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My mother-in-law's new religion
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I think my mother-in-law has a new religion - conservatism.


My mother-in-law is a sweet woman. She is a retired teacher with a master's degree. She has always been very involved in her church, and still is. In the last 10 years, my father-in-law passed away and she retired. She now watches Fox News almost non-stop. Well, except for when we are there as we ask her to turn it off.

She lives out of town and came to stay with us for a few days so she could watch my son graduate from high school.

Even though she is a devout Christian, she has a "Women for Trump" sticker on her car. I asked her if she wanted me to scrape it off, and she said no. She didn't want anyone to think that she is a Hillary supporter. Yeah, because those are the only two options. I can't reconcile a christian woman supporting Trump.

I did my best to avoid being around her, but even still I heard her mention "liberals" quite a few times - always as a pejorative term.

My wife was talking about her job for the state of Florida as a school nurse. She was saying that they have given the school nurses more responsibilities, requiring them to do more - but no increase in pay. My mother-in-law said that it was the liberals fault because they want big government. I couldn't hold my tongue and asked her if she really thought that liberals were the only ones who tried to get more from their employees.

My kids and I don't want to be around her because just about every conversation turns to some opportunity for her to blast liberals and democrats. It used to be that she used every opportunity to praise her god, but now she uses it to express her disdain for liberals.
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Re: My mother-in-law's new religion [rick_pcfl] [ In reply to ]
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Has she ever called for "muscle" to get liberals out of her way?
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Re: My mother-in-law's new religion [rick_pcfl] [ In reply to ]
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How are you coping with this??? Please add to this list.

________
It doesn't really matter what Phil is saying, the music of his voice is the appropriate soundtrack for a bicycle race. HTupolev
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Re: My mother-in-law's new religion [rick_pcfl] [ In reply to ]
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Talk of religion is largely frowned upon in our house, so (naturally) politics are seldom brought up.

"The right to party is a battle we have fought, but we'll surrender and go Amish... NOT!" -Wayne Campbell
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Re: My mother-in-law's new religion [rick_pcfl] [ In reply to ]
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Sorry to hear about that, it must be a real bowl of peaches to have to listen to it in real life, it's annoying enough from the few people who do it on an internet forum.
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Re: My mother-in-law's new religion [H-] [ In reply to ]
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H- wrote:
How are you coping with this??? Please add to this list.

Ha! It is easy. I stay away from her. I only go to her house once or twice a year for holidays, and she typically comes to visit 2-3 times a year for the kids' birthdays.
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Re: My mother-in-law's new religion [rick_pcfl] [ In reply to ]
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Life would be so much easier and enlightened for you if you'd just accept the fact that Jesus was an American, conservative Republican, towing the party line and the social policies espoused by the Franklin Grahams of our world. I worry for your Hell-bound soul.
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Re: My mother-in-law's new religion [rick_pcfl] [ In reply to ]
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I had this to say about Fox News' affect on people a few months ago...

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...ost=6231210#p6231210
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Re: My mother-in-law's new religion [rick_pcfl] [ In reply to ]
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Right wing rhetoric seems to be getting more shrill and extreme. I grew up in a small town conservative family but we weren't "crazy conservative." We had rifles and shotguns but my dad really didn't like handguns so he wasn't a super NRA type. Also, my family wasn't religious. My mom was an atheist and my dad believed in some sort of benevolent creator but thought all religions were bogus. They were reliable Republican voters and in their parlance "liberal" and "democrat" were synonyms for idiot. I got out of my small town and started to loose my provincial attitudes. I became more liberal but my brothers who stayed in the small town got more conservative. Both of my brothers are now devout Christians. They are also gun nuts and are sure that the only thing keeping jack booted government thugs from taking everything and giving it away to blacks, feminists and Muslims is armed patriotic Americans who they still fear. Years ago my oldest brother explained that apes that learned sign language displayed an IQ of 80 which was also the average score of blacks. He said that there are some smart blacks who can become doctors, lawyers, engineers and scientists but most of them only have the intellect for menial jobs and were probably better off as slaves. Now both my brothers have been posting crap on Facebook that comes from white supremacist and Christian nationalist sources. I suppose if I never left my small town and only heard extreme right wing propaganda I might be as crazy conservative as they are. Every time we get together I do ask myself how I can be related to these people.
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Re: My mother-in-law's new religion [SH] [ In reply to ]
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SH wrote:
I had this to say about Fox News' affect on people a few months ago...

