Good News!

[Songbird]

I need some.

After the recent events of girls being imprisoned and lashed to death after being raped, Quran burnings and retaliation murders, and dictators who wield religion as a weapon for their fascist regimes - not to mention the ongoing joys of groups like Westboro Baptist and CDD followers - I'd love happy news regarding religion.

What are some good things your congregation/religious group has done recently?

 

[Riverwolf]

Ever hear of Amma?

Here's the thing: if you want good news, don't read or watch the news, because you'll rarely get it. "Bad news is good news, and good news is no news" is the mantra of mainstream news. Plenty of religious organizations do great things, but they don't make very good news material, because no one would watch it, unless it's a major event or something very unusual. (It's why I've pretty much stopped paying attention to the news; it does nothing but depress and scare me, which isn't healthy.) Most of it is charity work, and isn't really any different than it's ever been.

That's your good news. The good that religious organizations do are, for the most part, ongoing, and thus will most likely never see a spot in mainstream news.

 

[Songbird]

Ever hear of Amma?

A little. Tell me more?

And fill me in on some good stuff in your life! I'd love to hear it.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

I smoked a great cigar last night, drank a lot but didn't get drunk, and then put my wife to bed -- she had two and a half glasses of wine and I had to carry her to bed. I had a boatload of Captain Morgan.

Good times.

Oh, and I'm leaving now to have a burger and watch MMA with my best friend.

 

[Songbird]

I smoked a great cigar last night, drank a lot but didn't get drunk, and then put my wife to bed -- she had two and a half glasses of wine and I had to carry her to bed. I had a boatload of Captain Morgan.

Good times.

Oh, and I'm leaving now to have a burger and watch MMA with my best friend.

Sweeeeeet. That IS good news. Cigars and drunken fun and best friends and burgers.

Have a great night, Sir Angellous!

 

[Penumbra]

My mother's church does a lot of useful charity work.

 

[Riverwolf]

A little. Tell me more?

Basically she's a woman who sacrificed any chance of having a life of her own for the sake of those in need.

In addition to several disaster-relief projects(though she understandably can't help everybody), one of the greatest things I can think of that she did was found a few free schools to give an education to those who otherwise can't afford one.

She's not perfect, of course, and I'm VERY skeptical of the claims that her followers make about her (that she's an avatar of the Goddess), but she's still one of the greatest human beings alive right now.

And fill me in on some good stuff in your life! I'd love to hear it.

Well, at the moment I have everything I need, though I do need to work on my discipline to make sure I can provide for it myself in the future. But I've got a wonderful support group who can help me.

When I found my religion it basically was a big help in overcoming a depression that almost landed me in the hospital for malnutrition (in addition, of course, to the therapy and those darned anti-depressants), and now it's helped me become more disciplined, though I still have a lot to learn.

And I'm finally starting to get rid of my old arrogance (I used to be VERY arrogant, and even now a feeling of being "better" than others because of some of my skills and wisdom crops up and manifests now and then) while building up real self-esteem. Again, my religion played a large part in that.

Life isn't perfect, and I still have a lot to work on, such as laziness, but I'm making great progress.

 

[Katzpur]

I need some.

After the recent events of girls being imprisoned and lashed to death after being raped, Quran burnings and retaliation murders, and dictators who wield religion as a weapon for their fascist regimes - not to mention the ongoing joys of groups like Westboro Baptist and CDD followers - I'd love happy news regarding religion.

What are some good things your congregation/religious group has done recently?

Here's a news release from the LDS Church about our recent humanitarian efforts:

Humanitarian aid from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is getting to the Japanese people suffering from the effects of the 9.0 magnitude earthquake, powerful tsunami and lingering threats of radiation.

The Church has provided more than 135,000 pounds of food, water and supplies, 10,000 liters of fuel and 15,000 blankets and is working with the local prefectural governments to coordinate their distribution.

These items are being purchased in Japan and shipped to Sendai and surrounding areas where they are most needed. The blankets have been purchased in China and are now being distributed in Japan.

Local Church leaders have created an emergency response committee, which is meeting daily to identify and respond to member and community needs and to organize volunteer efforts.

