The one who she and I never got to meet before. I thought she was raised LDS because her father was LDS. She told me only he was. Her mother was southern Baptist. Although she grew up in Utah. Her dad wasn't active LDS so there wasn't a conflict over what to raise their children. Their mother chose.

She and her sister reside in a neighboring state today.. Both are retired now. I called to make sure she got my message last week about the unclaimed fund of her father's. She thanked me for that. She said there were some claims she and her siblings had cashed out years before, and this may be one that was overlooked.

She has led a very interesting life and career. When we touched on religion she mentioned that with her background she prefers liberal Christian leanings to evangelical ones. She lives in a strong evangelical community, but prefers worship as a Congregationalist. She told me that came about from when she used to work in Boston, Mass and attended a Congregationalist church at Harvard. Theologians came from all over the world to speak and teach and it struck a chord with her that were closer to her own values. So when she found one where she lives now as an offshoot of the eastern Congregationalists, she decided to make it her church home going forward.

She was never LDS.

She did say that the evangelicals control the area where she lives like the Mormons do in Utah. They are dominant there. Her best friend just went evangelical, and was hoping my step-sister would too. But my step-sister is more than happy with her liberal Christian theology of "many roads lead to heaven." Not there is only one path and the other is hell and brimstone.

We had a nice conversation about our parents and their similarities. When we ended the call she called me her sister, and we told each other we loved each other.

I found out we have more in common than not. (Besides our parents.) For having never spoken before today, we share some mutual interests and perspectives. I'm glad I reached out to let her know about the abandoned property. If not for that, we may have never met.

My step-sister is executrix of her late father's estate. She is the person who will be handling the receiving of any claim/s of his from Utah. I didn't know that before we spoke yesterday.

Her father was very proud of both his daughters. Both worked very hard to put themselves through college and both earned their Masters degrees.

Both were very self-disciplined and hard working career types. He had every reason to be proud of them.

But I learned something very sad about his only son. He died from suicide following my mom and stepdad's death. Out of four generations of men in that family: my stepdad, his father, his son, and his grandson ... each of them committed suicide with the exception of my stepfather. (Add: stepdad and his dad were raised LDS men, step-dad's son and grandson were not.) He sometimes would tell my stepsister that it was my mom that kept him from going over the brink. Hence, he advised my stepsister to marry someone 'religious' minded. His mother was very religious LDS from what I recall my mom describing her as. I recall mom telling me that his mother was tickled when he met my mom because my mom and her had so much in common. (It didn't change him a bit though because he remained a jack Mormon, & my mom became one after they got together.) Our parents personalities complimented each other in a way that they hadn't when they were married to their former spouses, so my mom and stepdad were happier the "second time around" we both agreed.

My stepbrother is buried next to my mom and stepdad where they're buried. My stepsister tells me that suicide runs in their family. Maybe that is why both she and her sister went into counseling, to help others and perhaps to better understand their own families better. As for where she got her good looks, that was from my stepfather also. Chalk it up to his being Swedish and Danish. I didn't know that before today! (She and her sister are much prettier IMO than he was handsome, but maybe my mom begged to differ, I dunno.) My stepdad had a fair complexion, but when he met my mother he was well past his prime. She loved him anyway. My stepsisters were always gorgeous blondes. I think they still are. They aged well.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/2019 09:26AM by Amyjo.

Refreshing to discover new friendships and find common interests. I am happy for you Amyjo and do hope that this friendship can develop and grow.

I had two step-sisters who were much older than myself. They were both good people who reached out to build a relationship with my mother and us when my mom was a single mom after my, and their father, passed away. They lived hours away and my mom lacked the resources, the time, and the energy to be able to respond much at all to their attempts to be friendly. It would have been wonderful to have known both of them better.

I was looking at where they live as a potential retirement destination before learning that is where she and her sister have spent the past 30+ years. I knew they were both in Colorado, just didn't know they were in that specific town. :)

She told me that she and her sister aren't as close as they used to be. That's kind of sad, given they reside in the same city.

People change as we get older. Interests and all. Maybe they'll grow closer again, or not. For some reason I've felt a kinship to this stepsister but not the other one. Don't know why.

After speaking with her it was apparent we do share some perspectives and values in common so that was neat to find out. :)

She has an interesting view point in that she prefers liberal Christianity to evangelicalism. I interpret that to mean she's open to more broad expanse of doctrine and social activism like a Universalist may be. Does she go out protesting injustices with picket signs? But somehow she is tied up with Eastern Congregationlist meaning she may be in with the Orient? It's food culture and peoples as well.

Evangelicals somehow are for whatever reason the dominant force in this country. I listen to them on the radio and they sure are certain of their own unshakable foundation. They are certain that they are the one and only true way and everyone else is deceived. They aren't into much scholarship or in depth critical analysis when presenting their truth claims.

macaRomney Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> She has an interesting view point in that she
> prefers liberal Christianity to evangelicalism. I
> interpret that to mean she's open to more broad
> expanse of doctrine and social activism like a
> Universalist may be. Does she go out protesting
> injustices with picket signs? But somehow she is
> tied up with Eastern Congregationlist meaning she
> may be in with the Orient? It's food culture and
> peoples as well.
>

She is an open minded type of a person. Not the type I think who goes picketing or protesting however. I'm not sure what her tastes range from including dietary or the arts. But she is refined and highly educated, so it wouldn't surprise me that she has some cultural leanings with other cultures besides her own.

> Evangelicals somehow are for whatever reason the
> dominant force in this country. I listen to them
> on the radio and they sure are certain of their
> own unshakable foundation. They are certain that
> they are the one and only true way and everyone
> else is deceived. They aren't into much
> scholarship or in depth critical analysis when
> presenting their truth claims.

That, like Mormonism, is probably what turns her off to such fanatical thinking. Since her BFF went evangelical and was trying to get her to go that way, did it put a crimp in their friendship? Maybe a little it did. You know because once they were on more level footing with each other, and now her BFF is thinking only she is going to be saved but not her BFF. That's fanaticism in a nutshell for ya.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/17/2019 02:48PM by Amyjo.

“But my step-sister is more than happy with her liberal Christian theology of "many roads lead to heaven."”

All roads lead to heaven. Some are more long and winding than others. I have some ideas of where Mormons can stick their iron rod. It’s not a kind religion, with what it does to people. They suppose that their highly manipulative religion is a sort of role model for life.

It’s interesting that Mormonism is being so extensively de-liberalized. It’s like “dumbing down” is part of their business model. I wouldn’t mind having a tribe, but I find God best alone.

:) :) :) :) :)

Having grown up in New England, I have a good impression of the Congregationalists.

After leaving Mormonism in the 1990's when my dad was still alive, he recommended I take my children to one of their church meetings. We didn't have one where we lived so went for a time to a Unitarian Universalist - which was the closest to what he had described that he used to attend when he lived in central Massachusetts 1940s.

It wasn't Christian anymore, not the one we attended. It taught all religious beliefs, and believed not in one of them.

That was a turning point for me after leaving Mormonism back then. It was when I realized that I hadn't "thrown the baby out with the bathwater." And that I still needed Jesus, just not Mormon Jesus.

That was prior to our moving to upstate New York. Where my children and me went to RLDS for a time. Then when parents died in 2000 I returned to Mormonism for a while out of nostalgia for what was lost. Once I realized what a dumb mistake that was, resigned my membership for good. Went to a Messianic Jewish synagogue for a stint until it started looking more and more like a cult to me.

And now a wandering Jew. That's what I was born, and will die. LOLOL.

My dad had a good impression of the Congregationalists, from living there, like you did. :)