Feedback wanted on Lego Castle, please?

[embyquinn]

Just came across this, glad for a break from the DA drama.

You've been doing some great work! I haven't worked with Lego in years so I'm way out of the loop on that front, but I think I can provide a bit of insight on the "people who put the mental in fundamental" aspect.

First, a bit of personal background for perspective. I was born and raised in the Deep South, live here to this day, buckle of the Bible Belt, couldn't throw a Nerf ball without hitting a church in any neighborhood, most small towns grow up around a church instead of a business, the whole nine yards. (As I sit here in my house, right now, I'm within walking distance of not one, not two, but FOUR churches--Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian and non-denominational.) I don't know where these folks live, Kiki, or even what their denomination is, though they sound pretty fundamentalist to me. Anyway, when I was growing up my family belonged to the "Church of the Month Club" because we could never find a church that suited my mother and my father equally. My father, though raised Southern Baptist, was pretty laid-back in his religious beliefs and didn't frankly hold with a lot of the strict guidelines set out by that denomination. On the other hand, my mother was raised Methodist, and while that denomination is usually more open than the Southern Baptists (hell, the Vatican is more open that the God Mafia), my mother was pretty strictly fundamentalist in her views.

I was raised Catholic and now consider myself, if anything, Episcopalian.

Long story.

So while growing up I got exposed to a lot of different doctrines and practices, and pretty much if it takes place in a church, I've seen it firsthand. (Yes, including snake-handling, foot-washing and anointing with oils.) I'm not trying to be or sound judgmental; people's beliefs aren't just important to them, to many it is literally a matter of life or death, particularly in a spiritual sense. Fear of hell and hope of heaven is all that keeps some of these people going.

From what you've said about L's family, it sounds like they're trying to shelter him from any negative influence the world might have over him. Anything that might have questionable spiritual implications--fantasy, magic, science fiction, "worldly" (i.e., sinful) messages...any of that stuff.

I'm sure they feel they're raising their kids according to their best lights, and it's not the place of a childless woman to criticize, so I won't. But the fact that the children are still being exposed to these unwanted influences, which they will be, inevitably, if they're allowed outside the house, shows how futile this sort of sheltering is. And the fact that the boy is actively lying to his parents is something I find both disturbing and sad.

As a last note, I'm not a bit surprised that they don't like Narnia. Not many fundamentalists do because they believe it turns the Bible into a fairy tale. Hell, I know people who don't even like to see biblical stories dramatized because it's "disrespectful" to present the story of Jesus or Noah or Moses or whoever as entertainment.

The temptation to make them sit down and watch The Life of Brian is sometimes almost more than I can bear.

[kiki-chan78]

K2, jejeje... yep. Those racy Lego sets will always doom the legit ones. XD

Quinn, the religion is Seven Day Adventist, but the fundamentalism primarily comes from the mom. As well as the anti-vaxxer, anti-doctor/medicine stance. The moment a kid nearly dies from whack-a-doodle beliefs, is when I lose respect for them.

Also, it's not against Narnia... she just doesn't like fiction stories. Blah.

Edit

First shipment of Legos is here!!! Woot!!!

563 Legos have arrived!!! Only about 1,000 left to acquire. ^____^

[DollyKim]

Having shopped at SDA thrift stores and found their ignorance to go from cute to troubling, y'all didn't look inside that National Lampoon book and just went by the cartoon on the cover, didn't you? All I can do is shake my head. And I've seen a lot of South Park and their take on Joseph Smith.

Would the kids be allowed to have King Arthur and his knights with their castle? There is archaeological evidence that places like Camelot could have existed.

And Kiki, see if Lego has a place for submissions. I know I saw something where the Lego Ideas Birds were designed by a fan and became official sets. I'd buy Kiki's Castle.