Culture Shock

Whenever we visit Big Mama I attend church with her. Maybe it's just the congregation to which she belongs, but I'm starting to think that Methodists are a world apart from Baptists.

The standing and sitting at different times, pledging allegiance to the flag, and singing all the stanzas of the hymns isn't that big a difference. It's all the hugging. People just get up at a couple of points mid-service and wander around hugging and greeting one another. Or maybe it's a Texas thing? All I know is if they tried that in the Deep South women would still be slopping sugar all over each other at two in the afternoon and Baptists, white ones anyway, get annoyed if the Preacher goes five minutes past Noon.

And they talk a lot about helping the less fortunate and the importance of doing good works. Most Baptist churches I've been to seem to view poverty as a moral failing up there with dancing and acknowledging one another at the liquor store. Talk about what one owes to his fellow man is viewed as kind of communistic.

It's a nice place to visit but I find that all that hugging makes me nervous.