Kelley Meck grows trees from seeds 100+.

Reads widely, tweets rarely.

[Kelley Meck grows trees from seeds 100+. @khmeck]

@wolftivy I do think it may be interesting to notice that individuality varies dramatically across time and place, but is something Christianity (maybe especially Western Christianity, maybe extra-especially protestantism) fosters.

[Kelley Meck grows trees from seeds 100+. @khmeck]

@wolftivy But I agree there's an element of self-focus that's part of the plan. One especially self-focused moment in life is for young people forming romantic attachments--being self-aware, pursuing one's own interest, being pursued--without that, how can a date be exciting?

[Kelley Meck grows trees from seeds 100+. @khmeck]

@wolftivy "Ought to be selfish" could sorta be true if it includes "shunning sin and clinging to goodness and love and truth" but I don't think that's what most parents would mean by that phrase if they taught it to their 10yos!
"Be selfish: shun pride and live modestly" ... hah!

[Kelley Meck grows trees from seeds 100+. @khmeck]

@wolftivy I had bad problems with Bush Jr., who I took/take as having led the US toward shallow christianity.

I see the '00s and '10s as a time when the GOP forgot that "local agenda" is the default human behavior, not serve-the-least-fortunate.

https://t.co/unBXRuxL09

[Kelley Meck grows trees from seeds 100+. @khmeck]

@wolftivy Oy vey. A sheep among wolves, that's you. The good of all is something *some* children arrive at as something they *say* makes sense, when they try to make sense of the compassion they feel for others.

[Kelley Meck grows trees from seeds 100+. @khmeck]

@wolftivy @kellycritcap Then I think you are honestly bound *not* to teach young people to say it!
I have some specific and some general concerns along these lines with my kids, especially my son (for whatever reason I think honor-bound literalism is especially common/painful for young men?).

[Kelley Meck grows trees from seeds 100+. @khmeck]

@wolftivy @kellycritcap But if you honestly think the Nicene Creed is going to be a stumbling block to the spiritual prospects of a young person taught to say it (for example, if it traps them in confusion and silence for decades when promises of resurrection etc. starts to feel 'false') ...

[Kelley Meck grows trees from seeds 100+. @khmeck]

@wolftivy You can imagine someone who decides to be loving and prayerful and extremely careful to keep a good soul doing good work at the center of their being, who daily does these things out of personal conviction, despite parents who taught them a dogma that holds these things anathema.

[Kelley Meck grows trees from seeds 100+. @khmeck]

@wolftivy Right! When different traditions raise the kids to know a particular prayer or creed, they're hoping they got it exactly right, but many of them (at least on their best days) know how fallible we all are.

[Kelley Meck grows trees from seeds 100+. @khmeck]

@wolftivy Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, visit the sick, be a loving servant to humans in need--acting this way is following the one law, and is the fruit of a faithful heart.

[Kelley Meck grows trees from seeds 100+. @khmeck]

@wolftivy A great many of the Protestant splits are formally reconciled--they agree that they have arguments about what's technically true or proper dogma, and they also agree that people with the wrong belief on these matters are not thereby on the wrong side of Jesus.