Hi
I just got in from an award ceremony. We were voted
“The Best Scottish Band Of All Time”
by the readers of The List magazine. Ha ha! I missed the bloody prizegiving, got there too late, but apparantly Stevie made a very nice acceptence speech.
“The Best Scottish Band Of All Time”! That’s going to piss a few people off.
I’m going off to bed, but I thought I’d pinch a few questions off the q and a’s since they were quite long, and stick them here. These were ones I did earlier…
I like it how some of you seem to be getting right down to some serious issues! Or even some not so serious ones! I'm not sure if I'm the man for the job, but I'll try my best!
From Elen
Hello Stuart, I hope you're well. I'm a 15 year-old from Wales, I regularly go to church, and once a month I play the organ (badly). I once played 4 verses of "Morning has broken" with the biggest hairy brown spider sat a few inches away from my lap, watching me. The thing is that even though I consider myself to be a christian, I feel more of a sense of duty to play the organ in church, rather than really feeling that I want to. I do enjoy it, but maybe not for the right reasons. I grew up in this small village and went to the local primary and Sunday school etc. So I feel that I can't let the people who have steered me through my life so far down. Do you think that this is really a reason to be christian? Because my Mum says that through wanting to help and please others, I am being christian, but I feel a bit disillusioned towards it personally. This is a bit of a scrappy question, but I hope you can give an opinion on this. Thank you for you time. With Kind Regards, Elen. P.S. Do you think spiders can be religious? Or sing "Morning has broken"?
Let’s get this straight, Elen. You ain’t a Christian unless you believe that a man was nailed on a cross until dead. He was buried, and he rose from the dead to sit by God’s right hand in heaven, to be our guide and saviour. That’s probably a bit of a harsh thing to say to a 15 year old, but let me qualify it.
The issue of how old you are is important. What did I know/believe when I was fifteen? I believed in Newtonian mechanics. I believed in getting out and earning money for myself. I believed that Yes made the best music and that my brother was an annoying dick. I belived that life would get better when I made it to the big city.
No mention of God there. I think at that time I even still trailed along to bible class, but it meant little to me. (At least, I thought it meant little to me; it means more to me now) What I’m getting at is that you are allowed time to find things out for yourself. You actually have your whole life to decide whether you are a Christian or not.
Meanwhile, I suppose by wanting to help and please others you are being a decent, regular sort of person. It’s good; ‘christian’ with a small ‘c’. Nothing to do with a cross, just a term that’s been appropriated in modern life.
Going to church, playing the organ; if it makes you feel good, do it. If it bore the tits off you, don’t! I tell you what though, I think it’s pretty cool. I also think that when you’re older and you look back you’ll be glad you did it.
Hope that helps. Take care.
Natalia Marx
Hi,Stuart.Yesterday, I was watching "Fans Only" for my first time and as appeared your scenes, I realised that you ARE MY TYPE of man!!!I'm not kidding, it's serious.The way your eyes seemed mysterious and at the same time, too beautiful...and I also instantly fell in love with your eyebrows (I think they remind me that Japanese Cartoon-Dragon Ball Z, when Goku reaches Sayajin's third form;Have you ever watched it?).Unfortunately,I'm seventeen and by now, I have no hope.Well, these are my questions: How old are you? Are you committed or single? That's all.Kiss on your cheek ^^x
Yes, Natalia, as you are seventeen, you fall into the same age category as some of my charges in the Youth Club at my church. Therefore, from me you can expect some hastily improvised Christian guidance and a bit of a sing-song.
I am more than twice your age! You would learn to make fun of my eyebrows like the rest of the kids, and soon be bored by my over serious nature and obsessions with antiquated modes of urban transport!
Your letter is appreciated though; I do wish you all the best.
Ps. In answer to your other queries
(a) I didn’t realise I had a facial similarity to Mr Ballz.
(b) I was nearly commited once
cristina
ok, i feel sort of guilty; i'be been greedy with this q and a thing. i just discovered it a few days ago, and it's so cold and rainy and dismal. my yoga class was canceled, and my classical indian dance teacher (who is usually comforting and peaceful) is depressed because her father died last week. so, you're my audience/my confessor. church. i'm the prodigal daughter, but i haven't returned. i'm afraid. is god just another pipe dream? like romantic love? i'm 2 years from 30, which could be mid life, if i die at 60. i'm the unofficial godmother to the daughter of a Hindu friend of mine. i'm supposed to find a place where she can be baptized. not sure i'm the girl for this -- i can't go into a church. i listened to joan baez singing ave maria in german the other day and broke down in tears, not happy tears. i've called priests; no one will baptize her. i feel like a fraud. and yet i don't want to urge my friend and her lovely daughter away -- maybe they'll make better sense of it than i. but they seem to think i'm the one to show them. now, finally, my question how did you do it? how do you do it? going to church. i mean, did you have any feelings of ambiguity about it? so sorry to go on with my questions -- i'll understand if you have to give the others a chance. what a greedy bitch i am!
How do I do it? I just woke up one Sunday and wondered where the nearest Church was. I knew there was one along the street. I tried to get in, but the service had already started. I noticed there was another church across the street, so I went in there, and I never left.
Thing is, I look at other people; people who speak many languages, people who can skate good, people who can fix cars like they were tying there laces, people who meditate all morning, people who are in happy, fulfilled relationships and I wonder; how do you do it?
Church is just for me I suppose. Thing is, you must be in the market for a bit of a spiritual leg-up, else you wouldn’t be asking these questions. That’s how it starts. Ask away, sincerely and with an open mind, and you will be given the answer. I do believe that. If you go looking, or even ask in prayer, you’ll find something out. It might be very small, but it’s something to go on.
As for the baptism, I can’t understand why nobody will do it! It’s sort of scandalous! Is that a Catholic thing? Try a methodist or presbyterian church. They ought not to turn you and your friend away.