Jinjer 53: Telework, Teleschool, or Telenothing?

[Pecansforeveryone]

Yes, the most standard and recognized degree for ministers is MDIV.  

[marmalade]

LA County is suing Grace Community Church w/r/t public safety. This bears watching. 

[artdecades]

41 minutes ago, marmalade said:

LA County is suing Grace Community Church w/r/t public safety. This bears watching. 

The church is suing back. JinJer is silent. I live not too far from there so this is very relevant to me. We already have some of the highest number of cases in the County.

[just_ordinary]

On 8/13/2020 at 2:17 AM, Jigsaw3 said:

Greek and Hebrew are HARD. They use different alphabets, to start with, and English speakers need to learn new grammatical concepts. Hebrew is written from right to left and vowels are represented in a different way. Biblical Greek is easier than Classical Greek, but that's only a relative comparison: it has multiple verb forms and declensions for nouns and pronouns. My advanced Latin gives me a good grammatical basis to learn Greek, but I still had an extremely hard time learning it and wouldn't say I know it.

Greek and Hebrew are the biggest hurdles for most seminary students. If Jeremy couldn't bother to put in the effort to learn Spanish, or is not a natural with languages, he's really going to struggle here. It's going to take hours and hours of memorization and dedication to pick up a working knowledge of the languages. He had the dedication to make it in professional sports (success in even minor league soccer requires endless hours of fitness and grinding out those drills) so I'm not going to count him out, but if he doesn't find that work ethic again he's going to be in big trouble.

Am I wrong or don’t most languages use different grammatical concepts if they are from a different language family? 

Fundies love to memorise the bible, so I say he definitely has the requirements for countless hours of memorising. The benefit of reading the bible in the original text could be a big driving force. And with speaking Hebrew he would be even more Jesus like. Another question is what level he needs to reach out pass. Sometimes the requirements are pretty basic.

15 hours ago, Zebedee said:

I absolutely suck at learning languages to actually speak (witness my useless German three years after moving here - I can read it fine, but writing/speaking/hearing I'm appalling.) However, Latin came really easily to me, and Greek wasn't hard, thanks to the years of Latin. Not saying Jeremy isn't a tool, he might just suck at the active parts like conversing in a foreign language, and find non-spoken language easier to pick up. Of course, he also seems ueber-lazy, arrogant and not perhaps the sharpest knife in the block, so... God, he annoys me so much!

Speak, speak, speak. As in most countries, people love it when you make the effort. Watch and listen to German tv and radio. I find the more I am surrounded by a language the easier it’s to subconsciously fall into the right rhythms and pronunciations when speaking. And you get used to hearing it- though as long as you don’t watch certain shows or trash tv you won’t be exposed to certain dialects or normal/“lower class” slang. Most of our tv landscape either uses standard German or shows synchronised (and therefore also standard German) shows. In some regions dialects are more prominent (North, East, South) and it even takes us Germans a while to get used to it when we go there. Especially as there is dialect as a slight difference in pronunciation and DIALECT as an almost completely different language.

 

In general I always have go chuckle reading Master of Divinity. Here people study theology and not Divinity. The joke gets probably lost in translation but I think I would pee my pants if someone would introduce themselves as Master of the Divine to me.

[Zebedee]

2 hours ago, just_ordinary said:

Speak, speak, speak.

I'm trying! I have oboe lessons, and my teacher doesn't speak English, but she makes so much effort to understand me - and speaks nice and slowly. Plus, although I live in Schwaben, she grew up near Hamburg, and speaks like a language CD; also Online classes 4 x 1.5 hours per week  I am just finishing A1, A2 starts next week. My main problem with speaking is that I am very unsociable, in any language, lol.

I've had a couple of embarrassing moments, though. Once, after I was listening to Wagner, I managed to forget every phrase for goodbye, and told the gas station attendant "Leb wohl". (Wagnerian German isn't how people speak, it seems, haha).

The worst was in the supermarket - buying a persimmon, and the cashier asked what it was for the till. Turns out there is a huge difference between "Kaki" and "Kaka" *cough*.

[Coconut Flan]

14 hours ago, artdecades said:

The church is suing back. JinJer is silent. I live not too far from there so this is very relevant to me. We already have some of the highest number of cases in the County.

How is the smoke?  

[DarkAnts]

Jinger and Jeremy are probably smart enough to know that it would be a PR nightmare for them if they openly supported their churches decision to illegally have in person services. 

[marmalade]

Lawyers from the Thomas More Society are defending the church.

https://www.thomasmoresociety.org/

[SassyPants]

I wonder if it’s against the congregation’s religious liberties to hold outdoor services, while socially distancing? That’s what our local Catholic Church is doing, in addition to Zoom services. 

