Here's what I think...

I read this article the other day in the New York Times. (It is my homepage) The article, basically, states that a group of leaders from the Catholic and Orthodox Church are going to refuse to follow laws that require them to recognize same-sex unions or marriages. They are signing an official document, to be released soon, to that effect. They are saying, in effect, that if a country creates a law that they believe to be wrong they will not follow it.

It really outraged me! It made me so angry with leaders in the Church and with the theology that they must use. Here is the quote that made me the angriest:

“We argue that there is a hierarchy of issues,” said Charles Colson, a prominent evangelical who founded Prison Fellowship after serving time in prison for his role in the Watergate scandal. “A lot of the younger evangelicals say they’re all alike. We’re hoping to educate them that these (abortion, homosexuality, and religious freedom) are the three most important issues.”

I do agree there is a hierarchy of issues. I would include religious freedom, but I think that abortion and homosexuality are on the bottom of my list. I would put the things that Jesus talked about in the Gospels on the top of my list. The last time I checked Jesus did not mention either homosexuality or abortion. He talked about loving our neighbors. He talked about selling all that we have and giving the money to the poor. He talked about treating all people with dignity and respect. He talked about not creating a difference between the rich and the poor. Jesus talked about social justice.

As angry as I am about the issues they are targeting, I do agree with the basic premise. If a country makes a law that we believe to be morally wrong, we have the obligation to not follow it. We need to tell the government that they cannot do whatever they want. I pray, though, that the Holy Spirit is strong enough to overcome people like this. That if I pray for them and they are true believers that they will be able to see that their actions are bigoted and that they will be able to change. I can only pray.

The other thing that makes me angry about this article is that those of us who disagree with the more conservative Christians, and also identify as Christian, get a bad rap. I mean I am left defending these positions that I disagree with simply because I know that they are my brothers ad sisters in Christ. Therefore I cannot just write these people off as crazy nutters - but instead I must wrestle with their theology and them in order to learn how to pray for them. Once again, my only recourse is prayer.

On an unrelated note - that picture I took in Neuchatel, Switzerland. I decided my blog needed more photos.

Overwhelmed.. but making it

This week has been a bit overwhelming. It's the little things that throw me off the most.

Two little things:
1. My 'N' key is sticking. This means that I have to pay attention every time I want to have the letter 'n' appear. It's not a big deal - but somehow it makes me feel a little off.
2. On Monday, I left my plug adapter at home. I had taken it off of my computer to use with my camera charger and then I forgot to put it back on to my computer. I showed up at work Monday morning and voila my computer was a paperweight for the day. A small thing, but that made me very off balance all week.

However, this week has been good in many other ways. We hit our first target deadline for my project with the WCC. (http://women.overcomingviolence.org) I think the site looks great! (although I am a bit biased). It has just been stressful. I also have been working on Student World again. And Fed News. The latest edition is available online! All of this means that I am working on about 10 different projects. And to top it all off I agreed (a long time ago) to help organize the Ecumenical Learning Session this week. Which was supposed to be Wednesday, but we moved to Friday because we were too busy. It will be fun! We're doing a Christmas Tradition theme. So we'll just talk about what we do for Christmas and drink hot chocolate and decorate Gingerbread cookies! So excited! So fun things, but yet a little stressful.

This week has been stressful, but I think I am getting my work done. I'm feeling better about it - although it has FLOWN by. I feel like yesterday was Monday. Tomorrow is already Friday.

My work here is rewarding. My project with the WCC got picked up by Christianity Today. There is also a Christian News Channel in New Zealand that is looking to do a story on our study too! So I feel like this study we are designing might actually make a difference in people's lives. I hope (and pray) that it does. I suppose all this work is worth it in the end.

On another, unrelated note, I am going to celebrate Thanksgiving tonight by eating a traditional Scottish meal! Haggis, neeps and tatties (which apparently in English means Haggis - ie. sheeps innards - with mashed potatoes and turnips).

