tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post5293271335846370265..comments2024-03-29T07:57:18.817-04:00Comments on Jungle Red Writers: Living Between the Questions: a guest blog by Mette Ivie Harrison Jungle Red Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646429819267618412noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-27384035370069586112014-12-31T15:09:51.413-05:002014-12-31T15:09:51.413-05:00Mette, I am always looking for new writers to enjo...Mette, I am always looking for new writers to enjoy. I am looking forward to reading your new book, "The Bishop's Wife". I was raised an Episcopalian but converted to The Church of Christ of Latter-day Saints as an adult. I struggle with some of the doctrine not the theology, I feel that is sound. However, after the unexpected death of our 28 year-old son, I found that wrapped in all the confusing doctrine and theology was Heavenly Father's tender mercies, that allowed me to live through an experience I thought I could not live through. At any rate, good show, I am looking forward to this novel.Lyndahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00487414239959301271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-70385775607534931632014-12-29T15:56:44.847-05:002014-12-29T15:56:44.847-05:00I can't wait to read your book, Mette! I have...I can't wait to read your book, Mette! I have read several of your others and loved The Princess and the Hound. I grew up Mormon and still firmly believe in the church, but my husband lost faith in God a few years ago and says he is now an atheist. I would love to read your book to try to understand some of the thoughts of those who struggle in the church. I appreciate you sharing your journey with us.katiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10222105901667764087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-5217995848008398082014-12-28T11:56:47.383-05:002014-12-28T11:56:47.383-05:00How very much I enjoyed this description of your s...How very much I enjoyed this description of your spiritual journey. Theology does raise more questions than it answers, which is informative. We just cannot know everything about God and God's will. I'm thinking that many people who think deeply go through dry spells when it comes to having faith. The good news is that those of us who are so inclined almost always find our way forward, though not as we expected. Congratulations on your new book!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-16370341863549689492014-12-27T15:24:12.587-05:002014-12-27T15:24:12.587-05:00In the past year I've been re-reading (in some...In the past year I've been re-reading (in some cases, attempting to re-read) books on spirituality that I first read in the 70s and early 80s.I've had a lot of experiences since first reading the books that affect the way I react to and even interpret their content now. Books that I could not put down 40 years ago are just not "speaking" to me now. And one that seemed sort of dry back then is so beautiful to me now that I want to read each chapter twice before moving on to the next.<br /><br />I am much more accepting of all people now, and much less rigid than I was way back then. I attribute most of that to maturity.<br /><br />Mette, I'm going to go look for your book ASAP!Deb Romanonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-88261154340589872612014-12-27T13:52:50.286-05:002014-12-27T13:52:50.286-05:00Thank you for your response, Mette. I am sad that ...Thank you for your response, Mette. I am sad that they might have been afraid of being made fun of. Maureen Harringtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03499876353651763590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-45813881906821269042014-12-27T12:33:26.414-05:002014-12-27T12:33:26.414-05:00thanks for visiting Mette--what a fascinating post...thanks for visiting Mette--what a fascinating post. I am in awe of all you do. But also dumbstruck at the idea of a scholarship competition in which they watched kids through two-way mirrors...<br /><br />Congrats on the book, looking forward to reading this one!Lucy Burdette aka Roberta Isleibhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04660402177299546055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-23810332140083180272014-12-27T12:25:15.386-05:002014-12-27T12:25:15.386-05:00I think that faith is an evolving journey that we ...I think that faith is an evolving journey that we spend our whole lives seeking answers to questions that may or may not have clear cut answers, usually the answers are, like your Ghandi question, an evolution of their own, growing over time and experience. Mette, your journey is most interesting, as I don't have the opportunity to discuss faith with Mormons where I live. I did have an interesting conversation with one of my painter's crew the other day. He is a Jehovah's Witness, which is, too, outside of my realm of experience. I grew up Methodist, changed to Baptist when I got married, and I am now without an established church organization. I was a really poor fit for Southern Baptist, but that was an evolving journey, too, as my liberal beliefs began to resurface after my attempt to provide a conventional, being-a-good-wife church stability for my children. I think the moment that I realized I had to leave the Southern Baptist church was when the preacher announced from the pulpit the dangers of reading Harry Potter. My son and I, who were fans of Harry, looked at each other and rolled our eyes. Said son is now Buddhist, and my daughter is Methodist. I consider myself a spiritual person, but I don't have an affiliation with a church. However, I have enjoyed attending my daughter's Methodist worship services. With me, I think religion will always be an open-ended affair. I don't believe that any one religion or denomination has all the answers.<br /><br />Thanks, Mette, for an interesting topic today, and I will be adding your book to my TBR list.Kathy Reelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17004247271452356577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-84709713759995440622014-12-27T11:59:54.507-05:002014-12-27T11:59:54.507-05:00Mette, that is so funny! Such a small world! : ) A...Mette, that is so funny! Such a small world! : ) And CONGRATS on the book — can't wait to read.Susan Elia MacNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00349842866995778987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-60277000226289830042014-12-27T11:36:25.971-05:002014-12-27T11:36:25.971-05:00They are likely afraid of being made fun of. I'...They are likely afraid of being made fun of. I'd suggest reading a little of the Book of Mormon and asking questions or start with some compliments about well-known Mormons.