I was watching this show on PBS in the middle of the night about this disorder called trichitillomania and it's symptom is that the people who have this pluck their hair out, usually strand by strand, to the point where they actually go bald. There's apparently actual group homes and rehabilitation centers for this. Anyways, one of the people they interviewed on this show was this nun who said the reason she joined the church was because the nun habit covered her hair so no one would know that she plucked her hair out to the point where she was practically bald.

She said that she thought that if she joined the church, she could cover it up and that she could pray to god to help her stop and that he would help her, but he hasn't yet.

Now part of me thinks this is a really stupid/bad reason to dedicate yourself to god or the church, but then another part of me thinks that so what if it's a bad reason. There's no real bad reasons to do good things, right?

Cheers,

Lost

I'd bet that the majority of nuns become nuns to fit in to a society where they can belong. I've never seen a nun who was hot or didn't look like a dyke.

What is bad and what isn't is in the eye of the beholder.

If I start a christian group to make money for myself, some people will say that it is wrong to promote something because of that motive, other people will say well you are doing good deeds promoting my religion.

Personally I don't think it is something a wig can't solve, but if they already believed, then hey, why not become a nun?

quote:Originally posted by LostCause:

There's no real bad reasons to do good things, right?



Not true. What about guys who are nice to mentally unstable girls in the hopes that they'll get laid? What about popular kids who are nice to lonely brainiacs in the hopes that they'll get to cheat on an upcoming test? They're being nice, which is a pretty good thing, but their reason is nasty.

I don't see a moral quagmire in either example.

quote:Originally posted by LostCause:

I was watching this show on PBS in the middle of the night about this disorder called trichitillomania and it's symptom is that the people who have this pluck their hair out, usually strand by strand, to the point where they actually go bald. There's apparently actual group homes and rehabilitation centers for this. Anyways, one of the people they interviewed on this show was this nun who said the reason she joined the church was because the nun habit covered her hair so no one would know that she plucked her hair out to the point where she was practically bald.

She said that she thought that if she joined the church, she could cover it up and that she could pray to god to help her stop and that he would help her, but he hasn't yet.

Now part of me thinks this is a really stupid/bad reason to dedicate yourself to god or the church, but then another part of me thinks that so what if it's a bad reason. There's no real bad reasons to do good things, right?

Cheers,

Lost

I think that she probably needs to face the issue behind the problem, the trauma that might have been the point of origin for this disorder, she has plenty of time to find out what might be wrong in Church but if she is simply using it to continue her habit without getting treatment, how good can it be?

I think doing good things = doing good things but I don't think that her choice to become a nun to hide her disorder. She is only prolonging it by hiding it.

quote:Originally posted by King_Cotton:

Not true. What about guys who are nice to mentally unstable girls in the hopes that they'll get laid? What about popular kids who are nice to lonely brainiacs in the hopes that they'll get to cheat on an upcoming test? They're being nice, which is a pretty good thing, but their reason is nasty.

Those examples are people doing bad things for bad reasons.

Cheers,

Lost

Good comes from good actions. However, you dont get reward in the end for doing it with maligned intentions.

*reads thread title*

*imagines Lost in a hot nun costume*

quote:Originally posted by Elephantitis Man:

*reads thread title*

*imagines Lost in a hot nun costume*



Is there such a thing, has an "Hot nun costume?"

Seems odd to the point of insanity for any woman to join up with an organization that has oppressed women for hundreds of years.

quote:Originally posted by Source:

Is there such a thing, has an "Hot nun costume?"

Absolutely! (http://tinyurl.com/7v9wm)

quote:Originally posted by ArgonPlasma2000:

Good comes from good actions. However, you dont get reward in the end for doing it with maligned intentions.



Damn a sentance like that always creates a real visual impression of Christians being like little kids waiting for their prezzies before Christmas.

Prezzies that may not even exist

"Santa's going to reward me for being a good little boy"

As for the nun, if it makes her happy, then so be it, but it doesn't seem to have, she's still back at square one.

To me that emphasises the need to change ones self through "..." (call it what you will, evolution, enlightenment, progress, experience) and although religion CAN be such a tool for mind expansion, it doesn't work for all people by any means.

If she stops being a nun, maybe that in itself is a psychological change, and she might stop the hair thing, in which case through her devotion to "God" she has achieved her aims.

It's certainly not right from a Christian viewpoint exactly, but i bet tons of Christians think like that deep down, they just don't realise it.