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

Tomorrow, November 25, is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

I have bee working on a project now for a while with the WCC about eliminating violence against women. Originally we were planning to have this project coincide with Advent, which is the Church season that leads up to Christmas. I believe it starts this upcoming Sunday. However, due to technical reasons we decided to postpone our Bible Study until Lent 2010. (Lent is the Church season leading up to Easter - it is longer 6 weeks vs. 4 weeks - but the timing is much better).

However, in preparation for tomorrow we have been preparing a "test" week of our website. We have made what is the first week of our six week Bible Study. What is even better is that you can go look at it! http://women.overcomingviolence.org Please go check it out and tell all your friends about it.

Last week I did most of the work getting everything up there. This week I have a little bit left to do. Of course, we have only gotten one week up - one of six. So there is still a lot of work to be done. I am so excited about having this page done! I am really proud of it. I think it will be a good study. I hope that people will be able to use it in their Churches and that women will feel empowered by watching these videos and by reading the Bible that we can actually make a difference.

Turkey!

So I've decided to celebrate American Thanksgiving here in Geneva.

The real day is next Thursday. (We celebrate Thanksgiving on the 4th Thursday of November). However, as this is not the United States - Thanksgiving is not a holiday. So I decided to have it on this Sunday instead. I am very excited about it. Last time I hosted Thanksgiving, I was in France and it was a great success - however, I never found a turkey. We ended up eating Guinea Fowl and Chicken. This time we have a turkey! Sort of. I went to Manor - which is one of the more expensive Department stores in town which has a very nice food section. They had turkeys. Actual turkeys! The price said "1.98" I was hoping this was per kilo. It was per 100 g. Therefore, if a turkey weighed 8 kilos. (about 18 pounds) it would cost 160 swiss francs (remember the swiss franc and the US dollar are about even). So I decided that I could not possibly buy a turkey from Manor.

Then today I went to France. We went to the little market in the border town of Ferney. It's a great French Market. Somehow the French have managed to find the right combination of vegetables, cheese vendors and butchers (and kebab stands and clothing stores) that makes a market just perfect. I will definitely miss French markets when I'm back in the States. I asked all the butchers if they had turkeys. None did, some said they could order one for me for next weekend. But none. Then we went to the Hyper Champion (This is the equivalent of Wal-Mart) in the town. We looked and we asked and finally we found all the prepackaged chickens. Not pre-cooked - just wrapped. We found a large bird. It looks about the size of turkey. The picture of the front of it looks sort of like a turkey. But - it has in big letters "coq". Which means rooster in French! So my turkey is most likely a rooster - but I'm just going to let myself believe that it's a turkey. You have to have turkey for Thanksgiving!

I'm very excited about the meal. It should be great! It'll be as American as I can make it over here. (Although there won't be any pecan pie because I could't find corn syrup)

I'm glad I get to celebrate this holiday with my friends here in Geneva. I suppose that they are what I'm thankful for this year. (among a myriad of other things!)

I know now what it is ..

I got back from my vacation yesterday and today I am here at work. I have so much work to do. There is a list that goes on for miles and miles that I call my "to do" list. I only have 17 days of work left. Will I get it all done? Probably not. Will I get the important things done. Yes. I will. How? I don't know. Only with the grace of God.

Yet, even with this list that is starting to creep out the door of my office and starting to knock on the door of my room, I am feeling bored at work. I am feeling lost. I sometimes don't know where to start. (I start with procrastination like writing a blog). I don't even know how to begin to make these tasks seem manageable. As another procrastination tool I began chatting with a brother of mine on Facebook. As I was telling him about my symptoms he gave me the diagnosis "Senioritis." I had forgotten what it felt like. I had forgotten that I've had this before. I am so excited about this next phase of my life that I am already beginning to detach from this phase. I am beginning to see my future as more real and more "important" than my present. It's a weird reality. I've experienced this before - but I had forgotten what it feels like. It feels overwhelming and unimportant. (Although I think the work I'm doing is very important - but somehow my house and my coffee shop in Texas seem more important right now.)