Over 40,000 hours of service have been donated by more than 4,000 Mormon volunteers. Hundreds of congregations in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka have established plans to assemble hygiene and cleaning kits, with this effort likely to continue over the next few weeks. Members are also delivering aid by scooters provided by the Church to areas too difficult to reach by car. In addition, the Church has made a substantial financial donation to the Japan Red Cross.

The disaster has now claimed more than 11,000 lives. More than 17,000 people are still missing and 143,000 buildings are damaged or destroyed. Damage is estimated to exceed $300 billion, making this the most expensive disaster in world history.
Many people have asked the Church how they might assist or make donations to the Church’s relief efforts. Church members or others who wish to donate may do so through the Humanitarian Aid Fund.

Church officials will continue to monitor events and identify how to best help the people of Japan in the coming weeks.

 

[Penumbra]

Here's a news release from the LDS Church about our recent humanitarian efforts:

Humanitarian aid from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is getting to the Japanese people suffering from the effects of the 9.0 magnitude earthquake, powerful tsunami and lingering threats of radiation.

The Church has provided more than 135,000 pounds of food, water and supplies, 10,000 liters of fuel and 15,000 blankets and is working with the local prefectural governments to coordinate their distribution.

These items are being purchased in Japan and shipped to Sendai and surrounding areas where they are most needed. The blankets have been purchased in China and are now being distributed in Japan.

Local Church leaders have created an emergency response committee, which is meeting daily to identify and respond to member and community needs and to organize volunteer efforts.

Over 40,000 hours of service have been donated by more than 4,000 Mormon volunteers. Hundreds of congregations in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka have established plans to assemble hygiene and cleaning kits, with this effort likely to continue over the next few weeks. Members are also delivering aid by scooters provided by the Church to areas too difficult to reach by car. In addition, the Church has made a substantial financial donation to the Japan Red Cross.

The disaster has now claimed more than 11,000 lives. More than 17,000 people are still missing and 143,000 buildings are damaged or destroyed. Damage is estimated to exceed $300 billion, making this the most expensive disaster in world history.
Many people have asked the Church how they might assist or make donations to the Church’s relief efforts. Church members or others who wish to donate may do so through the Humanitarian Aid Fund.

Church officials will continue to monitor events and identify how to best help the people of Japan in the coming weeks.

From what I've observed, Mormons seem to be extremely proficient at disaster relief. They respond faster and more efficiently than governments do.

 

[Katzpur]

From what I've observed, Mormons seem to be extremely proficient at disaster relief. They respond faster and more efficiently than governments do.

That's true. Our humanitarian efforts are really pretty remarkable. Sometimes, they even get written up in local newspapers. I remember a few years back when the Church sent humanitarian aid (including a lot of volunteers) to someplace back in the midwest after a major toronado devastated the area. The local newspaper back there printed a story saying that two religious groups were especially instrumental in their efforts to provide food, clothing, etc. -- the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Mormons. We got a kick out of that.

 

[Songbird]

Thanks, Riverwolf, Penumbra, and Katzpur! Interesting and encouraging.

 

[Songbird]

Dude in front of me at the grocery store paid for all my groceries today!

 

[Songbird]

Bump, cuz some threads have turned me into Snarkbird.

Good news! Our local housing market is trending up! Barely, but up is up.

 

[lunamoth]

As others have said above, the good things done by religious groups go unnoticed - just typically not news-worthy. It is always more interesting to talk about the bad things, and it is inherently easier to tear something apart than to build.


Church World Service has been doing great things around the world for decades:

https://secure2.convio.net/cws/site/SPageServer?pagename=crop_main

 

[Songbird]

As others have said above, the good things done by religious groups go unnoticed - just typically not news-worthy. It is always more interesting to talk about the bad things, and it is inherently easier to tear something apart than to build.

Agreed.

Church World Service has been doing great things around the world for decades:

https://secure2.convio.net/cws/site/SPageServer?pagename=crop_main

Thanks! I'm now reading about their refugee program in my area.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I was happy to hear - thanks to Gaura Priya's thread - that there's a queer-welcoming mosque in Toronto that I didn't know about!

http://www.religiousforums.com/forum/religious-news/122432-october-11-2011-being-gay-muslim.html