So, I've been thinking lately about whether or not I'm Christian. And if I were to identify as Christian, how that would change how I am in the world. There are very few people in this world with whom I can have this conversation - hence the loveliness of the blogosphere.
This is a Part I post, because if I were to try to write a post that distilled everything I had to say on the topic, it would never get written and would fail to say the most important thing, which is that whenever I have thought about religion over my life I have felt both profoundly lost and profoundly lost in the Mystery of the divine. Also, I can't seem to string more than two paragraphs together here these days. So bear with me as I puzzle this out, if you have thoughts, please share them, and there will be a series of such ramblings.
Jesus Christ:
I realized at Christmas (a holiday which I adore, and which is deeply spiritual for me) that there should be a church where instead of having Christ as Lord, you have Christ as Metaphor, that would be about right. Jesus was amazing, and I believe in him as a pioneer and teacher in the realms of social justice that matter to me deeply (see Jackson Browne or the Chieftains' song Rebel Jesus, also Martin Sexton Hallelujah). In this way Jesus and his teachings are an example, but there are certainly others. I don't believe the Jesus is the son of God, at least no more than the rest of us, and that is one of the major stumbling blocks (ha! somewhere in the Deep South someone is talking about Christianity and a very different kind of stumbling block) to me being Christian. Maybe being Christian is about having one really wonderful example against which to hold your actions accountable.
I helped a woman find her train today. She was very confused and maybe drug addicted or learning disabled or both, and when I walked by she was trying to explain her situation to a law enforcement officer who wasn't getting it. On many levels. So I offered to show her where the inbound trains were, and she was incredibly grateful. But sometimes, folks aren't grateful, sometimes they spit in your face and have good reasons for doing that, and you have to fall back on the idea that you were doing your best to do something "good", and maybe it would be easier to do that if your fallback was that you were trying to do something "Christian" and have both a community and a text that validated your work.
The problem is privileging Christ over Buddha over Muhammed over Zeus* over Krishna, etc. That is the part that I can't quite get behind. So metaphor and example, here I come.
Alright. It's a night of fermentation - feeding sourdough, drinking beer, baking challah. More later.
*Not generally known for his social justice values.
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2 comments:
Have you spent any time with the Unitarians, C? If there were one quasi-Christian church that belonged to the "Christ as metaphor" camp, that would be it. I am pretty much a lapsed Unitarian, so I don't know what that says about my own relationship with that particular denomination, but I know I really valued being raised in a church that encouraged me to find my own way spiritually and well, in most ways, and that has a very strong commitment to social justice. And as a queer adult I really value that the UU's have the largest contingent in the HarborCity pride parade!
UCC churches also tend to be pretty seeker friendly. look for the ones with the comma sign out front, fwiw...
My experience with being a non-creedal church attender (i still went to church now and again when i was an athiest) focused on the sense of ritual...and sure enough, while i'm baptist by confession, out here i'm a regular at the Smells and Bells Anglican church. They're social justice lefties, queer friendly, and put on a great show. And there's something in the mystery of liturgy that combines with their sincerity...even non-believers i've brought have found something there.
guess it depends on what you're seeking.
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