Senioritis. I can't believe it, but it's true. I know now what it is that is making me feel this way. I am about to "graduate" from WSCF! Scary and exciting. Just like real graduation. ;)

Leaving

I sat down yesterday with my boss to plan for my final month of work. He counted. I have 18 working days left. 18 days. Then he told me about the myriad of events that I did not know I would be attending/organizing in these 18 days. Then we talked about the other work that we're doing. Then I reminded him I'm only working 50% for him. (I am working 50% on another project with the World Council of Churches about Eliminating Violence Against Women). I guess the good thing is that I feel like I know what I need to be doing. For my first few months (ie. six months) I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing most of the time. I ran from task to task with no overall vision for what my job was. Now, I know what I need to be doing - but it seems like more than I can possibly get done in 18 days. 18 days. (9 days if you really count me as half time!)

I am also leaving this afternoon to go to Cannes. I lived in Cannes, France (Le Cannet if you want to be technical) for one year. I am going back there to see my friends and celebrate a birthday. Of course my friends decided that they want to have the party at a Swiss Restaurant! Ah, the irony. I am leaving my friends here to go to my friends there. I am excited about that. I also just love that part of the world. It is beautiful, good weather, and beautiful. Switzerland is beautiful too - but it is beautiful in a different way.

I also feel like I'm getting a grip on my project with the WCC. Our website actually has some content on it! I can't give you the link yet - but once we have the test week up and running, hopefully by next week - I will give a link so that you can see what we're trying to do. It is so exciting! I hope that this will be a project that really helps women feel inspired and make a change in their lives. Lent, is after all, a season of reflection and change.

What is Faith?

I was looking on Facebook today and a friend of mine posted a link to this article. The article discusses a recent court ruling in Britain about what makes someone Jewish. Since some of the state run schools in Britain are religiously affiliated, and are allowed to give preference to the students of that religion, there are questions about how these schools define who is a member of their religion. The article was interesting. I also read a this blog about the way Muslim was used to describe the man who was responsible for the mass killing last week in Fort Hood. (She was referencing this Washington Post article).

Both of these articles are questioning what it means to be part of a religion. Is it just what you claim? Is it how you behave? Is it what you believe deep in your heart? How do we define that?

In the court case they ruled that being a Jew could be defined by certain religious duties - like going to Synagogue or charitable acts. The other article said that this man's actions could not define him as being a Muslim, because Islam stands against violence. What then, defines our faith? Is it our belief, regardless of our actions? Is it our actions, regardless of our belief? If so, what then is the point of belief?

Progress in the Church?

I just finished watching this clip from the Colbert Report. As many of you may know, the Colbert Report is one of my favorite shows. (I also really like the Daily Show!) Both of these shows mix humor and politics. Since politics is one of my favorite things to talk about or think about or write about or generally be about, I like shows that make me laugh about politics. (They are VERY American - in fact I did a comparison between The Daily Show and Les Guignols for a project in my French class this summer.. but I digress).

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Holy Water Under the Bridge - Randall Balmer
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor U.S. Speedskating

This clip made me realize that we have to be part of a dynamic changing Church. We cannot, as some in the Church try to do, hold onto things "as they were". For one, there is no idyllic moment in the past when the Church had everything figured out and it was all pie in the sky. Secondly, if we do not always re-evaluate our life in terms of the Gospel than what does it mean to be Christian? Does it mean anything? The Episcopal Priest in this clip gave a very good answer to Colbert when he asked about the issue of inclusion of Gays and Lesbians. I am glad that I can say that I am part of the same church as him. If we do not re-evaluate our actions in light of the Gospel then we will end up using the Gospel and Jesus' name to inflict pain and suffering in the world. That is when the Gospel stops being Good News and begins to be the thing that people are afraid of - the reason that people have disdain for the Church.

So I've been thinking about women...and Jesus

I've been thinking about women a lot. This may have to do with the fact that I've been working on a project around violence against women, or the fact that recently read an article about women in the World Student Christian Federation. There might be lots of reasons.

