May 24, 2009

• A Small Request for the Unreligious

  This is half rambling thoughts (though it's meant as a direct request), so I ask you to bear slightly with me.

  If you haven't picked up on it yet, I'm Christian. Catholic, to be specific, but that's inconsequential. To be utterly brief and summational, I've always found that I got along better with those who were of different faiths or followed no religious belief at all.

  I should also quickly mention, I admit that my own experiences (hence forming my current opinions) may very well be limited. Therefore, I don't begin to assume that what I describe here is necessarily true for every said person. In fact, I tend to do that with most people I encounter in life: treat things on a very individual level.

  To be brief (again), the biggest difference between the avidly religious Christians and the latter group was the latter seemed to "think". I tend to believe in logic and reason with the same passion as the Enlightenment and that's how my mind-process functions.

  Now, I'm not trying to set up a dynamic where the more professed of a Christian you are, the more unintelligent and irrational you are. And, of course, vice versa. I would clearly have no place in that dynamic. But we do know, thanks to our psychotic, fundie Christian friends out there who seem to find it their mission to make us suffer the same idiocy which has removed their own brains, that there is a large enough sample of Christians who do make that dynamic seem plausible.

  Switching topics just briefly (I ought to make that my word for the day...), a club titled Williams' Secular Community was started just this year at my college. Excited at the idea of helping along a newly started group and that Secular thinkers (though, of course, namely aimed at atheists, agnostics, humanists, etc.) would actually get a group and space within the area of religious need was fantastic to me (at the office for religious needs, our group actually has a tag with information alongside the other religious groups on campus; it's pretty damn cool).

  I ended up missing the first meeting, unfortunately, but promptly made the second. It appears that all (to my memory) religious individuals who has attended the first meeting to see what the club was about decided not to keep attending. Which was fine. Though I was slightly anxious as to the purpose and point of the club (it was undecided in the beginning). It had been advertised majoridly as a group for atheists, and, while I felt that was certainly important, I didn't want that to be the only focus of the group. Such an intent would easily alienate any others who would wish to join. In the end, the group has been slanted towards Secular thinkers (which I easily fit the category) with a concentration towards atheists, agnostics, humanists, etc.

  Surprisingly, as I voiced my concern that second meeting, the members assured me the group was open to anyone and explained that's why they settled on the name they had. What I didn't expect, nor was it a worry (though I definitely appreciated the gesture), was an assurance that if I felt uncomfortable in the group at all to just let them know.

  Obviously, many of the jokes in the group tend to be slanted towards Christians in a general sense. However, I have been given the permission (of course, I say that entirely jokingly) to "fire back" if ever any member gets ahead of him/herself. But in a group nearly entirely of atheists/humanists with one Christian, the environment is of no surprise.

  And I know that the jokes are in light of and levied towards our psychotic friends; some of them pretty obviously so (I find creationism laughable, for example). Though I can't help but notice that, for some members, this is what Christianity means for them (largely in part because that brand of Christianity tends to get most airtime, etc. versus the less controversial or extreme Christians).

  I know that in discussing the formation of the Secular group during an Interfaith group that had started at the beginning of the year, the members of the Interfaith group felt that the use of "logic" and "thought" in the posters put up around campus implied that religious people were incapable of thought or reason. Of course, I'd like the point out that the posters were in reference to Secular thought. Religious thought may require reason to sort out, etc. but it is not in itself reason. Nor is it science. But I rest my opinions there. Let's see if I can finish this up relatively soon.

  The members did have a point though. I certainly don't believe that religious belief suddenly equals the death of free-thought or reason. Largely because religions are intensely interpretation, etc. no matter what anyone else tells you. A statement like, "Well, Christians believe..." is immediately wrong. Religion is far too varied to just shoot down as if it is a monolithic set of beliefs. In fact, most theologians, priests, rabbis, etc. I've talked to have said that their respective religious texts are not meant to necessarily be handbooks on how to live. There are further steps which are required.

  So whenever I hear certain universal statements about Christianity, I find myself wanting to object. Because, often, they're not in a Secular Community where I've been given full acceptance. They can be made by those who don't know that there are Christians out there who feel no need to make their own beliefs your beliefs. They could be made by those who are simply being general and do know there are those who think reasonably and could probably hold their respect. And there may be those who really don't give a damn either way.

  Simply, my request is this - whether because you like to take to task creationists, are simply providing pieces of evidence for discussion about the validity of a religion, or some idiot totally infringed on your privacy and couldn't let each individual belief stand, don't blame all Christians. I'm no Jerry Falwell, William Dembski, nor anyone else along that line. I understand why we hold differing views.

  I just ask that you don't forget I exist when dismantling an idea about or individual of Christianity. Call me sensitive, but I take words personally.

   

   

  **I do realize I lend a rather harsh assessment of Creationism in here. While I do think you have every right to believe in it, I strongly object to the idea of having it taught in public schools, etc. I realize you may not fall under that category but that was who the remarks were most leveled towards. I'm sorry if I've come off cruelly in this entry towards you.

  • 3:17 am
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