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Shifting world views
February 22, 2009
Finally done my antibiotics, despite the slight confusion over why it’s over at day 9. I don’t recall taking extra doses… and it was supposed to last 10 days… so I dunno. Anyway. I’m slowly feeling better. Much better than I was. The throat is no longer sore. Haven’t taken Tylenol in two days. Friday morning I did clinic, and by afternoon was so unbelievably tired all over that I took a 3 hour afternoon nap. Thankfully things improved after that. I layed low yesterday all day, before going to see a friend perform at a salsa convention party. I was so impressed. I’ve known this guy for 6 years, know what a genius he is, and I know that he had a very different other side but I had no idea this different! He’s got a real talent at this salsa dancing! Today I originally planned to go to Church again (haven’t in a while due to qin classes, which are now done for the time being) but didn’t sleep until late last night plus it’s raining like mad today. So I stayed home. Restarted a little bit of exercise by doing a session of light yoga on the Wii Fit.
Anyway, what I wanted to talk about was that this past Thursday, I joined a web conference with a bunch of people about a book someone had written regarding a “new” way to read the Bible. It was the first time they did the web conference, so there were some glitches, understandibly. But most striking to me was that this was a group of people who come from communities where “fundamental” Christianity was the norm, and any questioning of the preaching was frowned upon. It especially struck me when one person asked how many of them had been judged for their religious beliefs, and they all answered yes. This is a group of people who are looking for a more inclusive way to understand the Bible and God’s message. Instead of living in guilt and hoping for the one defining moment when Jesus returns in the future, but a more internally consistent view where Jesus has returned a long time ago, we’re all saved, and we just have to learn to enjoy this truth. That’s probably a gross simplification of the entire concept. Bear with me. This is not my point, but only to give you a frame of reference.
Now I have to tell you some background of how I was raised and taught. I grew up in a bilingual Quebec community. My friends were multilingual and multicultural. My elementary school graduating class of 32 had 2 white people, both Russian. My highschool boasted a most varied ethnic, cultural, religious, and socioeconomic diversity that you can imagine. I grew up with Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists… Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Greek, Italian, English, French, German, Russian, Philipino, Caribbean, African, Native Canadian… Wealthy private school kids with their own sports cars and credit cards. Poor public school kids who went to school without food most days. It was a strange situation where we were bound together with the unifying fact that we all spoke English in a largely Francophone society. We had a yearly course named “Moral and Religious Education” where we were taught about all religions in a matter-of-fact way. We learned about religions with one God, from Judaism to Christianity to Islam - all which fundamentally are based on the same one God. We learned their fundamental principles, and where they were similar, and why it made public health sense at the time to prohibit the consumption of pork. We learned about religions with many gods, from those of ancient Greece, to Hinduism and Buddhism. We learned about Taoism and Confucianism. “From Agnosticism to Zorasterianism.” Each of the religions fundamental laws. Their basic principles. Heaven and nirvana. Their similarities and differences. All in an accepting light.
At home, while my mother brought me up in the Christian faith outside of Church, my father prayed to the Buddhist gods and taught me that all religions fundamentally teach the same principles of morals and values. Don’t kill your neighbour. Don’t sleep with their wife. Don’t steal their things. Respect your parents. On basic principles, no religion actually sanctions or supports killing other humans.
As a result, I was never judged for my religious beliefs. In fact, for the first 25 years of my life, I wasn’t even judged for my race. The only thing that I really felt was being judged by being an anglophone - which wasn’t even that bad since I spoke quite fluent French. It wasn’t until I moved out of Quebec that I started noticing people judging me by race. And being judged for not being Christian enough? I’ve never even considered the prospect.
With this in mind, it seemed I was coming from a very different place compared to this group of web conference people. They were coming from a background of traditional Christianity teaching, trying to balance that with everything else they have learned. Meanwhile, I come from a background of having learned and accepted everything else in the world, and was trying to find where I stood with traditional Christianity. Thankfully, I found myself very progresive thinking Churches that encourage people to challenge the word and debunk the need to live in guilt. And I think, these people at the web conference and I will ultimately end up with the same conclusions about things, but we come from polar opposite starting points. Can they help me find the truth? Can I help them? Only time will tell.
I realize my personal experience with the world is very different from most people. Most people grow up in societies where one world view is enforced and others are frowned upon, or even persecuted. I have been blessed to have been able to grow up in such a tolerant and accepting society of forward thinkers. As much as it sounds like an old cheesey propaganda line, Canada really is as peacekeeping in its fundamental nature as any country can be. And to have been able to grow up in that environment is the biggest blessing I could have had.
