Where have you lived and traveled? (salvation, Buddhism, hell, protestant)

[Jumbo10]

Just curious where people on this sub-forum have lived and traveled and how it may or may not influence religious views.

[Rbbi1]

I've been to 44 of 50 States, lived in 2, plus Canada and Mexico. Planning a trip to Europe soon. Peace

[TroutDude]

Canada, parts of the US, Iceland, Scotland, England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Austria, Germany, Yugoslavia, Greece and Italy. May have forgotten one or two.

[zthatzmanz28]

Traveled through 44 states, not including current residence in Michigan. Lived in Pennsylvania (Honey Brook), North Carolina (Fayetteville, Clayton and Zebulon), Florida (Okeechobee), Colorado (Boulder), Wisconsin (Madison) and in 4-6 different cities here in Michigan.
Also traveled Canada in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario (lot of time in Windsor and Toronto).
Finally traveled Europe around Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg (saw a great circus there one night), Belgium, Netherlands (loved the canal and the Anne Frank House.) and England.

I would say living in Madison had the greatest influence on my "religious" views. I went there to work as a live in attendant with a young man, around 23 years of age then, (1996) living independently with cerebral palsy. I became immersed in the CP community and spent 16 months living with some of the greatest people I have ever had the honor of knowing.
I taught in the area schools during the day and spent the afternoon (from 4:00 PM--1:00 AM) within the CP community around Madison--mostly on State Street and the UW Student Union.
I went to Wisconsin a hardcore fundamentalist--I mean I would make 99% of the evangelicals here look like radical liberals

I arrived in Madison June 1996 ready to convert the city to Jesus and start my life as I had just left my first teaching job in Michigan after graduation EMU.
I had spent the summer of 1983 in Madison, so I was somewhat familiar with what I was walking into

Previously I had worked in a sheltered workshop with adults living with various disabilities so I thought I was prepared for a live in attendant position.

The first month was relatively quiet as it was summer and I just hung out with my "consumer" and walked the 2 miles to East Towne Mall everyday.
One day my consumer wanted to go out on a Friday night. I thought it was dangerous to be out walking at night as one might be hit by a car if it was too dark. Ralph (not really) rolled over to be in his power chair and using the speech program on his modified laptop said--I HAVE A VAN....well if that wasn't a shock..
After a month of walking, he tells me he has a van...

From that day forward, we drove everywhere...Ralph loved to go see the girls at Bullwinkle's on Friday and Saturday night. I would go with him a few times, but it was obvious I cramped his style. So I dropped him off at 10:00 PM and picked him up at 2:00 AM.

At this time, my views were relatively intact...Ralph was having harmless fun at the bar and I got a few hours alone time to read and study.

Then Ralph dropped the big one...He wanted to go to a bar at 3554 east washington. SO I rolled ho into the van and drove to the address only to find it was a strip club--not even close to GENTLEMAN'S club..I mean this is as gritty as they come..no pun intended..if you have ever been to or driven by this place you know just how raunchy it is..

Suddenly everything that was self-righteous in me just poured out..I started praying, crying and pleading for Ralph to stay in the van....I threw EVERY chapter and verse I knew at him...I threatened to expose his dirty secret to his family (turned out they all knew) but Ralph was determined to go...
I just rolled him outta the van and left, saying I would return at 2:00 Am to pick him up...

I drove to some 24 hour restaurant, Denny's I think, and started drinking coffee and praying..I prayed so hard and so long that caffeine poured from my pores...what had I gotten myself into???

when i returned to this bar at 2:00 AM, I was told to go in...I was shaking..WHAT?? GO INSIDE??? Again I heard GO IN.....

When I entered the bar there were 2-3 guys there who should have been NFL linebackers (found out later they played UW football and were really linebackers) I told them I was picking up Ralph and they looked at each other and busted out laughing--YOU MUST BE HIS NEW ROOM MATE!!! COME ON IN!!

