.
Un-freaking-hinged.
She yelled at the teacher, saying Halloween is evil and she will not have her child involved in any such thing. The teacher repeated several times that it wasn’t Halloween anything, it was harvest and we’re going to be learning about it with art projects (no pumpkins will be carved during said lessons, but we might cook one).
The mother continued her tirade saying (more than once) that she doesn’t want anyone else’s religion stuffed down her throat or her child’s throat. When it was all over, she left the room saying, “god bless you.”
I rolled my dexterity for both hands and sent my magic daggers of +2 damage… Oh, hush. I can dream, can’t I?
Anyway, thanks, but no thanks on the blessing thing. The last thing I want is the blessing of her intolerant, exclusionary, jackass of a deity hanging over my head like a dung-filled balloon.
Tomorrow I’m going to wear my Pentacle earrings. If she says “god bless you” to me, I will politely refuse, telling her I find her blessing to be offensive. While she may mean it with sincerity, I don’t need anything from her closed, hard heart.
“Mind your words, dear,” my darling said softly, “they do come back to you three fold.” So…ok; I’ll skip the “I find your blessing to be offensive” part and just say, “No thanks.”
I wonder if she’ll get it…
I love Tam. I mean, I love you, but how wonderful it is for you to have such a gentle voice of reason hanging around. I'm so happy for you, my friend.
ReplyDeleteWow, some people are to tense with that sort of thing!
ReplyDeleteI vote for wearing the earrings!!
Those are wise words from your darling, but can I also put in a vote for +2 daggers doing an extra 1d6+3 v Intolerance?
ReplyDeleteIf she says "God Bless You" you could reply in two ways:
ReplyDelete#1. "Thank you, but I didn't sneeze" or
#2. "And may The Goddess bless you"
I love this post so much.
ReplyDeleteShe needs to chillax. A friend of mine works in child care and encountered a similar situation last week. Every year for the last ten years they have had a Hallowe'en Parade for the kids. The kids love it because they get all dressed up and eat silly foods and stuff. Anyway, a new parent has decided it's a no-no and offensive to her religion and doesn't want the parade to go ahead. I was really surprised because in the inner city of Sydney you don't hear a lot of people going on about religion. So one uptight person is going to ruin things for everyone. I can't believe the way people act sometimes. I admire your restraint. Make sure you polish those earrings!
ReplyDelete