Quotes on the topic of Religion
If you quote materials from the OLOHP website, please make sure to give us the credit!
If you quote materials from the OLOHP website, please make sure to give us the credit!
JoAnn, born 1939
I learned [in high school] that it was a mortal sin to kiss a boy for more than a minute. (chuckling) But no one ever mentioned anything about kissing girls. Nobody said anything, that it was good, or bad or not. Okay! So, from my point of view, when I got to be 32 years old and discovered there was another way of life besides boys, I didn’t have any feelings of guilt, whatsoever, about kissing a girl. I never had been told it was a mortal sin to kiss a girl for more than a minute.
Carol, born 1938
My first awareness of any kind of religion was when I would go to sleep at night and pray to Jesus. They used to have these religious education trailers out in front of schools as long as they weren’t on the school property. If your parents okayed it, you could be sent to get some religious education. I went to that a few times. That’s where I heard about Jesus. I didn’t know anything about Jesus. I used to go to sleep at night before our ballgames and say, “Okay, if Jesus loves me, then it won’t rain, so I can play my ballgame tomorrow." (laughing) That was the closest that I ever got to religion.
My first awareness of any kind of religion was when I would go to sleep at night and pray to Jesus. They used to have these religious education trailers out in front of schools as long as they weren’t on the school property. If your parents okayed it, you could be sent to get some religious education. I went to that a few times. That’s where I heard about Jesus. I didn’t know anything about Jesus. I used to go to sleep at night before our ballgames and say, “Okay, if Jesus loves me, then it won’t rain, so I can play my ballgame tomorrow." (laughing) That was the closest that I ever got to religion.
Mary, born 1927
My friend and I were together all the time. We both fell in love with the nuns. That, we knew, was real love. We would get up in the morning before 6:00 and it was dark in the winter. We’d walk that mile and a half in the freezing winter cold, to school and to the convent. We’d watch the nuns come out of the convent and go into St. Patrick’s Church. We would go in and we’d watch their every move. We were just taken with them. One day, I remember one of them coming out said, “You two look frozen. Come in and have some hot chocolate.” Boy, we were going into the innards of the convent, (laughing) into their refectory, their dining room. They were a mystery to us and we just loved them.
My friend and I were together all the time. We both fell in love with the nuns. That, we knew, was real love. We would get up in the morning before 6:00 and it was dark in the winter. We’d walk that mile and a half in the freezing winter cold, to school and to the convent. We’d watch the nuns come out of the convent and go into St. Patrick’s Church. We would go in and we’d watch their every move. We were just taken with them. One day, I remember one of them coming out said, “You two look frozen. Come in and have some hot chocolate.” Boy, we were going into the innards of the convent, (laughing) into their refectory, their dining room. They were a mystery to us and we just loved them.
Joanne, born 1932
After Bev moved in and the rumors began to fly with regard to what was happening to our relationship. The pastor came over one evening and asked if he could have a private discussion with me. We went out to the office and he said that he understood Bev had moved in and that I was having a relationship with Bev, and was that true? I said, "Yes." Then he wanted to know if it was sexual, and I said, "That's true, but that's not all of it." He immediately stood up and said to me that he could no longer be my pastor and further. He left the office and left the house, and I didn't exchange another word with him after that. I did hear however that at a visitation for one of the church members who had died he told my husband he and his wife had had a mock funeral for me in their parsonage after he had returned home.
After Bev moved in and the rumors began to fly with regard to what was happening to our relationship. The pastor came over one evening and asked if he could have a private discussion with me. We went out to the office and he said that he understood Bev had moved in and that I was having a relationship with Bev, and was that true? I said, "Yes." Then he wanted to know if it was sexual, and I said, "That's true, but that's not all of it." He immediately stood up and said to me that he could no longer be my pastor and further. He left the office and left the house, and I didn't exchange another word with him after that. I did hear however that at a visitation for one of the church members who had died he told my husband he and his wife had had a mock funeral for me in their parsonage after he had returned home.
Anonymous, born 1937
There wasn't any information at that time. I believed I was committing this horrible sin. The only thing I saw about it was in a list of sins in my little prayer book. Sodomy, having to do with men having sex with each other, made me think I must be committing that sin, although I wasn't even sure of its meaning.
There wasn't any information at that time. I believed I was committing this horrible sin. The only thing I saw about it was in a list of sins in my little prayer book. Sodomy, having to do with men having sex with each other, made me think I must be committing that sin, although I wasn't even sure of its meaning.
