Then one night I sat down to watch the documentary "Friends of God, A road trip with Alexandra Pelosi" Only to choke on my beverage when a young man says he goes to church on a Friday night to avoid getting AIDS. My reaction had me laughing loudly while responding "WHAT? What is wrong with that guy? You can go out to a bar and NOT get AIDS! Oh please.." My Husband looked right at me smiling proudly then stated
" Well, Honey, THEY are YOUR people."
I was frozen in action, in my own response and bewilderment.
My mouth open, my hands in air pointing to the TV screen, My sentence cut off in mid thought. I was struck frozen by the simple truth, Tony's one little comment had paused the very person I am now to be reminded from where I have come from. I had never heard it put so simple. So true and yet so powerful.
MY PEOPLE? what? do I have a people? My People..YES yes yes yes this is true...I melted back into a humble state of mind
(Not always a natural way for me to be)
YES, I have a "My People" story after all!
Only My people didn't get whipped and sold into slavery. My people didn't have their homeland ripped out from under them. My people didn't burn in some evil fire or choke to death with gases. NOPE, NOT my people!
My people happen to be like this one young man caught in this documentary, Completely afraid of getting AIDS.
Now MY people the Evangelicals Christians are not always afraid of getting AIDS, I know that. But it's the thought that the world outside of church isn't safe and full of SIN. Understanding MY people can be so confusing, especially when it's not put into a simple statement or into a "Power Point presentation". The over all history of religion is a long drawn out tangled web of a story, not mention explaining just one belief system. Maybe I can sum it all up by explaining this; The Catholics killed the Protestants, The Protestants killed the Catholics. The Jews hated the Muslims, The Muslims hated the Jews. AND the Mormons pop up like popcorn all over the place!
Well my word! Maybe I DO need a "Power point" system here. Religion is an enjoyable conversation for me, yet I can still react as if I were STILL a Christian! In facing the opposite view point during a discussion on religion I become alive, I am not as passive nor calm as I wish to be. I should also add I am trying, for I understand the calm and peace of mind makes a battling conversation more pleasant. My old background growing up Christian "How to witness to the sinful lost world 101" sneaks up into my mind, into my passion and I am suddenly off arguing against Christianity as equally as I did when I once was a Christian. IRONICALLY I have to step back and think to myself "Why do I have to change people? why do I have to "SAVE" the world AGAIN???" Only now I think I am justified because I am not using my faith in a system set for me. I am thinking people who live in this "All or nothing" Christianity need to be saved from not thinking for themselves. I just assume they aren't thinking for themselves, which makes me realize how my old habits die hard. Now I am not ashamed of MY people anymore and it's taken a good 11 years to come to this understanding in myself. For those first 21 years I lived as a Christian doesn't make me entitled to say I know for sure that it was all a big mistake. In fact it was amazing to grow up in a world of miraculous stories, of colorful personalities and learning to speak to my own inner soul. Now in the last 11 years I have been learning, (I hope I never stop learning) I have travel this passionate road of love, of peace and of joy. I feel like I just woke up one day from dreaming only to see that this world is by far more beautiful then I was ever told.
I honestly loved what Jane Goodall said in her book "Reason for hope." that what she believed was for her own personal peace of mind and she had no need to share it.
I also enjoyed what Bill Maher said in his famous documentary "Religulous" that he was Doubt, He was the man to doubt what people are saying. I think if we do ask questions and seek knowledge we find our own hope, our belief and our own inner peace. I adore the memory of Mother Teresa, who lived in faith and even more importantly with powerful LOVE. I will be a Love believer. I don't miss Christianity, I don't miss all that fear, rules and elitist ideas. I do respect my Christian friends, actually all my friends of any faith. I understand everyone can choose the life that works for them. I like to think of religion as a rainbow in this world, just a little something for everyone. I enjoy a rainbow for all it's beauty! It's important to respect all those colors in their perfect places. For when it all comes together it creates such a magical picture to behold!
My people in that rainbow of life, will always make me smile, make me laugh and make me sigh deeply. For my people still think they will be the only ones in heaven.
"Should you tell them or shall I?" God asked me that this morning;-)
No comments:
Post a Comment