However, this morning, over friendly breakfast banter with one of the regional secretaries we got on the topic of the Virgin birth. Now, being an Anglican, we ascribe to the Virgin Birth, but it is not really primary in our faith - unlike in the Catholic and Orthodox churches. Anyway..

So, I put on my Facebook status something about the question of Jesus' having ovaries (this was where our eventual conversation lead this morning because of the lack of physical male input into Jesus' conception - where did the y chromosome come from? Especially since the Holy Spirit can be considered feminine, and Mary was a woman. In fact you could say that Jesus had two mothers - but that is for another conversation)

It was strange. One of my friends really questioned me on this idea of Jesus not being a "man" because of a lack of y chromosome (to be fair in my actual facebook status I put x chromosome because I always mix up which ones it is that girls have and which ones boys have). I am glad that she questioned me on my joking about Jesus. I do need to take Jesus and my faith very seriously. I think I learned a lot about how I view Jesus, the historical person and Jesus the Christ.

However, I agree that the belief that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and was born of the Virgin Mary, has nothing to do with Jesus' physical attributes - that is a question of faith. So on some level, I understand that this is a rather trivial matter. However, the thing that I am really struck by is how God CANNOT under any circumstances be female. God can be gender neutral - in fact most people I know today would not dispute this fact at all. God is neither male nor female. The fact that most of our language used to describe God is male is a remnant of our patriarchy and it is a part of our cultural heritage. I agree with this to an extent - I enjoy saying the "Our Father" and I find it meaningful - I've never quite found the "Our Creator" version as powerful. However, there is something to recognizing both aspects of the male and female in God. It's not just that God has no gender. It's that God is bigger and encompasses both genders.

The fact that I am a woman, with all the womanness that that entails is not a mystery for God. God created me this way. I am just as much created in the image of God as any man. My body and my mind and my feminine desires are part of God's plan for me. There is no second class anything about me simply because I am not a man. No, being a woman is a gift from God - just as being a man is a gift from God. (I recognize I'm leaving out all those that either do not identify as men or women - or that were born intersexed but for now we're working in dualities).

But - I just think that reaction that I got from a simple question about Jesus' ability to have ovaries shows just how entrenched our patriarchy is. We do not even realize that we are trapped by own words and our own preconceptions into putting God and Jesus into the little boxes of man and woman.

All Saints Day

In the tradition of the Catholic (and Anglican) Church today is All Saints or All Souls Day.

Usually this day is a time to remember those we've loved and lost over the past year. A day to think of all the saints that are no longer with us. However, today at Holy Trinity, the sermon was not about that. It was about "thin" places on earth. Places where we can begin to see heaven here on earth. I like this idea. I like the idea that we are creating places where people can be just that much closer to God. That's the point of being Christian. Sometimes we see these places when we are surrounded by nature and are awe struck by how beautiful this world is. (This happens a lot to me here in Switzerland - it really is one of the most beautiful countries on earth). Sometimes we see these thin places when we are with our friends and loved ones. Sometimes we see these thin places in others that we pass on the street or in the tram. Sometimes we see these thin places as we pour ourselves out in service for God. Sometimes others see these thin places through our work (or at least I pray for this).

I am thinking about how I can make more of these thin places in my own life and in the lives of those around me.

Also I have been having a discussion, through Facebook and this blog, about what it means to encounter the other and then to identify with them. Part of our discussion has centered around the question of if it is enough to just identify and "love" someone. I think, though, that once we truly understand the pain that someone else is going through that we will be moved to action. We cannot sit idly by and say I feel your pain - if we mean that then we will be moved to do something about it. If we truly feel the pain of those around us who are suffering then we will start working to change the situation. I think that this is what James is talking about in his book in the Bible. Our faith, our beginning of love, is something that changes our lives. Our lives cannot be the same as before because we are different. We cannot say we truly love someone unless we show that in our actions. How we show that depends on each of us. But that is a topic for another blog.