[Mama Mia]

2 hours ago, SassyPants said:

I wonder if it’s against the congregation’s religious liberties to hold outdoor services, while socially distancing? That’s what our local Catholic Church is doing, in addition to Zoom services. 

Are they allowed to do outdoor services? I was under the impression those weren’t allowed either if the county is under watch? 

[marmalade]

The church did hold outdoor services and kept up with that even after they reopened. But obviously, the covidiots flocked indoors.

[SassyPants]

10 hours ago, Mama Mia said:

Are they allowed to do outdoor services? I was under the impression those weren’t allowed either if the county is under watch? 

We are under  watch and you can hold outdoor services, as far as I know. Maybe they are in a different phase?

[livinginthelight]

10 hours ago, Mama Mia said:

Are they allowed to do outdoor services? I was under the impression those weren’t allowed either if the county is under watch? 

Outdoor services are allowed with distancing, but not indoor. So the county is suing them, and they are countersuing.

I am in neighboring Ventura County and we have the same problem with a large church (Godspeak Church) with a pastor (Rob McCoy) who clearly has political aspirations. I guarantee you will hear his name on a national stage down the road. They are worshiping indoors, no masks. A  congregation of 1,000. Our county slapped a restraining order on them, and they openly defied it. They requested a judge change (California law allows this one time) and the new judge blocked the county from enforcing the restraining order. There is a hearing set for next week.

The pastor of this church has called the pandemic a "Scamdemic" and is screaming about first amendment rights to worship, and how worship is essential, and how if BLM protests can happen and marijuana dispensaries can be classified as essential, churches should be classified as essential too. He says no one in his congregation has gotten sick - not one - showing the county is way overracting..

Oh, and they can't worship outdoors because they wouldn't all fit at the same time, and there is a person in the staff who is allergic to sunlight. Yes, sunlight, and this is a valid reason to bring the service indoors.

McCoy is a former city council member who resigned in April due to "conscience" reasons because he started holding indoor services and saw a conflict between his "faith" and his duties as a city councilman. What he actually saw, IMO, was an opportunity to become a right-wing hero.

 

Edited August 15, 2020 by livinginthelight

[Coconut Flan]

Yes, outdoor, socially distanced services are allowed.  They are simply wanting to disregard the public health of thousands of southern Californians.  My neighbors who go to church are going outside in various configurations. 

[Pecansforeveryone]

There may very well be a member who is allergic to sunlight. At one time, I believe a member of FJ mentioned being allergic to sunlight. However, you can't risk the very lives of many over this. That person may have to do virtual services. 

[Coconut Flan]

I have systemic lupus and react to sunlight with rashes and lupus flare ups.  Never, ever would I expect people to risk their health because of that.  I simply opt out of activities where I can't avoid sun exposure.  

I doubt the person with the sun problem requested that they start up indoor services.  They are using the person as an excuse.  They may have asked for a sun covering to be put up over an area for people with similar problems.

[HerNameIsBuffy]

1 minute ago, Coconut Flan said:

I have systemic lupus and react to sunlight with rashes and lupus flare ups.  Never, ever would I expect people to risk their health because of that.  I simply opt out of activities where I can't avoid sun exposure.  

That is because you're a reasonable and considerate person.  

[artdecades]

22 hours ago, Coconut Flan said:

How is the smoke?  

I must be too far south because i am not getting any smoke

1 hour ago, Pecansforeveryone said:

There may very well be a member who is allergic to sunlight. At one time, I believe a member of FJ mentioned being allergic to sunlight. However, you can't risk the very lives of many over this. That person may have to do virtual services. 

IIRC they had a tent situation before going back to indoor services. We are currently under a massive heat wave but when they decided to open the weather was mild. There are so many ways to go to church online if you have a medical issue that reopening is just nonsensical.

[MathQueen]

The LA Times had a story on this a couple of days ago.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-13/la-county-sues-church-for-violating-covid-19-orders-with-indoor-worship-services

[artdecades]

To put into context how bad it is in the East Valley, where the church is located and JinJer presumably live, look at this chart

http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/coronavirus/locations.htm

Now, GCC is technically in Sun Valley, and you can look at those numbers, but I would consider it more Panorama City. Both areas have terrible numbers and if you look at the other surrounding communities where attendees would  live (pacoima, sylmar, north hollywood, sunland) the numbers are terrible in comparison with the rest of the city of LA.