It's all about getting "the goodies"

V. true, it doesn't matter to you or me or anyone else except for that Nun. It was her choice to join the church and she should be proud of her dedication to christianity regardless of her unfortunate hair condition blah blah blah blah.

To me, it seems like a bad idea, to her, it probably was the best idea she ever had.

quote:Originally posted by Elephantitis Man:

Absolutely! (http://tinyurl.com/7v9wm)

Awesome!

quote:Originally posted by Martini:

I'd bet that the majority of nuns become nuns to fit in to a society where they can belong. I've never seen a nun who was hot or didn't look like a dyke.

I encountered a few over the years. One was about 50, maybe, and for her age she didn't look bad at all... I could see where when she were younger, she would have been something you wouldn't kick out of bed by any means. Hell, I was about 30, and I would have jumped on top of her at that point, given the chance. Another was in her later 50's and she was so obese you really couldn't tell. Both were of French descent and when they got into it (maybe the mid-60s?) the Catholic Chruch, "Nunhood" etc. were still considered more prestigious, "honorable" callings, especially in that French culture. Now, from what I've read, it's popularity is way, way down (gee, I wonder why?)... aside from the pedophilia fiascos, I think society has become more enlightened as to such things being a load of shit. Even the Fudamentalist screwballs who are so popular now make no bones about "cash and fun are what it's all about" (maybe spinning that with "It's just that the fricken' faggots [Jews, Muslims, whoever] are making life suck for us!!!"... so "what's new?" I suppose.)

Anyway, both of those women were miserable, manipulative, nasty characters, and considering that their best years were behind them and they'd spent their lives in some fantasy organization (That did exactly what for them? Jack shit, in the final analysis) while everyone else was having families or at least having fun, it's no mystery why. I mean, I felt sorry for them, really, even though mean-ass bitches as they were, that wasn't exactly easy.

Another I met was in her late 30s, Vietnamese, and she'd spent 5 years tortured in a North Vietnamese camp as a political prisoner. She told me "God helped me survive it" so she was "giving her life to God" by becoming a nun (there was that French culture but again.) I felt like saying, "Lady, it really stinks what happened to you, but you survived because you were young, strong, healthy, and more than anything, just plain lucky." No God had anything to do with it, and you're still young enough to enjoy life so you should.

In her case, going the path of those other two, and depriving herself of normalcy wasn't going to accomplish anything, but there was nothing I, or anyone else could say.

Better to just go about life treating people kindly while enjoying it than pointlessly being subjecting oneself to exploitation by a historically shady organization on-the-decline as society's become more enlightened (as well as for other reasons.)

quote:Originally posted by Mellow_Fellow:



Damn a sentance like that always creates a real visual impression of Christians being like little kids waiting for their prezzies before Christmas.

Prezzies that may not even exist

"Santa's going to reward me for being a good little boy"

As for the nun, if it makes her happy, then so be it, but it doesn't seem to have, she's still back at square one.

To me that emphasises the need to change ones self through "..." (call it what you will, evolution, enlightenment, progress, experience) and although religion CAN be such a tool for mind expansion, it doesn't work for all people by any means.

If she stops being a nun, maybe that in itself is a psychological change, and she might stop the hair thing, in which case through her devotion to "God" she has achieved her aims.

It's certainly not right from a Christian viewpoint exactly, but i bet tons of Christians think like that deep down, they just don't realise it.

It's all about getting "the goodies"

Why is that? Since the woman is Catholic (and losely Christian, by implication), then you would tend to default on similar beliefs when asked if intentions are right or wrong.

I gave the answer in correct scope, so dont try to belittle it just because its so simple.

The only way to accept God's grace is through the heart.

Your heart is all that matters in the end.

quote:Originally posted by Mellow_Fellow:



Damn a sentance like that always creates a real visual impression of Christians being like little kids waiting for their prezzies before Christmas.

Prezzies that may not even exist

"Santa's going to reward me for being a good little boy"

"Accept the Kingdom of Heaven like a child." -Mathew



As for the nun, if it makes her happy, then so be it, but it doesn't seem to have, she's still back at square one.[/QUOTE]

She hasn't come to God through Christ. She's come from desperation. She needs to do some soul searching.



It's certainly not right from a Christian viewpoint exactly, but I bet tons of Christians think like that deep down, they just don't realise it.

It's all about getting "the goodies" [/QUOTE]

I wouldn't bet on something like that, because I couldn't prove, but it is wrong to believe just for the "goodies."

"Faith without works [of the heart] is dead." -James