Before diving into this post, RantWoman encourages readers to consider this link.
Original 2010 post entitled All Sex Offenders all the Time
RantWoman really, really, really has had a much nicer holiday than what follows might indicate. However, RantWoman has decided she needs a device to introduce something from her Meeting life and the RantWoman spiritual compost heap to her blog:The Safest Sex Offender on the Planet has requested that he be permitted much broader participation in Meeting life than he currently is allowed. He wants to go to Adult Education and Business Meeting. RantWoman is going to write separately of views, resources, twitches, a threshing session, and other work. Here, RantWoman is simply going to weigh in on sex offenders, survivors, and past holiday experience.
Praying for a priest who turned out to be hard to pray for
Once upon a time RantWoman and Ferrener Husband were visiting Husband's homeland over the Christmas season. We flew into one city, spent a couple days getting our bearings, flew onto Husband's hometown, and later flew back to the first city. We stayed with a lovely gay couple who sent RantWoman an electronic greeting recently, one reason they figure in holiday thoughts, along with a buddy of theirs, Father Sergei.
The other reason was one of those soulful, alcohol-filled evenings full of discussions of faith and religion, from many angles. RantWoman learned what the Soviet Encyclopedia of Religion thought of Quakers: basically muddle-headed leftists. RantWoman learned of local interest in some sort of miracle-working icon. RantWoman endured glowers from all sides when conversation turned unexpectedly to the fact that Ferrener Husband is of a different faith than other locals.
And the crowning item on RantWoman's path to sainthood that night after a romp through the themes already mentioned was to uphold Father Sergei, one of the key rompers. That week Father Sergei had done 8 funerals, including a case of father / daughter incest and murder suicide. RantWoman sometimes feels grateful to be the sort of safe centered presence that invites people to lay down at least some of their spiritual burdens, but that night RantWoman a little bit found herself thinking "Why me, Lord?"
Holidays for people RantWoman loves
RantWoman's current year holiday has included exquisite opportunities to walk with a number of abuse and sexual assault survivors in her life:
Multiple Personality Friend, otherwise known as Amazing Artist who lives far away feels stable enough about really bumpy self-discovery to let some of her different alters independently relearn how to experience Buddhist meditation retreat. RantWoman thinks that sounds like a heck of a lot of work for Amazing Artist Friend. RantWoman also thinks that experience could be kind of unnerving for others attending such a retreat, even if there were self-disclosure during introductions.
Amazing Artist Friend is also resolved to call her family, adult siblings who live far away and never call her. Amazing Artist Friend has been dealing with abuse issues almost as long as RantWoman has known her. RantWoman would say she has been dealing with the topic better than RantWoman has, that is with WAY more spiritual depth than RantWoman feels able to approach.
Amazing Artist friend does a LOT of Buddhist meditation. When the issue of there being several in her came up, she talked about deciding her first job is just unconditionally to love everyone who was emerging. That was one of the points that made RantWoman decide if she is going to be friends with Amazing Artist Friend, RantWoman also gets to accept everyone who belongs to Amazing Artist Friend. RantWoman, alas, is the sort of practical feet-on-the-ground person who also thinks maybe it's not terrible if there are people around who can interact with the question of how all of this affects one's ability to earn a living., One of Amazing Artist Friends recent offerings: "It's not fair. So what? Cope." Uhhhh!
Amazing Artist Friend says she means to try to talk at last to her family of the several of her. Amazing Artist Friend is also wondering, thinking about what probably happened to her younger sister. RantWoman did not ask about her older sister.
Outspoken Survivor Friend pointed out that Quakers do not believe in hell. This offender just wants to go to Business Meeting! RantWoman is unclear how this desire interacts with a desire to walk alongside Outspoken Survivor Friend who currently does not go to Business Meeting.
RantWoman thinks the second offender above targeted people who probably generally do believe in hell and / or marks whose parents were too paralyzed by religious rigidity to respond. RantWoman is perfectly well aware that better Quakers than she might be able to pray for redemption and transformation of the offender. RantWoman is simply noting the topic being imbedded in her constellation of holiday memories along with prayers of the "Survivors can be Psychos" sort for survivors and various of kin in RantWoman's life.
RantWoman realizes these are sort of peculiar holiday tidings. However, the statistic that in the US 1 in 4 women and 1 in 10 men has some experience with sexual assault means there are a lot of people out there with survivor issues and a lot of people walking with others' survivor issues. RantWoman honors the festive holiday opportunity to have sore nerves restimulated.
