# Healing and Wellbeing > Spirituality, Religion and Faith >  >  The shack

## PinkButterfly

I am a Huge Fan of Christian Movies and some are better than others probably my favorite is Gods Not Dead which I have watched probably 100 times and will again but the move The Shack shakes me up and makes me think and makes me realize that FORGIVING is HUGE!!! even for the worse person you know . I wont give the movie away but its very emotional and hard to watch for several reasons it makes you mad sad and thankful . I suggest watching this if you give it a chance watch all the way through okay. 

Peace and God Bless you all. 
God Loves you and so do I!!
Ramona

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## Cuchculan

I was offered that book to read once. Hence the name rang a bell when I saw it. Never did read it at the time. Good few years ago now.

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## PinkButterfly

I am not a Book Reader myself the Bible is the only book I read and I don't read it enough so the Movie for me worked better and it is so in your face which I needed and do need reminded of the messages it gives.

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## Freckles

I remember The Shack. Had to read it for school back in 9th grade.

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## PinkButterfly

Freckles they had you read a Religious Book in school? that's great I think unless we are talking about a different SHACK lol..

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## Cuchculan

Religion is a school topic over here.

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## PinkButterfly

It needs to be over here!! But so many are pushing Atheism and other Religions or No religion at all.. I don't mean that it needs to be pushed down their throats at all but  here it is a mess from the pits of Hell!!

Sorry but the schools no longer teach a lot of things because the state and government just do not are!!  The kids no longer write in cursive nor are they teaching them to tell time and History wow unreal !! Then people wonder why kids are a mess heck I see facebook everyday and its adults cussing and carrying on and arguing over politics and then saying OH THESE KIDS TODAY !! Really what examples are they showing right on facebook?? Its so messed up really sad and pathetic !!

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## kevinjoseph

I agree Tye.  I'm not a Hebrew but I learned more about The Bible in a class called "Biblical Hebrew" I chose to take in high school than some others.  If someone thinks some topic should be learned about in school, while it is available freely in other sources, to me they seem more concerned about being agreed with and not actual education.

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## Cuchculan

They are trying to make it optional over here. Once we were a church run country. The schools were all owned by the church. We were considered to be a catholic country. People are pushing the church further and further away by the year. The church no longer has the hold it once had over everything in the country. We have many different Nationalities here now. Which means many different religions too. Case of teach them all or teach none. Most want an option. To be able to say ' No Thanks '. But they want the same with our Irish language too. I see nothing wrong with it been taught to pupils up to an age were they can make their own minds up. Do I believe in what I am hearing. Is this for me. As kids it won't harm any of them. Unless you are from a different culture / religion, I see no point in you not learning the basics of religion.

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## PinkButterfly

Here where I live it is a very small community the population is very low and we do not have very many people from other cultures or races , most are in places like Columbus , Cincinnati , Dayton and Cleveland even when I was in school we had one family that African American that was it . I grew up around mostly Christian People or who people actually believed in God but were not into Church like my family we believed and attended church once in awhile but not very many times so I was not brought up to believe in God or anything I was never asked by my parents how are you doing in school or what is going with your life I just went to school had anxiety and came home I missed as many days of school as I could without getting in trouble by the school so 36 days I missed every year lol I signed my own report cards and handed them back in.  I did get bad grades actually Fs in math and a few others because in grade school I was petrified of some teachers and I was being bullied I didn't have my parents to defend me or protect me or care they had their own lives I was on my own and lost and just a mess but I made it through I do have some type of issue because I can look at some words and see a different word I can spell pretty good I always loved that but for me words like Sweet and Sweat I have to really think before I type and If I type to fast I type each word backwards and it is correct and I can do a whole sentence like that... Odd RIGHT? lol

I just wish that Parents and Teachers would take more time with the students mostly back when I went to school and realize that kids need help because they are not getting it at home I do feel teaching religion and other important subjects are needed. I just wanted out of school and out on my own I don't feel schools taught me anything because I have learned more in life then I ever did in school. I am not smart at all we all know that right lol.. but that is okay I have common sense and compassion and I can learn what I want too and when I want too and help people out the best I can . 

