Church vs. Skydiving

[Evelyn 0]

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(I'm Catholic and attend mass on special occasions).
...
I'd like to skip the church part (the service is like 2 hrs.) and head to the DZ without feeling guilty about it.

I think you are being unrealistic.

Walt

I think you are right

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing ~ Helen Keller

[JohnMitchell 14]

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Church is not religion to me. The beauty of the world. The smile on a dog. The laughter of a child. The ability to skydive. That is religion.

That's a song, too.

"Philosophy is a walk on the slippery rocks.
Religion is a smile on a dog."

Edie Brickel and the New Bohemians

[wmw999 2,121]

With that information, if you go to church with them, you know that they're partly hoping you'll "see the light."

Go to the dropzone extra early. Leave early to have a wonderful family dinner. Be respectful of what they believe. Whatever you do in loving kindness will be the right thing to do.

If there's christening or some other ceremony involved, that advice is null and void.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[JohnMitchell 14]

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(I'm Catholic and attend mass on special occasions).
...
I'd like to skip the church part (the service is like 2 hrs.) and head to the DZ without feeling guilty about it.

I think you are being unrealistic.

Just quit going. After a while you don't feel guilty at all.

Worked for me.

I think you are right

[gemini 0]

Church does not have to be institutionalized, in a building, or be led by degreed pastors.

"Whenever two or more of you are gathered in my name, there will I be also.")

Blue skies,

Jim

[tbrown 26]

The one thing that's always bugged me about going to church is that everybody is always expecting something of you, you "have to" go, you "have to" cough up when the collection plate goes by, you "have to" stick around afterwards, then you "have to" sign up for some kind of study group. They really want to get their talons into you.

The last time I really enjoyed church was when I was so little I didn't even think about it, I was 3 or 4 years old and of course I went with my parents and I thought te whole deal was kind of fun. But as soon as I started school (Catholic school) it turned into such a drag.

If you believe, and you WANT to go to church, you should go whenever you want to, or feel you need to. You can always jump on Saturdays, church it up Sunday morning, and then jump some more or do something else. I can only afford to jump about every other Saturday anyway. I sometimes go to church with my wife, but not very often. Then other times, like my parents' golden wedding anniversary last winter, I wouldn't dream of not going.

But whatever your motivation for going, don't let your parents make you. You're an adult now. Go with them if you want to, not because you have to. Because you don't have to.

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

[Zenister 0]

breath is worship.

music is a type of prayer.

anyone who can not hear music in sounds of freefall probably shouldnt be skydiving, they are certainly missing a huge part of it.....

and i'm not lying or going to hell....

God knows what actually matters... and it has nothing to do with organized religion....

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[kelel01 1]

If you read my post, you'll see that I don't go to church. I'm not preaching. But to claim that skydiving is like church is stupid. It's not. It's skydiving. It may well be a spiritual event for some people, but it sure as hell ain't religious.

[yardhippie 0]

I pray to the rain-Gods to make the celing about 14k.
Does that count?

I also have an organized "prayer" every time I set up for the day. Get the stuff out of the bags, install camera & etc, inspect my rig, turn on my AAD, etc.
thats not really praying, but its organized and full of careful thought. hmmmm

Goddam dirty hippies piss me off! ~GFD
"What do I get for closing your rig?" ~ me
"Anything you want." ~ female skydiver
Mohoso Rodriguez #865

[Zenister 0]

i did read your post and while i get the 'point' i also think you are operating under a very narrow, very limited defintion of 'Church'

skydiving can definately be a religious experience, and far more people than those in this thread have described Otters and Skyvans as "my church"

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Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[kelel01 1]

Yes . . . and far more people than those in this thread are full of shit.

Religion is organized spirituality.

[SuFantasma 0]

I am sure that you can find a fair number of Reverends at the DZ, I for on am one.... There, you got both bases covered, now JUMP!

Y yo, pa' vivir con miedo, prefiero morir sonriendo, con el recuerdo vivo".
- Ruben Blades, "Adan Garcia"

[SuFantasma 0]

No way to disassociate being a Catholic and not having a guilty feeling.... Let them know that skydiving gets you a bit closer to God :-)

Y yo, pa' vivir con miedo, prefiero morir sonriendo, con el recuerdo vivo".
- Ruben Blades, "Adan Garcia"

[Muenkel 0]

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I go Saturday nights or Wednesday evenings.

A few of you mentioned church on Wednesday evenings. I'm curious, what religious denomination allows attendance of church services on Weds. evenings instead of Sat. eve/Sunday?

_________________________________________
Chris

[kelel01 1]

I think mostly Protestant denominations. But more Protestant than not. As in, I used to be Episcopalian, and we didn't. But Baptists, Methodists, etc., do it here in the south all the time.