RantWoman is also DEEPLY grateful to The Safest Sex Offender... and to several in her Meeting who have worked and ministered more closely than RantWoman has. RantWoman is abidingly grateful for space this creates in conversation and community for others to aknowledge their issues, for the opportunity to acquire shared language about experiences and struggles. RantWoman also has some observations and experiences clanging on her be concerned nerves and RantWoman is TRYING to be centered to contribute to the next discussions.
A Business Meeting from Cambridge MM
RantWoman discovered the Cambridge experience by accident when she was looking for something else from that Meeting. Merry Reading.
Multiple Personality Friend, otherwise known as Amazing Artist who lives far away feels stable enough about really bumpy self-discovery to let some of her different alters independently relearn how to experience Buddhist meditation retreat. RantWoman thinks that sounds like a heck of a lot of work for Amazing Artist Friend. RantWoman also thinks that experience could be kind of unnerving for others attending such a retreat, even if there were self-disclosure during introductions.
Amazing Artist Friend is also resolved to call her family, adult siblings who live far away and never call her. Amazing Artist Friend has been dealing with abuse issues almost as long as RantWoman has known her. RantWoman would say she has been dealing with the topic better than RantWoman has, that is with WAY more spiritual depth than RantWoman feels able to approach.
Amazing Artist friend does a LOT of Buddhist meditation. When the issue of there being several in her came up, she talked about deciding her first job is just unconditionally to love everyone who was emerging. That was one of the points that made RantWoman decide if she is going to be friends with Amazing Artist Friend, RantWoman also gets to accept everyone who belongs to Amazing Artist Friend. RantWoman, alas, is the sort of practical feet-on-the-ground person who also thinks maybe it's not terrible if there are people around who can interact with the question of how all of this affects one's ability to earn a living., One of Amazing Artist Friends recent offerings: "It's not fair. So what? Cope." Uhhhh!
Amazing Artist Friend says she means to try to talk at last to her family of the several of her. Amazing Artist Friend is also wondering, thinking about what probably happened to her younger sister. RantWoman did not ask about her older sister.
Spiritual work, Atonement, Predatory self-absorbed characters
RantWoman had a fierce pre-holiday Bad Friends email exchange with a quite outspoken abuse survivor about predatory self-absorbed characters. The topical query: should someone who has done a HUGE amount of spiritual work, who has passed test after test about lack of predatory inclination and behavior, who is maniacal about safety, his own and others', at least merit a cushier version of hell than an unrepentant predator with multiple victims and proclivities to seek out especially vulnerable victims, an offender who RantWoman admits she hopes is residing securely under an appropriate prison?Outspoken Survivor Friend pointed out that Quakers do not believe in hell. This offender just wants to go to Business Meeting! RantWoman is unclear how this desire interacts with a desire to walk alongside Outspoken Survivor Friend who currently does not go to Business Meeting.
RantWoman thinks the second offender above targeted people who probably generally do believe in hell and / or marks whose parents were too paralyzed by religious rigidity to respond. RantWoman is perfectly well aware that better Quakers than she might be able to pray for redemption and transformation of the offender. RantWoman is simply noting the topic being imbedded in her constellation of holiday memories along with prayers of the "Survivors can be Psychos" sort for survivors and various of kin in RantWoman's life.
RantWoman realizes these are sort of peculiar holiday tidings. However, the statistic that in the US 1 in 4 women and 1 in 10 men has some experience with sexual assault means there are a lot of people out there with survivor issues and a lot of people walking with others' survivor issues. RantWoman honors the festive holiday opportunity to have sore nerves restimulated.
RantWoman is also DEEPLY grateful to The Safest Sex Offender... and to several in her Meeting who have worked and ministered more closely than RantWoman has. RantWoman is abidingly grateful for space this creates in conversation and community for others to aknowledge their issues, for the opportunity to acquire shared language about experiences and struggles. RantWoman also has some observations and experiences clanging on her be concerned nerves and RantWoman is TRYING to be centered to contribute to the next discussions.
Apropos: others' experiences, show your work in minutes
RantWoman is sort of a "show your work" recording clerk. RantWoman is not currently recording clerk of anything, but RantWoman appreciates the following blog post for its "show your work" elements and also for the fact that there were 90 at the Business Meeting mentioned.A Business Meeting from Cambridge MM
RantWoman discovered the Cambridge experience by accident when she was looking for something else from that Meeting. Merry Reading.
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