Wednesday, August 06, 2003

Perilous Reflection #4: Faggots, Queers, and Dykes I have gay friend who freely uses these expressions, which he claims his own queerness entitles him to do. He is quite capable of referring to himself as a queer, or an old fag, and I find this habit of speech makes me extremely uncomfortable. I would not use these expressions myself, and I am saddened when he uses them. I understand, I think, his use of them as a kind of pre-emptive defense against a hurtful name calling by others. Still, it seems the shadow of a past, as yet unbanished, sense of shame; some ghost not quite put to rest that disturbs his normally joyous and unapologetic affirmation of life. I hope that someday he will have no more use for them than I have. 11:36:36 AM    comment []

Episcopal Church Elects First Openly Gay Bishop Congratulations Bishop Robinson!                       Patience and perseverance                       Made a bishop of His Reverence.                                  ....18th Century Couplet 11:34:09 AM    comment []

Perilous Reflection #3  Thought Full Like all fans, I like the underlying theories, the conceptual schemas, the argument and thought that characterizes Christianity. I am no different in this respect from the ardent baseball fan who lives for the history and "stats" of the game he loves. It always surprises me to find how many devout (or at least avowedly so) Christians are ignorant of the ways in which their version of Christianity differs from their neighbor’s; or how many go racketing off after eastern or oriental mysticism when there is a rich tradition of Christian mysticism. If there is any problem with contemporary American Christianity it is that it is characterized by too much sentimentality and "feeling" and not enough thought. I suspect that this is what makes the bible thumpers so annoying. The Bibles (sic) are core documents for any Christian, but there are other books in the tradition. I wish some of them were read and thought about. People who are really annoyed with Christianity frequently are so because of the dreadful things that have been done in its name. Putting Mu-Mus on perfectly decent savages pops to mind…never mind burning folks at the stake, or pressing them to death under stones. Don’t kill the messengers, or blame the aberrant behavior of "true believers" on the faith, unless you are prepared to argue that such behavior is an inevitable consequence of Christian belief. You don’t blame "science," or give up belief in it, because some scientific "messengers" brought us the atom bomb or Sarin gas do you? And thus ends the apologetic for the faith I do not have. 10:59:36 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2003 Arthur Jacobson. Last update: 9/1/03; 9:19:15 AM.