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03517024920813055018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-64253068686173660912014-12-27T11:34:06.188-05:002014-12-27T11:34:06.188-05:00Weird! Yes, Jana converted while I was at Princeto...Weird! Yes, Jana converted while I was at Princeton and I spoke at her baptism. I am now a monthly guest columnist at her site.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03517024920813055018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-45914201529211800782014-12-27T11:31:59.214-05:002014-12-27T11:31:59.214-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03517024920813055018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-62153906396761238712014-12-27T11:31:58.229-05:002014-12-27T11:31:58.229-05:00Yes! I came to the Reds Dictionary show!Yes! I came to the Reds Dictionary show!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03517024920813055018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-36994259759316216282014-12-27T11:20:04.195-05:002014-12-27T11:20:04.195-05:00In a nice bit of timing, THE BISHOP'S WIFE has...In a nice bit of timing, THE BISHOP'S WIFE has an excellent review in today's LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-ca-jc-mette-ivie-harrison-20141228-story.htmlJuliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09553268569509053159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-27894736321711885122014-12-27T11:11:03.087-05:002014-12-27T11:11:03.087-05:00Welcome, Mette! Do you know Jana Riess, a Mormon f...Welcome, Mette! Do you know Jana Riess, a Mormon feminist writer? Jana was my roommate at Wellesley.Susan Elia MacNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00349842866995778987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-24045692248534723602014-12-27T10:12:47.396-05:002014-12-27T10:12:47.396-05:00I'm always interested by people's approach...I'm always interested by people's approach to faith and religion, especially women.<br />As a catholic, I studied with nuns, then droped out of church and returned as a wife and mother. I then studied in theology and it left me with more questions than answers. I have a problem with women'roles in religions .<br />But being a reading addict, I love books written by authors of différents faiths. We learn a lot about humanity and faith and it widdens our perception of life and of God.<br />I'll certainly read The Bishop's Wife soon<br />Thank you for your post and thanks to Julia for inviting <br />youdanielle-momohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02004302871652952720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-85954161005687615792014-12-27T09:53:51.071-05:002014-12-27T09:53:51.071-05:00We three children of my parents grew up Presbyteri...We three children of my parents grew up Presbyterian. One of us is Unitarian Universalist, one highish Episcopalian, one nontraditional Catholic (women priests).<br /><br />I commented to my mother that the Presbyterians hadn't done very well by us, and my mother's response was that we all were people of faith -- even if the faiths were different, and we had all come to our decisions as thinking adults.<br /><br />The blacks and whites of childhood certainty turn into the grays of adulthood experience.<br /><br />The combination of mystery and life issues you address sounds very interesting. One more for my TBR pile. <br /><br />~ JimJim Jacksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15090252530437277145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-33298120351589255582014-12-27T09:42:02.147-05:002014-12-27T09:42:02.147-05:00Thank you so much..fascinating! Welcome Mette! Did...Thank you so much..fascinating! Welcome Mette! Didn't we meet at..Bouchercon?? <br /><br />The good that people do is still good. Hmm. Yeah, that's a quandary. (I think of Bill Cosby.)Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-75907347276305238772014-12-27T07:53:14.957-05:002014-12-27T07:53:14.957-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Maureen Harringtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03499876353651763590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-35886619755554079562014-12-27T07:00:01.665-05:002014-12-27T07:00:01.665-05:00I watched other seminarians drop out as they did v...I watched other seminarians drop out as they did very demanding critical work with biblical source materials. When faced with a new understanding of the foundation of their practiced faith they could not continue their preparation for ministry. Some just packed up and went home, disappearing in the night. Others switched to masters and doctoral programs in theology or religious studies. Their faith-based lives were real, but they were founded in misunderstanding of how faith plays out in religion as a conceptual and interpretive existence that cannot be an easy ticket to salvation--one that is not as concrete as it may appear.Maureen Harringtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03499876353651763590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-5774321177276888502014-12-27T06:58:00.811-05:002014-12-27T06:58:00.811-05:00(And perhaps I should have mentioned that my other...(And perhaps I should have mentioned that my other sister is a Buddhist and I'm a Quaker, so we sometimes have very interesting but gently-trod conversations about faith and practice!)Edith Maxwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01388006370860482509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-24392719425079947952014-12-27T06:56:00.077-05:002014-12-27T06:56:00.077-05:00Mette, thank you for sharing your experiences in s...Mette, thank you for sharing your experiences in such a thoughtful way. My older sister has been a Mormon since her college days and is a mystery addict, too. I'll alert her to your book. And will add it to my own TBR pile!Edith Maxwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01388006370860482509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-9624266836354053662014-12-27T04:10:34.559-05:002014-12-27T04:10:34.559-05:00I enjoyed reading “The Bishop’s Wife” and found my...I enjoyed reading “The Bishop’s Wife” and found myself cheering for Linda as she tenaciously grappled with issues; the unraveling of the mysteries certainly kept me involved in the story.<br />While I suspect we would all like to have life come with easy answers and less-flawed heroes, that does not seem to be the way of a world filled with so many unanswerable questions. Nor does it change the fact that the good that people do is still good. Thanks for a thought-provoking story.Joan Emersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06810313925049108163noreply@blogger.com