Back to Work, Planning for the next trip

I just got back from Camping but I am already thinking about my next trip away. I am leaving to go to Taize tomorrow. I am going to go there with a few of the WCC interns. Taize is one of my favorite places in the entire world. I am so excited about going there; I am also excited about seeing my friends experience Taize for the first time. When you see someone experience something for the first time it helps you to see something with new eyes. Like watching a movie you've already seen (maybe a dozen times) with someone who's never seen it - it's almost like watching it again for the first time. We are going to be there for four days. It will be such a nice break.

Camping was amazing. Sadly, I don't have many pictures to share. I will only post one. I took this while we stopped for a picnic on the way down to Le Verdon. It is so beautiful. I wish I had pictures of the lake where we camped. It was just an amazing sight.

During my weekend I also got some interesting questions about religion. Since everyone's first question is "What do you do in Geneva?" And my response is "I work for a Christian NGO." There is no hiding the fact that I'm Christian; it's out there; I have to own up to it. In some situations I just don't mention the fact that I'm Christian because I don't want people to think of me in the stereotypical American Christian. People have so many ideas about Americans and one of them is that we are ALL Christian. I am an American. I am a Christian. I am probably not the person they expect to meet. So one night I was asked "What's purpose of Religion?" Such a daunting question. What is the purpose of Religion? I don't think the purpose is to offer some eternal salvation that will come once we've died. I don't think the purpose is to offer a set of morals so that we can all live in harmony. I don't think the purpose is to make us "good people." What do I think think the purpose is? I think the purpose is for us, communally, to respond to that which we don't understand. There. Is that confusing enough? Now try explaining that in your second language. I don't know if most people would say that is the purpose of Religion. I think it's either that or it has no purpose. I think prayer has no purpose. I don't mean the prayer is useless. I think prayer is utterly powerful - but I don't think it has "purpose." Religion is not like other things in life - we don't measure religion by its productivity. I was reading an article today in the New York Times by Stanley Fish about religion and science. He was saying the Religion is the only way that people have been able to answer the questions that have no answer. Religion is the way that we talk about those things that we cannot utter. Religion is not a way of explaining how the world works - that is science. Religion is a way of explaining the "why" questions. I have been thinking about this question "What's the purpose of Religion?" I have been wishing I could have articulated a better answer - but then as I was reminded in Bending History by Joe Matthews - as soon as we start defending "God" we are no longer defending God - we are defending our ideas of God. God doesn't need defending. So perhaps me not having an answer is the best answer of all. Perhaps.