Interesting Quote

‘Live a good life.
If there are gods and they are just,
then they will not care how devout you have been,
but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by.
If there are gods, but unjust,
then you should not want to worship them.
If there are no gods, then you will be gone,
but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.’
~Marcus Aurelius

Thoughts?

Have my cake and eat it too!

Time for another analysis of holidays in the Christian tradition:

As we near one of the holiest times of the year (another being Christmas), I am reminded of how picky us Christians can be. During the season of Lent and the celebration of Easter, a common complaint is about the commericalization of Easter. It goes something along the lines of "but there weren't chocolate eggs and bunnies at the crucifixion of Christ!"... Well no.... but that doesn't mean I can't have fun with the holiday.

The meshing of traditions is an amalgamation of many factors: the solemnity of Easter, the pagen spring solstice celebrations, and card/candy companies wanting in on the action. The store fills with candy, eggs, dyeing kits, big fluffy bunnies and chicks, and the ever present sugar covered peeps (now available in bunnies as well as chicks - who knew? - btw: if you have never Peep Jousted... you are missing out). Many of the more "hard core" complain about the celebrations and parties associated with Easter. I happen to enjoy watching the little kids search for eggs and eat their candy. I like dyeing and decorating eggs. So, if you don't mind conservatives - I am going to have my Easter celebration of the transformation of Christ AND my candy filled eggs and stuffed bunnies, thank you very much!

Counterculture Thought - Maybe it's time to be up on the hill with Jesus instead of watching him from below

As I read the next chapter in the Last Week (we are now addressing Friday - the day of Jesus' crucifixion) I am shocked at how much I agree with the authors, Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan. As a PK, it is commonly thought that I believe the Bible is a word for word historical account of everything that has factually occurred on the planet, especially when concerning the life and death of Jesus. But in fact, I have never believed that the Bible should be taken at face value. I have always thought it needs to considered within the historical context it was written. It needs to be considered as a form of entertainment as well as a way of interpreting events of the past. It needs to be - pardon the Old Testament condiment :) - read with "a grain of salt". This was always a shocker to people I just met. How could I, someone who is exposed to so much religion, possibly not worship the Bible? Borg and Crossan seem to agree with me. In this chapter, and ultimately the book, they are challenging the very idea of Jesus' death as a substitute for our sins.

I know that growing up, my devoutly Christian friends believe that through complete obedience to God and Jesus they are also cleansed of their sins: "because that was Jesus' job." Hmmm.... I think Jesus had something more important on his mind. As the authors point out and I am apt to agree, Jesus was trying to subvert the dominant culture of the Romans. He was trying to win back a world that was justice and fair to all through nonviolence and teachings. Throughout history, the dominant cultures always respond to counterculture movements with violence and death (Thank you Scripps for my ancient civilizations minor). Examples include: MLK, Ghandi, Bonhoeffer (who, sadly, I had to wikipedia... shows you how well read I am :/  ). "According to Mark, Jesus did not die for the sins of the world... Jesus was crucified because of the sin of the world"(Borg, Crossan page 163). Namely that the sin of being a civilization run by a dominating culture. I think that to look at Jesus' death with the focal point on his death and suffering for our sins is to ignore his more important role as revolutionary thinker fighting through nonviolence (oxymoron?) to return the world to a just and peaceful place. His life, in my opinion, is just as important, if not more so, than the possible reasons for his death.

I used to avoid talking about religion with people because of those stares and questions of disbelief related above. It was easier to just avoid the topic all together than try to flounder my way through an explanation. But, after surviving and thriving in college and continuing to expand my horizons, I am now ready to stand up for what I believe and advocate for a better understanding of Jesus and a better world as a result. If my beliefs about the Bible and about Jesus are just as inconceivable to other Christians and the dominant culture as Jesus' teaching to the Romans in 30 AD, then I am ready to be up on the figurative hill for the world to see, fighting alongside Jesus for my beliefs.

In a class all my own

I am currently taking a Lenten study class using the book Last Week by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan. This study is looking at Jesus' last week (go figure) so Palm Sunday leading through Easter. It is an interesting perspective study through the book of Mark that challenges conventional Christian beliefs about Holy Week and about Jesus himself. I am thoroughly enjoying myself in this very liberal mind bending class. However, an interesting dynamic has arose.

Being the daughter of the pastor, I feel an odd mix of pressure and high standards on me during these classes. Many people believe that whatever my dad says, I will say and that what I know, I know from him. It seems to them that I am merely a puppet of my dad.While we do share opinions on many things, it is not always the case. I have a thought process all my own and many of the things that I say come from my own personal experience.

I also feel that I need to limit my views and what I talk about because I don't want to monopolize the class. I don't want to be that person. The one who is annoying and won't let anyone else talk. I especially don't want to do that as the PK in the class. That would be doubly annoying. "Oh, she thinks she knows it all because her dad runs the class..." That is one of my greatest fears for this class.  It is always a delicate navigation of politics and good social behavior.