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...ost=6231210#p6231210

My father had not switched and Fox News is often on when we go to their house. He's a traditional southern Democrat that hasn't made the jump to the Republicans. Maybe because he's not religious or a gun nut (we always had shotguns for hunting in the house when I was a kid, but he doesn't hunt anymore so he gave them to one of my brothers). He's pretty racist though and somehow even Obama didn't cause him to flip.
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Re: My mother-in-law's new religion [rick_pcfl] [ In reply to ]
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    Have you mentioned to her that you became a Muslim, and expect the wife too as well?
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Re: My mother-in-law's new religion [rick_pcfl] [ In reply to ]
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rick_pcfl wrote:
She now watches Fox News almost non-stop. Well, except for when we are there as we ask her to turn it off.
At least she allows you to turn it off.

My FIL leaves it on in his bedroom 24/7. When he gets up in the morning, he turns on the TV in the living room and puts it on there. The one concession he's made is I can turn the volume down while we're eating. Ms Tostig and I always find some reason to leave the house for a few minutes every day so that we can have some peace and quiet.

But I now know that I should be buying gold, I need Life Alert, and a reverse mortgage is the way to go.

"Human existence is based upon two pillars: Compassion and knowledge. Compassion without knowledge is ineffective; Knowledge without compassion is inhuman." Victor Weisskopf.
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Re: My mother-in-law's new religion [dave_w] [ In reply to ]
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dave_w wrote:
Have you mentioned to her that you became a Muslim, and expect the wife too as well?

Expect? Expect??!!?? My wife better do whatever I tell her to do.

The M-I-L would freak out if she learned that my wife and I both agree with gay marriage.
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Re: My mother-in-law's new religion [rick_pcfl] [ In reply to ]
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Sounds like early Alzheimers. Get a conservatorship. Toss her in a home. Spend her money on booze and strippers and have the last laugh.

"The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do."
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Re: My mother-in-law's new religion [rick_pcfl] [ In reply to ]
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Sounds much like my parents. They have toned it down when we kindly told them to calm it down a bit.

It will be interesting the summer when we learn that we cut the cable. Though I'm sure they will be on their smartphones more than ever.
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Re: My mother-in-law's new religion [Alvin Tostig] [ In reply to ]
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Alvin Tostig wrote:
rick_pcfl wrote:
She now watches Fox News almost non-stop. Well, except for when we are there as we ask her to turn it off.
At least she allows you to turn it off.

My FIL leaves it on in his bedroom 24/7. When he gets up in the morning, he turns on the TV in the living room and puts it on there. The one concession he's made is I can turn the volume down while we're eating. Ms Tostig and I always find some reason to leave the house for a few minutes every day so that we can have some peace and quiet.

But I now know that I should be buying gold, I need Life Alert, and a reverse mortgage is the way to go.

He lives with you and you have to concede?
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Re: My mother-in-law's new religion [EndlessH2O] [ In reply to ]
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EndlessH2O wrote:
Alvin Tostig wrote:
rick_pcfl wrote:
She now watches Fox News almost non-stop. Well, except for when we are there as we ask her to turn it off.
At least she allows you to turn it off.

My FIL leaves it on in his bedroom 24/7. When he gets up in the morning, he turns on the TV in the living room and puts it on there. The one concession he's made is I can turn the volume down while we're eating. Ms Tostig and I always find some reason to leave the house for a few minutes every day so that we can have some peace and quiet.

But I now know that I should be buying gold, I need Life Alert, and a reverse mortgage is the way to go.

He lives with you and you have to concede?
No, they live six hours away. We visit/stay with them a few times each year. I get my Fox News exposure when we visit them.

