Slumming with the Lutherans
I was raised Catholic. But, like my gender and my ethnic background, I’ve always thought of my religion as a bit of an accident of birth. I mean, it’s not like anybody asked me; they just poured water over my head at six weeks old and proclaimed me a Papist.
So I love to hang out with people from other religions – Christian, non-Christian, etc. – to see how the rest of the world views God, the Goddess, or whatever. I’ve always felt that the surest way to ensure tolerance is through understanding and exposure. So I “expose” myself as much as possible through friends, community and the like.
It’s a journey that my sisters also undertook; the results for them included adult choices that led one to Judaism, and another to Protestantism. I think that’s cool. [Actually, it makes me feel a little bit lazy for adhering (in whatever small way) to the Catholicism I was born to.]
But it’s cool, and the resulting syllogisms are baffling in their simplicity: I love my sister; my sister is a Jew; therefore, I love Jews. I love my other sister; my other sister is a Presbyterian; therefore, I love Presbyterians. Where’s my Nobel Peace Prize? I’ve also been trying to get my Mom to pursue an old interest she had in Wiccanism. I’m already picturing the bumper sticker: “That’s no Witch; that’s my MOM!”
And for the past couple of years, I’ve been teaching at a summer Vacation Bible School (“VBS”) program at one of the local Lutheran churches here on the Island. They have the same program at the local Catholic parish, but I thought it would be fun to hang with the Lutherans. So I grabbed my own kids, and the neighbors’ kids (Methodists), and off I went to teach four and five year-olds about love and forgiveness. Lutheran style.
VBS is the most insane week you can imagine: 140 kids running and screaming through the church and an attached school, trying to learn a few bible lessons and three songs over five three-hour days. And the Lutherans are great at it. The Pastor, whom everybody refers to as “Pastor Bob,” is a grandfather. [Of course, I find this totally amazing, because I’m used to celibate priests.] They run the whole thing like a boot camp, but everybody – and I do mean everybody – has a blast. So I’m going back again this year, and I'm taking my kids with me.
I called over to Pastor Bob this week and told him to be sure and include me on the teacher list for Summer 2006. “I’m the Catholic,” I reminded him, “from last year. Do you remember me?” He said of course he did. The fact that I’m not part of his congregation didn’t matter. Isn’t that great?
posted by bogusboobs at 7:31 PM
11 Comments:
The moment I liked best about being Catholic (after a lifetime of grumbling about Lenten Fridays and weekly Mass upon pain of death and my Catholic college education during which I went to Mass oh, say half a dozen times even though I passed the chapel 3-4 times a dau) was when I was living in London; no one's daughter, no one's sister, no one's best friend; just another damn American import, starving for 6 months at a job that didn't pay enough to live. I wandered into a church one Sunday, from lack of anything better to do with my time, I confess, and all of a sudden, I belonged somewhere, I was someone. The prayers and even the cadence with which we recited them, all of the blessings and the rituals--I had known from the womb. I'll never forget the comfort and relief of finding my place in the world on a morning when I was not at all sure that was possible.
For me that moment was my beloved Grandmother's funeral. And, just as you said, it was all about the comfort of the ritual, and the sense of being a part of a family that goes back some 2,000 years.
I'm glad the Church was there when you needed it ... that feeling of comfort and love and belonging is the best of what religion - any religion - is about.
Best wishes!!
That, to me, is true Christianity - to accept and love all others, regardless.
I hope you have a ball, hon! It sounds fun. Not that you would catch me dead among so many kids...that would actually cause my death!
Amen to all that.
lotsa luv ann xxxxxx
p.s a practising Jew
Mazel tov to you, dear!
Both my parents are catholic but my older brother and I are christians church of england ( you know tea, vicars, miss marple that stuff. Not by our choice, my mums choice)Anyway I asked my mum why once and she said she didn't want to seem like a "hypocrite" as she and my father don't go to church any more. WHAT??? I laughed so much I cryed. My Mother "Priceless". jen xx
Hi - Loved "Slumming with the Lutherans" - I've spent time hanging out with them as well. Can really identify with the VBS experience, too - I began that way -teaching kindergartners with my grandmother. Years later, here I am an episcopal priest - my path took a weird jog post 9/11, but I started out as ordained person working with kids and youth. I guess you just never know where your faith journey will take you!
Have fun with the kids - its the best part!
Kate+
I will agree with my Jewish sister Ann. Hope all is well with you. Let us know when you can meet in the chat room and catch us up on all your news. :)
Just dropped by to wish you a wonderful St. Pattys Day and a great weekend! :)
I never even knew other religions existed until I got out of high school and ventured out into the world. Boy, what a culture shock! I find as time moves on I am more and more interested in faith- not necessarily 'religion', but faith, and how it drives people to do what they do. I'm always open to learning about someone's faith. As for VBS, I am a veteran planner and executer. It is a blast! Tiring, exhausting, time consuming, but a blast. I can always count on losing at least five pounds during that week. It leaves me too exhausted to eat. Every year at the end I tell myself, I'm getting too old to do this. Will I do it again this summer? In a heartbeat...
I'm a lapsed Episcopalian, (if that's possible!) But one of my favorite memories from childhood was vacation bible school. The Epsicopalians never had it, everyone was too busy playing golf! But I would go to the Church of Christ bible school with my best friend Randy, loved the cheese sandwiches and orange punch!
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