Dualism:
Is Dualism the enemy of the faith? Funny, I've been wondering this for a long time (since college), why is it we have our "spiritual lives" and then our "other lives". This is more than just the "bubble mentality", this has been ingrained in us for centuries. By the very fact that we gather in a specific building each week on a certain day and call that church, has ingrained in us that church doesn't happen anywhere else. Community is confined under a steeple or in an abandoned storefront. We have our "church lives" and our "social lives", and never the two shall mix.
One thing that I had several parents of my last youth group thank me for was how encouraging I was of their kid's extracurricular activities. They played sports, did drama, participated in Key Club, and all sorts of things. Heck, I even encouraged them to stay home and do their school work if it was necessary! I never once said (like the previous minister, and many ministers all through Christendom), "Church comes first! You are supposed to be at Church every time the doors are opened, and you are a bad Christian if you fail to do so!" (I would like to take a moment to say that this is not a direct quote, but def. that message has been and is expressed and more than implied.
How do we un-ingrain our ideas of Church, worship, Christ-like, Spiritual, and Godly and expand them to a holistic understanding? Our spirituality should be a holistic part of our lives. We should experience these things in everything we do. We say God is everywhere, but our practical theology (the theology that our lives portray) says otherwise.
En Vogue states it so well:
"free your mind and the rest will follow,
be colorblind, don't be so shallow
before you read me you gotta learn how to see me."
This is who I am working at becoming. I'm detoxing my mind, freeing it and the rest is following. My faith no longer seems shallow as God is no longer separated from ALL aspects of my life! Many people stuck in their modern ways criticize me, they simply don't understand me.
"Free your mind and the rest will follow
before you can read me you gotta learn how to see me!"
That's just the way it is....It's where I live...a little place called reality!
I think the irony of the whole thing is that people WISH they could be the same at both places, but they don't feel like they can be.
ReplyDeleteHonestly man, I've reached a point where I say "F*** THAT" (I edited it for your sake, you middle school teacher)
But if my church makes me feel that I have to act like I am someone I'm not, that's absolutely ridiculous.
Honestly, that really goes for any situation. I refuse to pretend anymore. I wrote some poetry years ago that said "I feel like I'm building a house of cards that's going to fall down on me one day". I don't feel like that anymore.
I think God will blow that house down eventually. Will you continue to try and build it?
First off, good for you my friend! I'm glad you have reached the point you're at about being who you are. I'm at that point too! Being set free to be who we are, and who God is making us into seems to be a big theme running thru my head right now!
ReplyDeleteI really like your house of cards analogy! It fits well. I'd actually like to read your poem if you were open to sharing, if not that's ok too!
Oh, and no need to moderate yourself here. I'm def. not going to force someone to be who they are not, and besides, middle schoolers talk like that whether their parents know it or not! Trust me, I have a brother in middle school (not to mention 9+ years of working with them:)
as always, you are a gentleman and a scholar (that a compliment i usually only give to trace, so that's saying something:)
*raise our glasses
so here's to burning our masks, our molds and our false images... here's to freedom of being who we are no matter what others try to label us! cheers!