Fat SAM wrote:Eh. I'm sure that I'll be running out to BM next year. And I'm not judging the whole community - I was generalizing for the sake of bringing the issue to light though. It was defenitely inflammatory on purpose.
Up until just 3 years ago, I was a total aetheist - or so I thought. I think I was just mad at God and it was easier for me to try to deny His existence than to come to grips with myself. I spent almost a decade researching other religions and belief systems and Christianity is what I came back to - though it is Christianity flavored with something other than what a Christian who grew up that way has. If anyone's curious, I'll be more than happy to talk by email or whatever, but there isn't space and this isn't the place.
Being a Christian surely doesn't mean that you let other people think for you, either. I'm perfectly capable of rational thought. I'm a very rational, intelligent person (I'm a philosophy major and an English minor)Kierkegaard or CS Lewis would have agreed that it is a HIGHLY irrational decision to believe in Jesus. They were both Christians, though. We all do things that make no sense. As far as I'm concerned, though, this is a no lose situation for me.
And as for the people who represent Christianity, I'll point to George Dubya and America. I didn't pick that guy to represent me, either. Unfortunately, the opinions of millions, perhaps billions, of people the world over will be shaped by the idiotic decisions that he makes on my behalf. We can't always control the actions of our embassadors. What we can do is try to be good embassadors ourselves, however. That is what I endeavor to do.
So if we see each other on the playa and I'm wearing a shiny little cross, don't dog me. Just accept me as I am and I'll do the same for you. Peace
So here’s the thing. I’m not trying to say that YOU are doing this (my first reaction was to assume that, but I realised that’s probably way off) but far too often people are trying to convert me.
The other weekend my boyfriend and I were walking in the public market area and stopped off at victor steinbruch park so that he could eat some nasty fish thing he was having for lunch. There were signs saying these folks had a quiz to determine whether or not you’d go to heaven. I was amused, so I decided to go chat with them a bit. It started with one guy, and what we realised was a futile but entertaining conversation. The quiz questions didn’t leave any room for anything but Christianity, of course. Dan, I think his name was, was at a real loss to explain the challenges that I put to Christian doctrine.
Faith is a matter of – well – faith. We have no way as humans to determine who or what god(s) is/are. Yet they were insisting that they knew what was right for me because god had touched their lives somehow, and apparently identified himself (?) as the Christian god. They had no answers for how I could have just as real of experiences with Hinduism, Taoism, Christianity, and various pagan whatnot. They had no way to explain how the Bible can be god’s perfect word as opposed to a cultural, historical book and at the same time they don’t have to follow the exhortations in Leviticus about not wearing a cloth made of two fibres.
Once they realised they weren’t making headway that way they brought the young folks over to tell me their conversion (apparently weren’t interested in my journey the opposite way). They were clearly trying to find ways to connect without even bothering to see where I really came from. Not all Christians do this, but so often… And in this situation, I was off the eplaya so maybe I needed a fight.
This whole conversation happened in a park dominated by native artwork, by the remnants of a spirituality almost crushed by Christianity, one that, unlike most monotheistic religions, hurt no one and actually honoured the earth. Hmmmm..
At least last time someone tried to convert me to Islam it was because they were afraid I wouldn’t go to heaven when the army killed me. It’s just cause they love me. And most people never tried. They realised that if I were to come to it, it would be through rigorous intellectual study and moral searching.
Then there’s my family. I come back from Palestine. Two days later, my great aunt or something says that she doesn’t understand us people who are trying to drive god’s chosen people into the sea. First of all, I call bullshit on that. Second, it’s nice to know that god is racist.
I know these are just some instances. But this replay over and over. And it’s not a reason to dislike Christians, but it’s part of why I’ve had it up to here with the religion itself.
That said, welcome, as one person to another… I hope to meet you. And just as I will not shun you ‘cause of the cross around your neck, I hope that you won’t shun me because of the bullet around mine.
Peace,
Rian
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