I’ve never been good at putting my message across regarding my world views. It simply is not my forte. I tend to have brief moments of wanting to try, and then when someone responds, I misread it as attacking what I said, and then I just shut up for the next decade or so. But then again, Moses wasn’t a good speaker, and he still got his point across with God’s help. So there may be hope for me yet.
P.S. I just entitled this post “Shifting world views”. And realized that I had taken a course with the same title in college. How ironic.
Comments:
February 22nd, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Glad you came to the web conference. I’d like to comment on a few of your comments if I might, as someone who was also at the conference and grew up in a country where “fundamental Christianity was the norm.”
As far as reading the bible in a “new” way, it is only new compared to the way it’s been read for the last few hundred years wherein a doctrine of waiting for Jesus to physically return and destroy the physical universe was cultivated among christian circles. Basically it is an ‘accurate’, more than a ‘new’, reading of scripture, taking in to consideration the social customs, political structures, religious traditions, and other contextual frames of that time. Reading the bible, among other books, outside of its proper context will result in wildly unintended interpretations and theology, as is evident by the end time doctrine being taught today.
When it was asked if anyone had been judged for their beliefs, the question was aimed within the christian church itself- that is, has anyone been frowned upon by other Christians because of their ‘new’ reading of the bible. For many, they have. As you said many fundamental churches frown upon anything that isn’t coded in their doctrinal statements. I suspect this protectiveness is not limited to Christianity.
It’s true that most of the people in the conference grew up in a Christian environment, including myself. I’m glad you had the opportunity to grow up in a more diverse community, I sincerely am. I imagine that in most places in the world however, there is a dominant religion of one faith or another. Nevertheless, it should not be counted against someone for being brought up within such a one sided culture, in this case, “fundamental Christianity”. I know many of the people in this conference personally and know that while they didn’t grow up in as diverse a culture as you, they are quite familiar and respectful of these diverse spiritual beliefs. The fact is, we all have social bias based on how and where we grew up, it’s not something you can avoid, only be aware of. These people, I fully believe, have made great strides towards this self awareness and cultural bias. They are some of the most loving and inclusive people I have ever met. That’s not to say they don’t have their own beliefs and such, but they are certainly open to dialog and learning from others. I hope you continue to dialog with them to offer your perspectives and beliefs, as well as learn from theirs. Cheers.
February 22nd, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Thanks Jason for your comments, and thanks for inviting me. And I agree with your clarifications. I clearly used certain terms in broad sweeps, and I did specify not to nitpick on them, because they weren’t the point of my post.
About the “new” way. I guess my point of view is. I only learned the “new” way, and haven’t figured out the “old” way yet. Perhaps this is why I enjoy going to Church.
Nor was I suggesting that people growing up in “fundamentalist anyreligions” were any less “worthy”. Just different. I didn’t think I had written that!
February 22nd, 2009 at 9:20 pm
And yes, I realize the way I grew up is unusual, which is why I spent so long explaining it…
February 22nd, 2009 at 11:00 pm
I realize you can only say so much in one post and inevitably someone like me will want to comb over these ‘broad sweeps’ and throw in some details they think pertinent. I am glad you didn’t grow up in the ‘fundamental’ environment I did. Not that I think people in such churches are ‘bad’, but I have seen religion sort of box people in to a … limited reality, and, I believe, keep them from experiencing the full God given potential of their lives.
Perhaps I was being overly sensitive about those of us having grown up in a one sided religious culture. You didn’t say they were less worthy, but in my acute attention to this part of the post, somehow I took it that such people were at a disadvantage to offering an objective opinion on matters dealing with faith and spirituality.
Forgive me, I know you were just trying to state your opinion. Maybe I should be the one who stays quiet. ;P
February 22nd, 2009 at 11:13 pm
Well, one thing we often heard at my home church was that because of religious freedom, people end up taking things for granted, perhaps taking them lightly. Not cherishing it. Whereas if people have to work to get the freedom, they cherish it a lot more. Respect it a lot more.
February 23rd, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Jason,
Actually, I think to make it a little clearer that some Christian circles might feel that we need to wait around, but I haven’t ever gone to a church that felt or taught that.
I feel blessed that we are in a society that leans heavily Christian. The biggest issue I have is that it has been to easy for people to blend in with the church because it is expected. It doesn’t purge the Church. Not that I want those fires of testing that people in China, or other countries have had to deal with. However, it does seem to burn off the dead wood. Not only those that aren’t truly Christian, but in our own lives as well.
True Christians seem to be the most accepting people that I have met.