A non-Christian chronicles her experiences with religion.
This is a phrase I’ve heard a lot in the last week or so. Folks who escaped death in the 35W bridge collapse have been saying (well, some of them have) that they feel that their life must have some purpose since they were spared while others died. What does everybody think of this? If it’s true, where does that leave the folks who died?
This isn’t intended to be hostile or accusatory; I’m just curious whether others think this is true and how it works in their lives if it is.
Well, peeps, for the first time in weeks, I went to church today. But I’m going on record as saying that a girl has a hard time concentrating on anything, never mind the devine, when one is in nagging and massive pain. Here’s the deal: It seems that the practice of drinking way too much caffeine over the years has given me a trifle of gravel in me kidneys, and now the gravel is taking its revenge. By that, I mean that I learned last December that I have a kidney stone, and now it’s whupping my agnostic tush. That may not make sense but this really hurts. It’s nagging and highly distracting, especially (for whatever reason) when one is hanging out on a wooden pew.
Anyhoo, I went to Urban Refuge today, and although I can’t give details because I was really preoccupied, I think I really liked it. Check this out:
One of the main messages that we would like to communicate at our weekend service is our need as a church to bring Shalom to the city. Maybe you’re asking “What is Shalom?”. The common translation for Shalom is the word -Peace. However, it’s broader than that. Shalom refers to peace in all areas of one’s life, so this entails physical, mental and of course spiritual.
Trust me, folks, there will be more about this. I’d like to go back next Sunday, when hopefully this kidney stone business (or whatever it is; I’ve always heard that kidney stones are worse than labor, and while this sucks, it’s nowhere near that) is resolved. Anyway, the above text is from their “about us” statement. Good stuff.
Updated to add: I just read that this church is affiliated with Evergreen Community Church, and that makes me chuckle. Representatives of this church stopped by my house once, long ago, and I still have a water bottle that they gave me. It says “Experience God, Not Religion.”
Apparently, some idiot on the “rants and raves” section of Minneapolis Craigslist said that the bridge collapse yesterday (which has killed 6 so far, with 20 others missing and assumed dead) was what Minneapolis deserved. Why? Because we elected a Muslim to Congress. Fortunately, many posts are letting the poster have it. (“Let me speak for many Minnesotans, including the nonreligious: [expletive deleted] you.”)
I find it both annoying and comforting that this kind of idiocy isn’t at all limited to Christians. There were Muslims who said that the shuttle explosion last year was a judgement of God on America, and they were just as stupid as this anonymous poster.
I’m so glad to have this blog, because I get to interact about religion with people who don’t think this way. Thanks to all of you who understand that God is a little less random with vengeance than this, and that disasters are disasters, not divine retribution.
As most of you know, I live in Minneapolis. I hope everyone who reads this can spare a moment or two to pray for the folks involved in the bridge collapse over 35-W. I’ve been on that bridge any number of times, and I can’t imagine how many people might be dead or injured. I’m watching the wall-to-wall coverage and it’s bad. Please, God, watch out for the folks involved and their families.