I have failed as Mom not teaching my own son about God he isn't sure what or who he believes in so I am working on that he is ocd and has anxiety himself , he is so extreme with his budget he makes pie charts and graphs etc.. yes I did teach him to manage money and how to treat people and to never even hit a woman and I made sure he was not around drugs, drinking, cussing in my home now he was around it with his dad and step mom from Hell.. lol she was but I did make sure he had a Bible and we did attend church a few times but not like we should have because I had to work 2 sometimes 3 jobs to keep us a new home and food and school expenses and more I always told him you do not miss school unless Your guts are hanging out lol.. We had fun though and I sure miss him being little but I still feel I failed on the Religion part I do feel I did the right thing about his education and I sent him to College . 

I want my Son to accept God and Jesus and know that he is loved by God so it does need to be on us as Parents and I would like to see the Schools bring God back in and more and most of all Safety!! This stuff about school shootings is ridiculous nothing is being done because way to many people are to busy arguing about it and name calling and then it just gets shoved aside except one school in Indiana they have the best setup ever!! All schools need to follow what they have done. 

I respect all religions and have no issues with people who do not believe one bit but I think in schools yes it should be a choice if you want to Pray then Pray and if you don't then don't and if they have classes of any kind then it is a choice to pick that subject made by the Parent and the Child of course depending on Age.

Teachers do not get paid enough and they are told what they can and cant do and many well almost all have to buy the stuff needed for their classes which should never happen and not here in Ohio where they are spending 400 MILLION on a Bypass not needed !! Use that money for the schools not a bypass in a small town that will now miss other small towns and ruin their businesses .  

Education is so important and our Kids do matter.  
I ramble about stuff sorry lol but that is just how I am ! lol  I am so passionate about so many things . I do love people and want what is best for them all ages included.

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## Cuchculan

What you have here are parents making choices for their young children. It is the parents who don't want the kids to learn religion. I have always called it ' double standards '. Why? Over here you make your holy communion. That happens when you are seven. You will see all kids make that. With the odd exception of a child not from Ireland, now living here, who is not catholic. The church is starting to fight back. Making the child and parents attend mass for 4 months leading up to the holy communion. Their way of saying ' you are not going to use our church for one day only '. Even the holy communion has lost its meaning. All about who looks the best and how much money you can make. Then at about aged 11 / 12 you make your confirmation. In between communion and confirmation, chances are the kids and their parents have not seen the inside of a church. Why stick with a tradition if you have no faith in the religion? Again the kids make more money and get to dress up. 

Enter the weddings. You will be asked when was the last time you attended the church. Chances are it might have been for a funeral or a wedding of a friend. So those two don't count. I know of some churches who refused to allow their church to be used like this. Just for one big day. I do see their point. You don't go to church as a rule. You never have. But you want to get married in their church. 

Funerals. Irish people are going back to old traditions with funerals. No body to the church the evening before. That is all but done away with. Back to the coffin in the family home for a few days before the funeral. This is one thing the church has never refused. A funeral. They are a bit annoyed that the old ways are coming back. Because that means the church is still been used for the one day only. 

I will add in that a lot of Irish people have lost faith in the church. Because of all the abuse that went on. It was covered up for decades. It was wrong. The people might still believe in their God. Might still believe in prayers. It is the church they have an issue with. To the point were mass has had to be cancelled a few times due to hardly anybody showing up. Numbers attending are at an all time low. 

Having said all of that I don't believe the church should just allow people to use their place for weddings, communions and confirmations. 3 times you might see the inside of the church. They are right to try and get people back to using the church. They have tried everything else and failed. Case of, you want to use us, come visit us a few times first and then we will allow you to use us. Don't visit us and you won't be allowed to use us.

