Stereotypes

I've been thinking alot about stereotypes recently. It's been mainly since I started teaching and since my boyfriend came into my life. It's been interesting because I'm falling into some stereotypes. I.e. drinking red wine and playing Wizard of Oz monopoly while away on a weekend mini-break with A. But I'm wondering about stereotypes of my students and something that happened at church today.

I'll admit, I have a minor crush on the minister of my UU church (laugh all you want Liz!) Why is that though? I'll admit, he's got a Ken Doll look about him. But there is something about the forbidden fruit of a minister. I mean, isn't there a literary stereotype of the preacher's daughter? Corrupting the bad? Striving to be saintly? I guess in the 21st Century, one can go straight for the preacher. Not that I will, just fun to have a crush.

Now, my students - they live in the ghetto, they have hard lives and now it is my job to find the good in all of them.

U U and YOU

Religion and spirituality has always been important to me. I think I can trace it back to when my mom died in 1990. I had to believe that I would see her again. Having her here with me for only 7 short years just seemed like the ultimate cosmic cheat. I was pissed in general. Nothing was really making sense to me and the adults were saying things to me that just confused me even more. I got some beauties as

"God wanted her with him."
"She's in a better place."
"She's not suffering anymore."

The list goes on. None of it made me really feel any better. I turned to the Catholic Church where I had grown up in. I reasoned that I could be around more people that knew my mom, the more I would learn about her. I was desperate for any and all stories. I will admit that I had a very warped sense of Catholicism. I just always thought that eating someone's flesh and drinking someone's blood was WEIRD. (I never believed it and thought it was weird.) For years after, I would pray but never talk to God. God took my mom, he didn't deserve to listen to me. So I talked with Jesus. I thought, "hey his own father let him get crucified, he'll understand me." The Trinity went out the window. Those were my thoughts, and I kept going. I felt that I couldn't fill the hole that I experienced. I couldn't break myself from a religion that I just didn't agree with before I found something else. I remember in a youth group meeting years ago, one leader asked us for some thoughts on "what is prayer." A response was "prayer is talking to an imaginary being that humans invented to make themselves feel better. The leader resolutely shot the answer down saying that's not what we Catholics believe. I thought that was very wrong. Religion to me has always been something more personal, positive, loving and none of the fearful, sinful, penitent scariness that Catholicism can seem.

After I finally came to terms with who I am, it was even harder to buy into a dogma that told me I was inherently flawed or wrong - I mean I love being right! I know I'm not perfect, but I never bought the whole original sin or the homosexuality is evil thing. Ok I bought it for awhile but then I started thinking maybe I wasn't wrong, maybe the rules were wrong. After attending church services in Mozambique where I had Bibles literally thrown at me and stayed in the church building for 12 hours, I had to move on.

SO I found Unitarian Universalism. The moment I walked in and someone said, Hi nice to see you, I was hooked. I'll tell you about it, I'm discovering it slowly. I like it so far and hope it likes me. The pastor is openly gay and so welcoming to all.

More next week.

Ian

200!!!!!!!!

SO in the spirit of my 200th post I thought I'd go WAY deep.

Enjoy!

So I was watching this movie I really love last night called SAVED! It is such a light and fluffy but hilarious movie. I was surprised how much I liked some of the writing. I pulled out some of the quotes. Having just finished this book called INFIDEL by a former Dutch MP, I’ve started thinking about religion a lot recently. What does religion mean to me? Can I really call myself Catholic since I’m by my very nature against much of what the Vatican decrees? Is religion about submission to a higher power or a conversation with it? I’m going to list the quotes now and give a slight explanation of them all. Enjoy, I know I am.

This (the bible) is not a weapon… YOU IDIOT!!!!

This is after the main character gets a bible thrown at her in an effort to “save her soul.” The Bible/Quran/Torah as a weapon… discuss….

You’re not born a gay, you’re born again.

I beg to differ…

Burn in hell you narrow minded tacky ass bitch!!!!

The only “Jewish” at an evangelical Christian school (who is actually the most “Christian” of them all) is yelling at this Bible thumping cheer leader who repeatedly tried to force JC upon her. Why is it that some of the most outwardly religious people are some of the narrowest minded?

You have everything…. What are you afraid of?!?!

A brother talking to his sister in the movie. I thought this could pertain to Americans right now too. After living will all this fear, I think it’s time to realize that as a country, we do have everything… so what is it that we are actually afraid of?

I know in my heart that Jesus still loves me!

The gay ex boyfriend of the main character who happened to get her pregnant in a effort to “cure his gayness.” This just says it all to me. Religion is about the feelings you have in your heart and not what you are told from outside influences. It’s all fine and good to do things in a group (we all love company) but without it coming from the heart, it’s empty.

No one fits in 100% of the time!

‘nuf said, could it be more obvious?

Why did God make us so different if he wanted us to be the same?

Really good question no? I mean how boring would it be if we were all black, white, yellow, or green. If we were all the same religion how would we get to experience wonderful feasts like EID or Seders? So I’m thinking we should get off each others backs and just let other people ‘do their thing.’ We can still think they are weird and strange though because what else would we have to talk about?

I think the Peace Corps needs to caution on some of their literature. We think we sign up for this to change the world and help others. I’m beginning to realize that it’s the world (Mozambique) that has changed and helped me.

SAVED!

So in the depths of winter that we are in right now, I've been watching lots of movies with the dog and endless cups of tea. Unfortunately most of the movies have been merda, but I watched a very good movie called SAVED! the other night. It was so highly entertaining. It's a Brian Dannelly film and you can find it here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saved%21

One thing interesting in the movie was the quote the Jesus was the ultimate rebel. It was by the principal/priest of the school so I don't think it was said to be interpreted as I have interpreted it. But there is a gay character in the movie who gets booted out of school for his 'sickness.' "Jesus didn't love him" was what won character said. But if Jesus were the ultimate rebel, wouldn't he be happy about someone being different and having the courage to go against the grain just as he did? That's what the movie started saying in some weird ironic sense. Yet I want to know why the people that call themselves the holiest are actually the most evil inside?

Thoughts?