[Muenkel 0]

Ahh...that makes it more flexible. As a Catholic our option is either Sat. evening or Sunday. But the mass is only 45-60 minutes long, so it's pretty easy to do and doesn't interfere with my other weekend plans.

_________________________________________
Chris

[fireflytx 0]

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One Sunday morning while driving to the dz, I found myself behind a car with a bumper sticker that said "Worship at the Church of your choice" and I realized that was what I was on my way to do.

I LOVE IT!

I personally don't think I need to belong or support some kind of man made organized religious group to show my faith to God. I personally am a renounced Catholic and stopped going to church on Sunday (which made me feel like I am this horrible sinner)I do almost everyday pray and THANK (I never ask) God for all the greatest things in my life that have been happening to me in the past few years, my awesome boyfriend, skydiving, my house, better money etc. All of these great things have happened after I have stopped going to church so I figure I am definitely not being punished for leaving the church.

Go for the skydiving. It is definitely a more spiritual to talk to God in the sky he created than sitting in a building made by man that wants to tell you what method of birth control to use and when you can have sex.

"Well behaved women rarely make history"

[WrongWay 0]

Okay, I'm not religious at all, but if you are, then think of it this way.

God gave us the gift of human flight. He gaves us bodies to fly and planes to take us up there so we can use them. In skydiving there is more of a spiritual sense of calm, beauty, peace, and love than anywhere else in the world. Also, you're in the heavens itself, flying through them. What better place to worship a higher being who gave us these gifts?

Wrong Way
D #27371 Mal Manera Rodriguez Cajun Chicken Ø Hellfish #451
The wiser wolf prevails.

[AdrenalineBluez 0]

I have a very close relationship with God... I talk to him from exit to deployment, and then thank him as soon as my sorry canopy pilot self puts his in tact arse on the ground...

"Uh oh! This is gonna hurt!"

[Elisha 1]

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I go Saturday nights or Wednesday evenings.

A few of you mentioned church on Wednesday evenings. I'm curious, what religious denomination allows attendance of church services on Weds. evenings instead of Sat. eve/Sunday?

I will preface this with the fact that I'm an Orthodox Christian - Eastern Orthodox (e.g. Greek/Russian/Serb/Romainian/Antiochian/etc.).

The Orthodox are maximalists. There are daily, weekly cycles of prayer services and Liturgies (Mass if you will) can be done many days of the week - especially any sort of feast day - as well. The typical parish will have the normal Sunday Liturgy, Great Vespers or Vigil (Vespers + Matins - the evening + morning prayer services back-to-back) and maybe a couple daily Vespers or Matins services during the week. Everyone comes Sundays and usually some small fraction comes to other services - and those as they have time or desire. Monasteries have services everyday, but there is nothing preventing a parish from doing about as many services as a monastery if they so choose.

Wed + Friday: The Orthodox fast from All animal products (shellfish allowed - rather ironic considerin lobster is so good) on Wed and Friday in honor of Christs betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane (Wed) and Crucifixtion (Fri). None of this wimpy "fish on Friday stuff". Maybe the Protestant Wed service thing is related to Christ's betrayal - I have no idea.

[Zenister 0]

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Yes . . . and far more people than those in this thread are full of shit.

Religion is organized spirituality.

perhaps your perspective on religious observances as practiced by others is 'full of shit', or maybe you simply cant understand that Religion is many things to many different people..

there is a great deal of leeway between Religion and Organized Religion.

because others find God where you may not does not make them 'full of shit' even if you dont believe them...

one could just as easily say those who participate in organized religious observations in traditional structures are 'full of shit' because they do not appreciate the real work of God while huddled in their buildings singing terrible hymns.....

One seriously doubts God spends much time in there with them... after all, he has better taste in music...

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Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[Elisha 1]

So, did I get to all your guilty conscience's and make you run to church or am I just the best thread killer ever?

[AMax 0]

Obviously skydiving, but I wish I had more time and discipline to visit Church more often. Though I pray for safety of people on board during every takeoff.

[jumpinfarmer 0]

Outside of a funeral, or wedding service I haven't been to a church service in over ten years. However many Sunday mornings I find myself listening to the church service on the local radio station while I'm on my way to the DZ or in a tractor working. I guess that sort of makes church part of my Sunday.

Is listening to church while you drive considered multi-tasking?

[kelel01 1]

I'm just saying that most people who describe skydiving in such a manner are trying to quell their guilty consciences. I don't have one, so I have no need to say such a thing. And please take notice of the word MOST. I'm sure SOME people actually view it as a religious or spiritual experience . . . but not anywhere near as many as claim to.

Argue with that, and we'll just agree to disagree. That's what I see.