[SassyPants]

Interesting that these folks tend to be OT, legalistic literalists until they are on the wrong side of the law. Then all bets are off. Why isn’t outdoor service sufficient? Why be a big, ole, collective a-hole when there is a perfectly good, sane option that achieves the same spiritual goal? 
 

WWJD? 

[allthegoodnamesrgone]

I'm in the land of state run COVIDIOT Kim Reynolds, we never went into shutdown, we do NOT have a mask mandate, she's insisting that schools go in person at least 50% of the time or you do not get credit for on line classes. Des Moines PS, the largest school district in the state said, fuck you, we're not going back to in person we're doing 100% on line, they don't have the funds and resources to do both.  The 2nd largest school district also said NOPE as well, as did several smaller ones so the IA dept of Ed stepped in and said fine, if you dare go against dear leaders commands you can't play ANY sports or have any in person extra curriculars, I'm assuming to piss off parents to force districts to do as trump Kimmy demands.  

As for the churchs we used to attend went right back to indoor in person as soon as the churches were allowed to open last month. They also had in person VBS. This church is a mix of fundy light and full on fundy people. This was the church were a member tried to kick me out of my own house when I stated I was happy Iowa made gay marriage legal, she went on a rant and then I pointed out she was on her THIRD husband. 

The Methodist church down the street from my house has been doing outdoor services most Sundays, I was running errands last Saturday and saw a ton of cars and was like who is having a party? But it was an outdoor funeral,  they set up canopies, beach umbrellas and lawn chairs scattered around the large yard on the church property, it was a pretty good sized gathering you could see groups of 2/3/4 people under each canopy, with what I assume where family members. I was miserably hot and sunny so the shade was nice, I also noticed some large fans to move the THICK air around to help. 

From what I've noticed the fundy churches are typically GOP toting COVID what COVID and meeting in person where as the others are being a little more reasonable. 

[Not that josh's mom]

2 hours ago, allthegoodnamesrgone said:

I'm in the land of state run COVIDIOT Kim Reynolds, we never went into shutdown, we do NOT have a mask mandate, she's insisting that schools go in person at least 50% of the time or you do not get credit for on line classes. Des Moines PS, the largest school district in the state said, fuck you, we're not going back to in person we're doing 100% on line, they don't have the funds and resources to do both.  The 2nd largest school district also said NOPE as well, as did several smaller ones so the IA dept of Ed stepped in and said fine, if you dare go against dear leaders commands you can't play ANY sports or have any in person extra curriculars, I'm assuming to piss off parents to force districts to do as trump Kimmy demands.  

As for the churchs we used to attend went right back to indoor in person as soon as the churches were allowed to open last month. They also had in person VBS. This church is a mix of fundy light and full on fundy people. This was the church were a member tried to kick me out of my own house when I stated I was happy Iowa made gay marriage legal, she went on a rant and then I pointed out she was on her THIRD husband. 

The Methodist church down the street from my house has been doing outdoor services most Sundays, I was running errands last Saturday and saw a ton of cars and was like who is having a party? But it was an outdoor funeral,  they set up canopies, beach umbrellas and lawn chairs scattered around the large yard on the church property, it was a pretty good sized gathering you could see groups of 2/3/4 people under each canopy, with what I assume where family members. I was miserably hot and sunny so the shade was nice, I also noticed some large fans to move the THICK air around to help. 

From what I've noticed the fundy churches are typically GOP toting COVID what COVID and meeting in person where as the others are being a little more reasonable. 

Also Iowa and completely disgusted with our governor. I thought she did well early, then she went to Washington for a personal meeting with Trump. After that she seemed to be just following his "suggestions".

Now her demand that everyone go to school is making me furious. One school had a positive first grader after two days. So that class and staff are under quarantine for 14 days. Wouldn't it be harder on kids, staff and parents to go three days, out 14, repeat? Because they will repeat. The kids can't go to daycare, shouldn't go to grandparents, so a parent has to take off work.  Absolutely stupid!!!!

Just had relatives in town from a state that requires masks, and they were amazed at how few people they saw wearing masks here. No customers or clerks with masks. They wore masks, as did we, were six feet apart, and talked in the driveway. Keep in mind these were people I love dearly, haven't seen in 7 years and I'm a hugger. Damn! 

 

 

[marmalade]

Judge rules in favor of Grace Community Church. They can hold socially distanced, masked indoor services.

https://www.dailynews.com/judge-rules-in-favor-of-indoor-church-service-in-sun-valley

[Pecansforeveryone]

I tend to think there will be severe bending of the rules regarding social distancing, especially as I didn't see the judge set a cap regarding number of attendees out of a congregation of thousands.