He also likes to go to his donut shop in the morning. I go with him sometimes. A bunch of like minded old guys complaining about "them liberals!"

There must be herbal tea shops somewhere where the MSNBC crowd hangs out.

"Human existence is based upon two pillars: Compassion and knowledge. Compassion without knowledge is ineffective; Knowledge without compassion is inhuman." Victor Weisskopf.
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Re: My mother-in-law's new religion [rick_pcfl] [ In reply to ]
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Sounds exactly like my Father in law. Liberals this liberals that. He never referred to the former president as Obama, it was always Bimbo (wtf!).
I'm conservative and often in general agreement with him but just get tired of it all.
You have my sympathy
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Re: My mother-in-law's new religion [MLCRISES] [ In reply to ]
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A few minutes ago I told my wife that I couldn't believe that her mom supported Trump. She defended her mom (nothing wrong with that) and said that Trump is her president, and that she should support him. I let it go instead of telling her that I don't remember seeing an Obama sticker over the previous 8 years.
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Re: My mother-in-law's new religion [rick_pcfl] [ In reply to ]
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My brother rails on Facebook about the "liberal agenda". Twice now I have asked him to define the "liberal agenda" (it sounds so scary doesn't it?). He has ignored the request both times.

How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?
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Re: My mother-in-law's new religion [AndysStrongAle] [ In reply to ]
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AndysStrongAle wrote:
Sounds much like my parents. They have toned it down when we kindly told them to calm it down a bit.

It will be interesting the summer when we learn that we cut the cable. Though I'm sure they will be on their smartphones more than ever.

Wouldn't it have been easier to avoid them like the OP? It's only family right?
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Re: My mother-in-law's new religion [Perseus] [ In reply to ]
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Perseus wrote:
AndysStrongAle wrote:
Sounds much like my parents. They have toned it down when we kindly told them to calm it down a bit.

It will be interesting the summer when we learn that we cut the cable. Though I'm sure they will be on their smartphones more than ever.


Wouldn't it have been easier to avoid them like the OP? It's only family right?

They live halfway across the country, so we avoid plenty. It has not gotten to the point where I'm going to deny them visits to their infant/toddler grandchildren. Plus when they are over, my wife and I get free babysitters.
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Re: My mother-in-law's new religion [rick_pcfl] [ In reply to ]
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Why don't you tell her to shut the fuck up while in your home regarding politics, religion, etc? or is it to hard to pull your man pants?

My MIL and SIL are exactly the same, but the opposite politics. Hysterical liberals. I told them, "knock that shit off when in my home, or don't visit, if I want to hear liberal gibberish I will visit the LR".
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Re: My mother-in-law's new religion [dvfmfidc] [ In reply to ]
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dvfmfidc wrote:
Why don't you tell her to shut the fuck up while in your home regarding politics, religion, etc? or is it to hard to pull your man pants?

My MIL and SIL are exactly the same, but the opposite politics. Hysterical liberals. I told them, "knock that shit off when in my home, or don't visit, if I want to hear liberal gibberish I will visit the LR".

She is still my wife's mother, so I'll show some respect to her. I have asked her to avoid talking politics around me and the kids - and she does. I will admit that I violated that request by asking her if she wanted me to remove her Trump sticker from her car. I don't think it is reasonable to demand that she avoid the topic when it is just her and my wife as that would be a bit controlling.

A few years ago I told her that she was driving her daughter away with her constant " you should just turn to God" talk. My wife and I met in a church and were very active for about the first 20 years of our marriage. About 4-5 years ago we stopped going to church, though my wife still has religious beliefs. The problem was that she wanted to be able to talk to her mom about some struggles she was having without being preached to. But, every time her mom turned it into a "you need to get back in church" discussion. My wife got tired of it and started growing distant from her mom. They've always been close, so I called her mom and told her that she needed to have a discussion without forcing religion into it. She listened and they're close again.

She is a sweet lady. She has just gotten a bit too immersed in one-sided politics. I will admit that several years ago I was just like her. I quit listening to conservative talk radio because it was making me too angry.
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