flaky hope
Yesterday was long, hard, and frightening. I went to an all day conference on "the Church's response to Islam." And I more than half knew what I was getting myself in for, but that didn't make it any easier to deal with, face to face.
I don't want to get into everything that was said that I didn't agree with, or that down-right scared me, because I hate airing the dirty laundry of other Christian beliefs, even if everyone else knows them already. Suffice it to say that the day lasted 8 hours, and for only 1.5 of those hours or less (lunch and one speaker) was I not battling my "fight or flight" urges.
Why sit it out, you might well ask. For one thing, it's good to know what is really being said, and believed, and what isn't just media hype. For another, I did make contact with a handful of people and was able to quietly suggest alternative resources if they were interested in learning more about Islam and the possibility of dialogue between faiths. My impression is that a lot of people were there with a sincere desire to learn, and it seems terrible to me that they received that kind of fear-mongering and pro-proselytizing propoganda instead. And the scariest bit of all that is that the people running this conference have the ears of those in power.
I was also told that I clearly am not "born again," due to my relatively innocuous question (I mean, compared to what I wanted to say it was innocuous). That was actually a point of comic relief in a painfully long day.
Today though, today! Today I went to a little interfaith discussion on "angels, devas and other mysetical beings." Now, for those of you who don't know, that is so not a part of my theology. But it was such a lovely discussion! The flakiness that abounded! The milk of human kindness that flowed! The genuine desire to share and listen and respect each other! I swoon.
I don't want to get into everything that was said that I didn't agree with, or that down-right scared me, because I hate airing the dirty laundry of other Christian beliefs, even if everyone else knows them already. Suffice it to say that the day lasted 8 hours, and for only 1.5 of those hours or less (lunch and one speaker) was I not battling my "fight or flight" urges.
Why sit it out, you might well ask. For one thing, it's good to know what is really being said, and believed, and what isn't just media hype. For another, I did make contact with a handful of people and was able to quietly suggest alternative resources if they were interested in learning more about Islam and the possibility of dialogue between faiths. My impression is that a lot of people were there with a sincere desire to learn, and it seems terrible to me that they received that kind of fear-mongering and pro-proselytizing propoganda instead. And the scariest bit of all that is that the people running this conference have the ears of those in power.
I was also told that I clearly am not "born again," due to my relatively innocuous question (I mean, compared to what I wanted to say it was innocuous). That was actually a point of comic relief in a painfully long day.
Today though, today! Today I went to a little interfaith discussion on "angels, devas and other mysetical beings." Now, for those of you who don't know, that is so not a part of my theology. But it was such a lovely discussion! The flakiness that abounded! The milk of human kindness that flowed! The genuine desire to share and listen and respect each other! I swoon.
posted by dm at 10:27 PM
4 Comments:
Hey there is a great new sitcom on CBC called Little Mosque on the Prairie. It is a really big hit here in Canada (the first episode was not as good as the others), in fact after only two episodes was put into the TV history musemum in LA I think (I heard that on the hour). Anyways I think it could do a lot for how people view Islam.
I just read an article about that! I totally want to see it! I think it sounds fantastic!
!!! (<-- even more gratuitous exclamation points)
it's on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6C8i-ci8U8
It's on youtube? Uh oh, How am I going to keep up with my school work now? We can't get CBC with our bunny ears, so the night this series started I took the train down to the CBC building on front street to see it. Haven't seen it since.
Dora, I've been noticing more and more lately just how different we are given the traditions and values that we grew up with. I pray that God will strengthen you to keep being that voice for the alternative possibilities without getting pushed over the edge. I am confident that you can handle it, and know that you WILL make a difference, although you might not always see it. May God bless you.
-A
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