TurquoiseB wrote:
> I heard an interesting story about local events
> recently that kinda inspired me. Upon moving here
> and getting to know Spain a little better, I was
> surprised to find that there are strong enclaves
> of Seventh-Day Adventists here. Whole *towns* are
> composed mainly of Seventh-Day Adventists, who
> are viewed by many of their neighbors as a little
> restrictive in their religious beliefs and in their
> lifestyles, even a bit Puritanical and cultish.
>
> In one of these towns with large numbers of Seventh-
> Day Adventists, a yoga studio opened and began
> teaching meditation and yoga and other such things.
> The Seventh-Day Adventists didn't exactly approve,
> and occasionally were pretty vocal about expressing
> their disapproval.
>
> But then one night the yoga studio burned down. It
> wasn't arson or anything like that, just an elec-
> trical short that started a fire. And so what did
> the local Seventh-Day Adventist group do about
> this? They volunteered to help the yoga teachers
> rebuild. Dozens of Seventh-Day Adventists came
> out and worked side by side with the yoga students
> to rip out the charred wood and replace it with
> new wood and get the studio up and running again.
>
> WHY did they do this? Because these folks were
> their neighbors, they said, and this is just what
> you *do* for neighbors, whether you approve of
> their lifestyle and beliefs or not.
>
> A lesson to be learned here, I suspect...
I grew up near a community of Seventh Day Adventists. The were sort of
like the "roos" of the area and locals called them "peanut eaters." I
knew quite a few and when I living back in my hometown during the 80's I
had business dealings with some. Like the Mormons they have to seek out
converts because the children rebel against the rules of the church and
leave it. Like the Mormons they can be very open minded about other's
beliefs.
