Dear Suse,

Well I'm back. I've spent a very pleasant afternoon visiting
my mum in an aged care facility - she's quite remarkable -
and very pleasant company. Mum has always been my biggest
booster. I take pleasure in telling her of my affection.
Will you look at my mum, I think. What a knockout. I've always
marvelled at her capability and the way she's organised her
life. But I digress.

Thank You for your Irish example. That's a shocker.

At least this would not have happened in the US -
even though the line
between government and religion is not always clearly drawn
but you can be sure that there - in some cases (particularly involving minors), the
state would interfere in the exercise of religious freedom.
There - Courts, have shown little
sympathy for sects that claim biblical authority to give
children a purely religious education, or deny them
vaccinations or medical treatment, or severely beat them.

It's interesting also that there is an implicit cultural
assumption that Americans should be religious - not
necessarily by attending church or synagogue, but at least
expressing a belief in God and in religious principles. I
read somewhere that
President Eisenhower once commented
that it did not matter
what rellgion a person believed in, as long as he or she
had one.

And yet, I wonder how many people would be able to name
more than half of the ten commandments. How many
people claiming to be Christians in this country could
also do it. How many people do you think would be able to even
name the four gospels that contain Jesus's message, and
how many would have an idea that it was Jesus who delivered
that central Christian statement, the Sermon on the Mount.

Suse, yes, I came upon that story on twitter.

Reminds of a quote I once read...something to the effect that Irish Catholicism has always terrified the Vatican.

Hi Foxy, I'm glad you had a great day with your mum, after a nasty brush with Constance!

Yes indeed Poirot, the Irish brand of Catholicism is something else!
When visiting friends and neighbours in my Irish husband's home town after we were first married, every single one of them asked me was I Catholic, and as we left each house they splashed us with holy water to keep us safe!

I was told all sorts of awful stories re IRA supportive priests, unmarried mothers being 'sent abroad' , and family members being forced into the religious life.

Even so, they were still a wonderfully fun people...and I married one!

This thread is beginning to sound like a Powerpuff Girls debriefing session : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP967rS9RfM

LOL

Dear Suse,

I grew up with having an Irish priest as a close
family friend. Father Kennedy, bless his heart.
He established our Parish Church in what was then
a small suburb of Sydney. He performed the marriage
ceremony at our wedding. Father was a regular guest
at our home - and the stories we'd hear about the
conditions in Ireland were also very worrying.

Eventually Father got moved to a much wealthier
suburb by the ocean and I remember spending
some very enjoyable summers there with the daughter
of Father's housekeper who was my age at the time.
Even though the wealthier suburb involved much less
work for him - father was never as happy there as he
was in the poorer Parish he had helped establish.
His parishiners missed him very much. I often think
of him, even today. He was a good man - and role model.
May he rest in peace.

SPQR....

And ya know what's even funnier.....more Lol-ful?

Not one of us is going to bother viewing your silly video!

(talk about puffery:)