As I walked into the bar area, I was introduced to the WHOLE bar..everyone turned and yelled HELLO and all the women were gathered around Ralph laughing and helping him finish his drink--A LARGE COKE...
The music was off and everyone started talking about Ralph and how glad they were to see him back (he had not been out in more than a month due to living arrangements being changed) and then they told me about all the different times Ralph had been there and what a difference he made in the attitude of the customers and employees.

This scene would play out over ad over again during the next 12 months I was with Ralph. Suddenly Ralph was no longer a consumer, buying my time, he was a room mate, sharing my time.

As I became more involved with the CP community, the more my religious beliefs changed. I started to see everyone as a neighbor, not broken sinners in need of salvation--rather as PEOPLE in need of respect, encouragement and engagement.

It was during that summer I realized fundamentalism had too many criteria for people and myself to live up to and that there was only one means to changing people---LOVE. It was all too obvious that CHASTISING, RIDICULE and being PUNITIVE was never going to bring about change.

I could write a novel about my journey in Madison during 1996. Everyday was another view of God..Every encounter was another discussion with Christ...and every person was to be LOVED, EMBRACED and CHERISHED, regardless of any difference.

[fishbrains]

I have lived in 4 countries. Canada, USA, and a couple of Asian countries as a child.

In Canada I have lived in 3 provinces, and in the US 5 different states. I have traveled to all Canadian provinces and territories, and 45 out of 50 states. As an adult I have been to U.K., Italy, Mexico, Indonesia, a few Carribean islands, Bermuda, Costa Rica, and Turkey, plus passed through a number of others. As a kid I have been to many more.

I have relatives in US, Canada, and several Western European countries.

The tie to religion is interesting. As a young kid, many of my friends were missionary children. Their parents were trying to convert predominantly Catholic Asians to some variety of Protestantism. Later, I lived in a Moslem country, but expats worked in the oil industry. I doubt missionaries could get visas. Traveling during the summers I experienced Buddhism, Hinduism, sikhs, etc.

All in all, I had a fairly wide exposure to religion when I was young, and as an adult I have had a similarly diverse experience. I do remember being confused as to why my friends parents were trying to convert Catholics to a variety of different Protestant sects, as I didn't see much difference at the time.

[Basiliximab]

Originally Posted by Jumbo10

Just curious where people on this sub-forum have lived and traveled and how it may or may not influence religious views.

Lived in several places. Raised in Northwest Indiana. Moved for a year to coastal North Carolina. Then went to southern Indiana for college. Then I went to Las Vegas where I lived for 9 years. After that I moved to western North Carolina for 2 years, and now I live in south central Pennsylvania--where I hope to stay! Love it here and would like to stop moving! While I lived out west I traveled frequently to the eastern part of the country visiting civil war battlefields. I'd say that if anything influenced my religious views though in an indirect way. It just gave me a lot of time to read and think about things, whilst I was on my trips out east for 1 to 3 weeks at a time (four times a year).

[CBeisbol]

I've visited multiple states - I really can't remember and the following countries: Iceland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, Poland, England, France, Italy, Czech Republic, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, Turkey, Armenia and Mexico.

I've lived in: 4 US states - plus a district, Denmark, Sweden, Greece, Ukraine, the Republic of Georgia and Egypt - which was the first time I ever really considered religion as something other than a passive given.

[nateswift]

zthatz......Just Wow!

[nateswift]

Born In Oregon, lived in OK and MO before finishing grade and high school and one year of JC in Northern CA, then 3 years in LA at Pepperdine College (at the time, now PU) 3 years of training and Berlin courtesy of Uncle Sam with visits to Canterbury, Copenhagen and Vienna during that time. Back to LA for graduate work and then just work until about 10 years in the South SF bay area and Monterey before moving back to Oregon. Trips to Mexico and 4 drives from coast to coast sandwiched in there. Southern rout through New Orleans and Texas was the best.

[L8Gr8Apost8]

Lived my entire life thus far in the same 35 mile radius. I married a Canadian so that should count. I grew up in the sticks and moved to the City. They are worlds apart.