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## kevinjoseph

> What you have here are parents making choices for their young children. It is the parents who don't want the kids to learn religion. I have always called it ' double standards '. Why? Over here you make your holy communion. That happens when you are seven. You will see all kids make that. With the odd exception of a child not from Ireland, now living here, who is not catholic. The church is starting to fight back. Making the child and parents attend mass for 4 months leading up to the holy communion. Their way of saying ' you are not going to use our church for one day only '. Even the holy communion has lost its meaning. All about who looks the best and how much money you can make. Then at about aged 11 / 12 you make your confirmation. In between communion and confirmation, chances are the kids and their parents have not seen the inside of a church. Why stick with a tradition if you have no faith in the religion? Again the kids make more money and get to dress up. 
> 
> Enter the weddings. You will be asked when was the last time you attended the church. Chances are it might have been for a funeral or a wedding of a friend. So those two don't count. I know of some churches who refused to allow their church to be used like this. Just for one big day. I do see their point. You don't go to church as a rule. You never have. But you want to get married in their church. 
> 
> Funerals. Irish people are going back to old traditions with funerals. No body to the church the evening before. That is all but done away with. Back to the coffin in the family home for a few days before the funeral. This is one thing the church has never refused. A funeral. They are a bit annoyed that the old ways are coming back. Because that means the church is still been used for the one day only. 
> 
> I will add in that a lot of Irish people have lost faith in the church. Because of all the abuse that went on. It was covered up for decades. It was wrong. The people might still believe in their God. Might still believe in prayers. It is the church they have an issue with. To the point were mass has had to be cancelled a few times due to hardly anybody showing up. Numbers attending are at an all time low. 
> 
> Having said all of that I don't believe the church should just allow people to use their place for weddings, communions and confirmations. 3 times you might see the inside of the church. They are right to try and get people back to using the church. They have tried everything else and failed. Case of, you want to use us, come visit us a few times first and then we will allow you to use us. Don't visit us and you won't be allowed to use us.




I agree Cuch.  When I was younger, I volunteered at my Church and worked as a receptionist.  The priest at my Church said some strange things to me while I was doing that, and I thought perhaps I was misunderstanding him.  He ended up taking his own life because he was publicly accused of pedophilia, and the response of the Church at that time was to change him to another parish when he did that.

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## PinkButterfly

Cuch, Your country is very strict wow that is wild !! I will say here people do show up at church on Easter and Christmas and they will ask for their baby to be baptized which I don't feel is right because a baby doesn't know .

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## Cuchculan

Have to do what you have to do. Would you let a person use your house for special things only? Ignore you the rest of the time. The church is in it again at the moment. Adoption thing. Talking thousands of new born babies sold to, mainly, couples in the US. no idea how many babies exactly. babies were simply taken from the mother after she gave birth. Never seen again. Curious to see how the church handles this one.

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## kevinjoseph

Pope Francis is trying to address this issue.  He's made some mistakes doing so, that might be seen as protecting priests accused of sexual abuse rather than holding those responsible for it accountable.  The last I heard all of the archbishops in Chile officially sent resignation letters to him acknowledging they had not done their best preventing it in their dioceses. He also sided with a church official accused of sexual abuse over that official's victim, in Brazil I believe.  It is something that shouldn't happen, but it does happen.  When a representative of the Church does it, that makes it all the more reprehensible.

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## CloudMaker

Don’t think evolution should be taught in school IMO just a theory and goes against the bible

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## kevinjoseph

Gravity is also "just a theory" yet we don't claim it doesn't exist.

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## CloudMaker

> Gravity is also "just a theory" yet we don't claim it doesn't exist.



IDK with all the things coming out about quantum physics gravity might not exist eother

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## PinkButterfly

We need to go back to THE OLD SCHOOL WAY!! that is it period. I know more people have moved here in the USA and that is fine I don't mind but do not mess with the system if you want to come to America then you learn this is AMERICA and if you do not like what is being taught in the schools Move back to where you came from.. I may be wrong but I just know that schools and life sure is not going good for the children and the problem is it starts at HOME first and that can mean No Home, Foster Homes and more which has been going on for years and does need to be fixed but now so many are on drugs and then kids are on drugs and way worse than it was years ago so I believe if we teach the Kids more about Real True Beauty of the World and everything we can about having a good life and yes even if you do not believe in God you can have a good life but teaching them to NOT Believe in anything or have Moral and Values the kids are going to stay a mess. Its so sad.

