Religious/Tolerance

I'm up early because I'm getting ready to head back south to run our school's booth at the Colorado Springs PrideFest. Since the day job has some religious degrees, at events like PrideFest, we sometimes get folks who come up looking for a fight or a debate or want to tell their life journey. And perhaps you get this too, when sitting around showcasing engineering or music degrees, I don't know.

What I do know is that for the last few PrideFests, I worked at the table with some students. And it's interesting to me to hear their stories and see how they interact. Because it's not at all how I handle things.

And I guess I'm mostly sadly amused that while folks are celebrating all the different types of love (emotional, physical, and onward) at these PrideFests,and patting themselves on the back for being so tolerant, they then turn around and are appalled at each other's religions. So.

When the angry atheist comes up, I know how to talk with them, because I've been an angry atheist myself. When the "ha, ha, fooled you because I'm a BUDDHIST!" arrives, I've been the surprise Buddhist, too. I can relate to the over-the-top Christian, because I tried that for a week once and have friends still in that category. I can address the Wiccan, the New Ager, and the seeker because I've been all those things at one point too.

I see life a bit like a buffet: you always go for the stuff that makes you happy. And just like in a buffet, it's kinda pointless to get all upset that your neighbor didn't fill their plate with honey glazed carrots like you did. And it seems to make sense that if you are celebrating tolerance at a PrideFest, you should be aware of tolerance in general.

And yet, as I work these events, I hear students' talk about how they got in a religious argument with a Wiccan at a festival a while back and then prayed for her as she angrily walked away a (by the way, vindictive prayer: seriously? Prayer as a threat or as a vindictive act doesn't seem like the sort of thing that really helps anyone). And that makes me feel sad that the students, who are all in these degree programs to learn about theology/religion/spirituality, feel threatened when another point of view comes along. If you want EVERYONE to only eat honey glazed carrots, you don't go to the buffet; you should go to a restaurant.

Anyway, I'll be working again today. I'm excited to meet with folks who want to talk with me. I'm working with a student so I'm a bit curious to see what stories he has. I suspect he has an interesting life blind spot as he recently suggested I should become an ordained music minister. Considering he doesn't know me, I found this job suggestion incredibly amusing. And considering he didn't specify which denomination I should be ordained in, this suggests he believes everyone to be the same religion as he. Interesting.

And I know it's a weak comparison (I know, ok?), but just because I play cello, I don't assume that everyone I meet is a musician, let alone a cellist. But I will make this assumption when I'm at a music conference and I'm clumped with other cellists. And I study music (just like these other students are studying religion) and I don't even assume all the music major are classical musicians.

I also don't think everyone should be a musician (just like I don't think everyone should be an accountant, or a cliff diver, or a race car driver). I just know that folks are all different shapes and sizes when it comes to bodies, minds, emotions, and spiritually.

So. I think my goal today at PrideFest will be to treat everyone as if they are a suspicious oboe player and I'll try to convince them that the bassoon is a better choice. Or maybe I'll start pushing my cookie evangelism. EAT A COOKIE!!!

An Erinku:
it's seriously
way too early
for this deep
of a topic