Religion

Religion is an interesting topic to me, and I have a lot of anecdotal stories that shape my view of organized religion. Over Spring Break I have had time to jot down my collective experiences. In addition, I feel these experiences tie into the readings which discuss acceptance/intolerance and also how the church can be a good way to rally against injustices. 

Volunteering with the church

One time, when I was still part of the church, my mom and I volunteered to pack and pass out lunches at a nearby apartment complex. I vividly remember the children at the apartment complex "sneaking away" extra bags of food, even though they were completely free. In retrospect, this was the first time I interacted with a low-income community, that was literally about a mile away from my home. At the time, I didn't understand, but looking back maybe that was a situation that influenced me to help people.

Mega-Church Experience

When I was 14 or 15, I had a best friend named Sheena. Sheena is Korean and Christian. She went to church often, and one night her mom invited me to come to a church with them. Because I wanted to continue hanging out with Sheena, I obliged. We arrived at a mega-church. During the service, we were asked to pray for one another. Several older women touched me and prayed to God for me to be saved (and it's not like I said I was an atheist. These women just felt I needed to be saved). It felt really phony to me, and also really weird. People were crying and speaking in tongues. I don't remember what the preacher said at all, but I remember how the service made me feel. It wasn't good.  

The TV

When I lived in Carrollton, I bought a flat screen TV off of Craigslist. Note to the class: flat SCREEN does not mean flat PANEL. When I got to the house in Flower Mound, there was a gigantic, probably at least 85 pound TV in the garage. It would not fit in my car, even with the back seats down. For some reason I didn't have the nerve to say, "Hey, this isn't what I thought it was and I'm no longer interested." Instead, they offered to load it up in their SUV and bring it to my house- a very nice gesture. When the man arrived, my boyfriend and the man walked the TV up the stairs. We told him how thankful we were for him bringing it over and helping us get it upstairs. The man said something along the lines of, "No problem. Would you mind if I prayed for you?" I assume we politely declined, but that felt derogatory. This man was in OUR home, and was obviously making judgements about us.

The Talk: Part One

Two or three years ago, my dad took my sister and me on a cruise. One night when we were getting ready for dinner, he asked us about religion. My response was I respect religion, but it's not for me. He told me that he didn't know what I would do when he passed away, and that he wished I would find God before that happened. This thought process that I won't be able to cope without having a church to go to seems absurd to me. Whether I am religious or not, the passing of my father is going to be devastating. I'm sure that when that happens, my loved ones will be there for me. I feel confident that I will be able to cope without a god.

The Talk: Part Two

My dad lives in California, so we try to connect with each other one the weekends when we both have free time. When we talk on Sundays after he has been to church, he always tells me how good he feels and that "one day" he will "convert me." It kind of just dampens my mood. It feels like he believes our bond would be stronger if we practiced the same faith. I respect his beliefs, but it feels that he doesn't respect mine. And to be clear, I don't feel my dad is the only person of faith that feels that way. Often, I feel people of faith don't respect my choices. 

Intro to Social Work

In my Intro to Social Work class (I am aware that non-SW majors take this course) our professor asked what we would do if we were religious and our client was not. A student in the class said that she would quote scripture to the person and tell them it changed her life. I felt so offended. Luckily our professor told her that would not be appropriate, but her suggestion felt really arrogant to me. If I was the client, I would be turned off to receiving help from Social Workers.

Joseph, a Presbyterian priest comes to our Human Behavior Class

Dr. Gerlach invited her friend Joseph to speak to our class. Joseph helped lighten my heart to my former religion as he recited Rumi, a poet I learned of from my favorite professor in community college. I felt that  Joseph was a great example of the honorable tenets of the Christian faith. He helps the homeless, he was honest about his feelings, to me he seemed nonjudgemental, and he was open to an honest discussion about religion. To be honest I was uncomfortable when Dr. Gerlach told us who she was inviting, but afterwords I was very happy to have this experience.

Converting Over Lunch

When I went to Dallas over Spring Break, my best friend, Monika and her boyfriend, Max told me about their lunch date. They were dining out when someone came and sat at their table with them. The new addition to their table told them he felt compelled to come talk to them about Jesus Christ. They politely told him they weren't interested, and as the man walked away he said, "God Bless You." Max told me that it felt derogatory and he didn't appreciate the "God Bless You," and he especially didn't appreciate a stranger interrupting their meal. 

Some Additional Thoughts 

• I feel like I have to justify my atheism by explaining that I was raised in the church.
• In my experience, Christians have been some of the most judgmental people I've ever met.
• While I enjoy learning about religions and their tenets, I feel that the people I encounter of those faiths don't necessarily practice those principals. (Treat others as you wish to be treated, love and don't judge...)
• Like atheism for people of religion, I think it's easy to focus on the negative aspects we experience. (This was voiced loud and clear in our class from both sides.)
• I don't try to convert anyone to atheism, so I wish people wouldn't try to convert me to their religion.
• I don't think that every person blindly follows their faith. I believe that most people of religious faith have good hearts and intentions.
• I have seen people of faith (rabbis predominantly) stand up for rights that I feel often aren't supported by people of faith.
• In the book Half the Sky, the authors explain how generous churches are, and that they make up a large portion of U.S. donations. In this aspect, I respect people of faith. However, churches can also be a place to rally around discrimination (protesting gay marriage and reproductive rights).

I am aware that my experiences may not seem comprehensive to some, but they are enough for me to feel comfortable in my own beliefs.

I leave you with this video.