I remember being taught about scary things in school over the dummy that predicted the world ending and so much more which never come true but that petrified me , we were setting in class and it was the day that the world was suppose to end and the time well the bell went off all of us hit the floor and were in tears and then it didn't happen but it messed with so many of us that to this day I still can not stand his name and I refuse to even type it out and I feel that it should have never been taught to us it is just pure stupidity to teach on False Prophets and People who Predict the Future!

I want to see so many changes in schools and My hubby works in one my daughter in law will soon be a teacher and I am scared crapless for them!!   We have had several issues here in the schools but not where my Hubby works Praise God and they do now have Security Guards here in the schools which is awesome.

Prayers never hurt anyone if they want to pray fine if not fine walk out side not a problem or set there and do whatever pick your nose .... lol I am kidding but I am sure many do hahahaa . 

The kids at my Hubbys school call him a Super Hero I don't know why but they love his silliness and he takes the kids serious and has seen so many kids with out both parents and so many pregnant young girls and more its so sad.. but thankfully they are following him to the church now and joining in !! 

I do get off track on my post lol as you all . 

Peace everyone !! God is Good all the time, God is Good.!   My Daddy is now in Heaven and finally found his Peace!!!

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## Cuchculan

I think one issue I have with the US and religion is that you all but start your own church up. That is something I don't believe in. You can become a preacher. Joe Soap to preacher in a day. Get people to join your made up church. Follow you. How many Pastors are rich in the US? Big houses. Big cars. Whilst other starve and scrape to get by. I would class these people as fake preachers. The only profit they are concerned with is the one they make. There should be a clamp down on them. But your country allows it under some law. Like guns are allowed under another law. 

Having said what I did above, I want to make clear I am not talking about recognised religions. There are a number on them in the World. People bring their own religions to any new country they might move to. Should we not educate people about all these religions? Thus there might be less ignorance out there. You learn young why the girl next to you in the class has a red mark on her forehead. Different religion to you. Or why another girl wears a head covering. Each can share stories of their religion. Listen to prayers of the various religions. 

I can only speak about Ireland. Here the church has dug its own grave. Not the religion. Just the church. They have been involved in so much that was wrong over the years. When it was all exposed they done nothing to address the problems of the past. Took out a 1 page advert in the paper saying they were sorry. I think people saw this as an even bigger insult. Those same people would still believe in their God. They would still pray. Just not in a church. 

That does not mean schools should shut out religion. I think it is all the more important that they teach it now. That parents take some time to helps kids say a small prayer at night. Doesn't have to be anything big. The children will grow and have their own thoughts on prayers and religion.

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## kevinjoseph

Agree with Cuch and Tye.  Education probably shouldn't include some type of religious indoctrination.  If a student wants to take some elective courses regarding a world religion such as the Abrahamic religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, even some form of Atheism, that's great and should be encouraged.  It could possibly lead to that student better understanding the world he or she lives in and the people he or she encounters in it.  I don't necessarily consider myself Jewish or Muslim or Christian, for example, because those terms can lead other people to assume certain things about an individual that I do not believe should be assumed.

The minute the US says this or that religion or belief is somehow better or worse than another, and should or should not be included in public education, it stops being about education and becomes about wanting others to believe the same things we do.  Science and religion do not oppose each other.  Basically they're both ways to come to a better understanding of our lives.  When knowledge of one is encouraged over the knowledge of the other, the student suffers, as well as the whole society the student happens to live in.

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## Freckles

> Freckles they had you read a Religious Book in school? that's great I think unless we are talking about a different SHACK lol..



I went to a Christian school (the only Catholic in a sea of Protestants) and one of the classes was a bible class, which is where I had to read this book.

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