You have such interesting classes, Bruce. I'm envious and kinda starved for that kind of interaction. I can see plenty of thought-provoking stuff on televison (since it has captions) but I practically never get to have a follow-up conservation about it. You are soooo lucky.

I don't consider it to be so much luck as having different challenges to overcome than those you have had to face.  While my hearing is still intact, I have been exposed to much religious abuse (mostly involving severe guilt trips) in churches I have attended as a child and as an adult.  Now that I think of it, you have also experienced some of that it churches you were exposed to, so there goes my pathetic attempt to portray my victimization experience as separate but equal. 

Those experiences find their own level regardless of whose personal pain was involved. I don't consider myself "one-uped" by anyone mentioning their own experience. It all remains such a tragedy to me I get a sense that I'm a world-class emphathizer who couldn't possibly be "out-victimized".  I hate the word "victim". I've grown well beyond that phase of "detachment" from my religious life. I'm still terribly sentimental about it, though. Strange old atheist me, often sits alone, humming those dear, sweet hymns of happier days, recalling the marvelous honky-tonk stride piano style that was the mark of the Pentecostal Holiness experience. And through it all I'm haunted by the voices of my own family, gathered together at church or in our yard or out in the fields on a sweet summer evening, all of use singing "Precious Jesus, Hold My Hand" in three-part harmony and with gladness in our hearts.  I can hardly bear to think of it even as I write and remember it. I think I know what it's like to lose a limb.

I felt God's presence in the songs, but I can't say I did in many of the sermons.

Just wondering why you felt the need to delete my comment. An email explaining such would have been appreciated. 

I felt the need to delete your comment because it was judgmental and disrespectful instead of offered as constructive criticism. 

You're welcome to post the link to your movie preview again, and I won't delete that.  Furthermore, I don't insist on only compliments or positive feedback, but only ask that the delivery of any criticism is done tastefully, respectfully and that it is constructive criticism. 

The movie was good, as I mentioned in my blog, and I think more people should see it. 

That's not what you wrote in your original post. 

I was not judgmental or disrespectful at all; you deleted my comment and edited your original post. Shame on you.

What you said  ... "It was a pretty good flick, but a little too real, if you know what I mean".  And you didn't like my response to that. 

You are a liar.

"Just wondering why you felt the need to delete my comment. "

Bad Karma.

--virgil

"You are a liar."

you gotta get a life .

Go have a drink without the computer in  front of you, or something like that.

--virgil

I didn't edit my post.  It still says that.  Even the guest speaker offered a similar commentary on the movie, saying that it may have presented the issue in a somewhat exaggerated manner.  My comment was about a movie.  It was not personal.  Your comment was experienced by me as a personal attack.  

 "Your comment was experienced by me as a personal attack. "

She chose  to take your comment as a personal attack.

--virgil

Maybe there was a reason for that, if that's the case.  I'm not aware of what reason that might be, I could only speculate.  

  "Maybe there was a reason for that,"

Besides neurosis,  It's hard to say. .

Otherwise, I'm sure she's a great person !

--virgil

Yes, I'm sure she is a great person.