The Larry over at Acts of the Apostasy is hosting 3½ Time-Out Tuesdays. It’s just like Conversion Diary’s 7 Quick-Takes Friday, but only half as long, and nearly half as good.
I thought I’d give it go. This installment will highlight my BC years (before Catholic) while attending Fundamentalist University (FU). I’ve got good ol’ Rahm with his 3½ piggies as a pic to give you an idea of how totally depraved I was. As I remember my good ol’ days, I admit I’m both ashamed and amused. I. Was. A. Bad. Man.
COLLEGE STUDENTS: TURN OFF YOUR COMPUTER NOW
1
My first day at Harding University. I wanted to earn a degree in Biblical Studies. Unfortunately, I left my Bible back in Denver. No worries, all those trusting Christians would leave their books on shelves just outside the cafeteria while eating lunch. Disgusting… I know. I eventually realized how horrible it was for a “Bible student” to steal a Bible. I did, however (once my conscience caught up with me), donate about $500 worth of Bibles to a poor Church as some sort of self prescribed penance.
2
I was a horrible Christian. If word got out on campus (the land of milk and honeys) that I wasn’t going to church, I would have lost all of my girlfriends! I believe I went to Sunday morning service twice, but I always made sure to wear my best clothes to EVERY Sunday lunch. It worked (mostly).
3
I transferred to Colorado Christian University from a “Church of Christ” school. The Church of Christ is bizarre in many ways. I used its “peculiar branding” to my advantage at CCU. Students were required to attend chapel every day (or about every day). I was lazy and wanted out. Fortunately, CCU chapel services used INSTRUMENTS [insert screams]. I went to the dean and told him how scandalized I was by having to witness instrumental music in a worship setting. I received the first chapel waiver in CCU history. The next day, the second chapel waver was granted… and so on.
3½
Last semester… Hmm… I already took Greek 1, 2, and 3. I also took Spanish in 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10, 11th, and 12th grade. So… I signed up for Spanish 1. I got a “B”.
Interesting! I can relate. At least you went to Church! As a friend of mine said, I was raised southern heathen. I converted (including baptism) at 23 and married my husband of almost 34 years a couple of months later.
Thanks for enlisting. The Resistance grows…
Nydia, I guess we both grew up:)
Wow! The C. of C. clause really worked for instrumental chapel?? That would not work in reverse at a C. of C. school (e.g. I am offended by NOT having instruments in chapel).
Dr. Burt,
That is funny! Yes, it worked. The Evangelical schools aren’t like the CoC schools–there is a panoply of differing theologies. I simply appealed to that trait.
Question: How did you find this site today? Does Harding have a google alert for anything to do with Harding?
“all those trusting Christians would leave their books on shelves just outside the cafeteria while eating lunch.”
I found Catholics to be worse. The first time I stepped into a Catholic Church, I noticed that this guy was going around everyone with a plate made of wicker. He never said anything to anyone but at a certain time during the Mass, people would put ,money into this plate. It was the strangest thing. The man eventually made his way up towards me at the back of the Church and then offered the plate to me. When I thanked him and started putting the money that was in the plate into my pocket he then accosted me. I’ve been going to the same Church for a while now but he still offers me the money every week. You’d think he would learn by now.
Christians are weird.
I can’t help laughing at the idea of how these antics would have gone down at FC and imagining which kids I knew there were probably doing the same things. Thanks for the laugh!
Too funny!!!