Footprints and reflections

             

Friday night, I got asked the ultimate questions for Christians, and probably a lot of people: Why religion? Why church? What’s the point? As someone who didn’t grow up in an evangelical church, and wasn’t raised with the idea that it’s my job to convert people to my way of thinking, I didn’t have a rehearsed answer. I’m curious as to whether this makes my way of communicating more embracive to people of different ideas, or makes me sound more full of crap.

Whenever I get asked questions like this, I try to mention that my ideas on the “God thing” aren’t 100% stereotypical or, to some, ideal, Christian. Her biggest argument against religion was that it’s man made, and I told her, to a degree, I agree with her. Another argument is that so much hatred in the world is stemmed from religious beliefs, and I also agreed with that. I told her that my only way of explaining what I understand of God is energy that inspires all human connection, and she argued that you can get a feeling for all the connectivity without going to church, without labeling it God. I also agreed with that, to an extent. It’s points like these, where I believe many arguments or debates are stemmed more from semantics rather than ideas or understanding.

 I get the sense from a lot of people that on some level we have similar ways of thinking about the world, but we have extremely varying ways of explaining how we think about it, stemmed from so many things: our raising and surrounding culture, books we’ve read, our education, our friends, our personality, our likes and dislikes, etc. My friend asked me if I thought that I was mostly Christian and went to church because that’s what I was used to. I answered, “Probably so, and I don’t see anything wrong with that.” However, had I been raised under different circumstances, in a church that shoved religion down my throat rather than nurtured my faith, or grew up under a different “faith,” all together, I’d like to think that there would still be an essence of the person that I am today under there somewhere.

That’s a pretty big human question isn’t it? One we cover in every social science, just about. Am I who I am because that’s the way I was born, or have I become the way I am because of how I was raised and the things that I’ve learned? Easy answer: yes. Trying to define one part without the other, I believe, is impossible. “I was born this way.” For me I really was Presbyterian before I was born. My dad’s side of the family can trace our Presbyterian minister lineage back to some of the first churches in Scotland. So, I was raised in the tradition and taught the stories, but knowing something and accepting it are two different things. Both my church camp, and my college and post-college experiences have taught me to challenge ideas, and to ask questions, to allow myself to be challenged but to find a foundation within my core being, that keeps me grounded. And, that’s what I explained to my friend, in not so many words, church and religion is for me, a foundation.

But I respect people that find that rooted quality from other aspects of life, such as family, friends, books, nature, or just life in general and all its fascinating twists and turns. I find it completely fine if someone wants to label that as something other than God. But I also think it’s completely fine, and doesn’t make me a lesser person for having something that I know gives me a good sense of checks and balances within myself, a chance to get “out of my head” yet dig deeper into it at the same time. Church gives me a chance, once a week to come to a familiar community and think with my “big picture” mind, and hopefully learn something new, as I also do from going to work every day, riding the bus, or indulging in conversation with others. The bible says “Where two or more meet, there I shall be also.” So, maybe that’s not about meeting in a particular type of building, or with a certain group of people, or even about a particular subject, but setting aside time, making time, and investing time in being in and seeking community in order to learn and grow from it, and to gain a deeper awareness of the world outside of ourselves.

I guess my best answer for “Why Christianity” for me is solidarity in my life. While I can combine some of the teachings of Buddha and Gandhi and others, I am rooted in my first teacher, Jesus. (Well, my parents, and Sunday school teachers, but yeah.) I am personally more “in love” with the person than the savior that of Jesus Christ, (which is where that “not ideal Christian” philosophy might come into play for some) and his example was the first one I was taught. I don’t think that discounts my other teachings and other life experiences, but enhances them. Each new experience broadens my scope, but “I was born this way,” and I think it would be disrespectful to myself and to all who have nurtured me to discount that. I would have said before that Christianity isn’t all that defines me. To an extent, that’s true. Just as someone who was gay would say being gay wasn’t all that they were, though still in today’s society, people get tripped up on that one detail, or being woman isn’t the only deciding factor in my abilities, or being older or younger doesn’t always make you more or less wise.

So, maybe it’s labels that are to blame, words that are misused or misunderstood that create so many dividing lines. Those dividing lines, to a large degree, are what are “human made.” To put my religion in a box and leave it for Sundays and say it doesn't define me would discount the beautiful ways it has lead me to exactly where I am today, just as each new soul I encounter should have the chance to make an impact on mine. It’s okay to allow things to define you. In a sense, that’s what life is all about. But it’s even more important to acknowledge what those things are so that they don’t create barriers that disallow you to listen and to hear and see new ways of thinking about life. It’s important to embrace the challenges and ask the questions so that you can continue to shape and gain perspective. It’s a pretty big puzzle, and to think that one person could have every piece would not only be arrogant, but sadly misinformed and limiting to all this life has to offer.

Had a quick reflection this morning, as I was walking through someone else's snow tracks so as not to soak my boots, how many people's footsteps I've followed while discerning my own path. I’m grateful for my family and teachers who have set great examples for me. Sometimes though, we do need to get our feet wet. There is still exploration to be done and new discoveries to be made. That’s why I’m grateful to be part of a church that tries to discern what our world needs to look like in 2013 and onward instead of 2000-some-odd years ago, just as we hope our country, our families, and our teachers will make decisions that make for a better today that will lead toward a positive tomorrow for those who come after us.