I wonder what it would be like to be in a religious class and not be related to the teacher or the pastor of the church. My father and I talked about this last week. He wonders what it would be like to participate in a class that he doesn't have to lead. Where would that lead him on his own personal spiritual journey. Instead, we are both in the positions that we are and we must make the best of it. If there is one thing I am learning from the class, it is that I cannot let my fears stop me from living my life, Jesus did not let death stop him and I won't let fear stop me.  I have opinions, just as my dad has opinions and we will both share them with the world if it will help lead to lives that better reflect justice and equality.

Undead Messiah

In the spirit of Halloween, I thought I would share this anecdote with you.

During Sunday school around Easter:

Teacher: So when they went to Jesus' grave, he wasn't there.
Little kid (raises his hand): So... Jesus rose from the dead?
Teacher: Yup
Kid: So is he a vampire or a zombie?


I think he had a good point. Some people believe (not me) that in communion, the bread and wine are literally his body and blood. I think its figurative but this little kid had a point. We "drink blood" and "eat body" so... was Jesus a vampire or zombie? Whichever it is or both... so are we- if you believe in literal communion! :p

Tis the season?

As we near the beginning of October, I am excited for my favorite holiday: Halloween. Many people tell me that I must worship Satan because I like Halloween and my church regularly gets angry phone messages banishing us to hell for having a pumpkin patch on the property. Really people? I just like dressing up... and candy... so much yummy candy. :) Like every year, I will be going to Disneyland's Halloween party, dressed up and excited to experience my favorite holiday. I have thought long and hard as to why Halloween is my favorite holiday, it must be because Halloween is the gateway holiday.

Halloween reminds me that we are heading into the veritable barrage of holidays (quick grab your pith helmet - it's the advertising companies!). The holidays always held a special place in my heart, not just for the quality family time that it provides but because it is the time of my favorite church season. How many people can say that they have a favorite church season? *two thumbs to the chest* This girls right here. How many people even know that there are church seasons? Probably not many. For those who don't know, the 4 sundays leading up to christmas are the season of Advent -my favoritest church season. It is the time when we talk about the angel's message to Mary about being pregnant, the mandated registration (a biblical census if you will) and journey on donkey and of course the ever full inn and manger birth. It is a time to remember the miraculous and celebrate the coming of christ. It is one of two times a year when people feel obligated to go to church (the other being Easter).

To me, though, Advent represents the garlands, christmas trees, and christmas lights all coming out of church storage. In fact, the Sunday after Thanksgiving is called the Hanging of the Greens and it is when we see the church decorated for the first time and we go over what the historical significance for all the decorations. (By the way, the greenery fairies don't decorate... that would be me and my family, sitting for hours fluffing the fake greenery - we call ourselves professional fluffers *tongue in cheek of course* - and dusting off baby jesus' face). Advent represents the candles that we light every sunday counting up to the candle for Christmas Eve. It also represents the two church services that I attend on Christmas eve. Most families will go to one or the other services. No, I go to both. Thankfully, my dad has a different sermon and focus for each so it is not too tiresome, but still... two services on Christmas eve? Yeah, and that's the way I like it. I get to appreciate both the message and the behind-the-scenes goings on during the greatest time of the year.

Brush Twice a Day

At my church, there is a time in the service set aside for the grade school age children to come up to the front, sit on the stairs, and listen to a little lesson. My dad presents some random token or another and ties in some grand lesson about God, our relationships with God, or how to be good people. One of my personal favorites involves a jar, walnuts, and rice (but that is for another time). This particular nugget is about toothpaste. Back in the day, toothpaste came in these heavy metal tubes. Once you squeezed the toothpaste out, there was no way to get it back in – this tied into a lesson about thinking before acting or something like that.

So, there is my dad holding a paper plate with gobs of minty fresh white toothpaste covering the surface. He could have built a mighty gingerbread fortress if he had only had the graham crackers. Anyways, he starts to show us kids, I must have been 4 years old, how he just couldn’t get the toothpaste back into the tube. He was talking about consequences and “for every action there is an equal  and opposite reaction” <-- maybe that wasn’t him.

Was I learning while my dad did this elaborate messy show? No, I was telling the entire congregation that I hadn’t unpacked my toothbrush yet…

 We had moved in 2 weeks before… (chuckles and stifled laughter followed as people tried to be polite but were struggling with their amusement)

Needless to say, my mom was not amused, my toothbrush was found, and my dad has not been subjected to this type of confession from any other present or future youth since toothpaste manufacturers switched to plastic tubes (you can put the toothpaste back now), thankfully. And I guess if I can recall the lesson this much later, it must have stuck with me anyway.  :)