World Pride II
Today was the main event of the WorldPride Multifaith Convocation. The sessions were pretty good overall. [Except for the keynote - "Introducing the Moral Values Project" with Professor Chai Feldblum. She basically talked about reclaiming the term 'moral values' from the right and using it to refer to the values of inclusiveness for all. Fine, but I got the point long before her hour was up.]
There was a workshops time when I planned on going to the one titled GLBT Inclusiveness in a Congregational Religious School with Dr. David Shneer but it was canceled due to lack of participation so I ended up at my second choice, Queers in Traditional Denominations co-moderated by Rabbi Steven Greenberg and Elder Joseph Tolton. Steve Greenberg put out an interesting idea that for queers and Orthodox Jews to live comfortably in the same community, which he views as ideal, they need to basically agree to misunderstand one another on a fundamental level. That is to say, understanding queerness in completely different ways, which he posits must be addressed in two different and contradictory discourses. It was pretty interesting. Even more intriguing, for me, was listing to Joseph Tolton. He is a Pentecostal preacher, a faith I find unendingly fascinating. Alan asked me why, and I replied quite simply, because they know their scripture backwards and forwards and can quite chapter and verse - and they speak in tongues. Anyway, just hearing his perspective and bits of his journey and his ultimate reconciliation with his very traditional faith with his gay identity was quite captivating.
Then there was a second plenary which was also pretty okay. Father James Alison was on the panel though he didn't say much, but I look forward to reading his book. Rabbi David Lazar spoke, and though I found contradiction with some of what he said (and the elements of hidden Orthodox-bashing it contained) he did leave me with three excellent definitions. According to Professor Avi Ravitzky of Hebrew University, tolerance is when I have my views, you have your views, and we don't kill one another. Pluralism is when I see that my truth is good for me, and your truth is good for you. Openness [his ideal] is when I can accept that your truth can be good for me, that is to say, that I see and respect the possibility of learning something from someone whose truth differs from mine. The final speaker on the panel was Rabbi Steven Greenberg. He defined a model for at least some Orthodox synagogues on beginning to being open to GLBT individuals so long as three ground rules could be followed. 1) No humiliation of anyone (by the rabbi). 2) No advocacy (of GLBT issues within the religious community. 3) No lying about identity.
All in all, it was an excellent day of a conference. Afterward I bought books. Four, in fact. Wrestling with God and Men: Homosexuality in the Jewish Tradition by Rabbi Steven Greenberg which I got autographed, Faith Beyond Resentment by James Alison, Independence Park: The Lives of Gay Men in Israel of which I've read multiple excerpts already, and Yentl's Revenge: The Next Wave of Jewish Feminism, edited by my now-friend Danya Ruttenberg. Yay good purchases!
After that Shosh came over, we ate leftovers for dinner, and then met a bunch of friends at Chutzot HaYotzer, the International Arts and Crafts Fair. That was fun.
Josh (yeah, that Josh) wrote an excellent piece on Jewschool about war ethics. His first post was good, but I found this one a good bit better. I'm kinda proud of him for this one, especially knowing him. I'm considering emailing him to tell him so. We'll see. ETA: We talked. He thinks his first is better. I agreed that it was more real in the sense that it was more personal, but I still prefer the second, though I don't know why.
There was a workshops time when I planned on going to the one titled GLBT Inclusiveness in a Congregational Religious School with Dr. David Shneer but it was canceled due to lack of participation so I ended up at my second choice, Queers in Traditional Denominations co-moderated by Rabbi Steven Greenberg and Elder Joseph Tolton. Steve Greenberg put out an interesting idea that for queers and Orthodox Jews to live comfortably in the same community, which he views as ideal, they need to basically agree to misunderstand one another on a fundamental level. That is to say, understanding queerness in completely different ways, which he posits must be addressed in two different and contradictory discourses. It was pretty interesting. Even more intriguing, for me, was listing to Joseph Tolton. He is a Pentecostal preacher, a faith I find unendingly fascinating. Alan asked me why, and I replied quite simply, because they know their scripture backwards and forwards and can quite chapter and verse - and they speak in tongues. Anyway, just hearing his perspective and bits of his journey and his ultimate reconciliation with his very traditional faith with his gay identity was quite captivating.
Then there was a second plenary which was also pretty okay. Father James Alison was on the panel though he didn't say much, but I look forward to reading his book. Rabbi David Lazar spoke, and though I found contradiction with some of what he said (and the elements of hidden Orthodox-bashing it contained) he did leave me with three excellent definitions. According to Professor Avi Ravitzky of Hebrew University, tolerance is when I have my views, you have your views, and we don't kill one another. Pluralism is when I see that my truth is good for me, and your truth is good for you. Openness [his ideal] is when I can accept that your truth can be good for me, that is to say, that I see and respect the possibility of learning something from someone whose truth differs from mine. The final speaker on the panel was Rabbi Steven Greenberg. He defined a model for at least some Orthodox synagogues on beginning to being open to GLBT individuals so long as three ground rules could be followed. 1) No humiliation of anyone (by the rabbi). 2) No advocacy (of GLBT issues within the religious community. 3) No lying about identity.
All in all, it was an excellent day of a conference. Afterward I bought books. Four, in fact. Wrestling with God and Men: Homosexuality in the Jewish Tradition by Rabbi Steven Greenberg which I got autographed, Faith Beyond Resentment by James Alison, Independence Park: The Lives of Gay Men in Israel of which I've read multiple excerpts already, and Yentl's Revenge: The Next Wave of Jewish Feminism, edited by my now-friend Danya Ruttenberg. Yay good purchases!
After that Shosh came over, we ate leftovers for dinner, and then met a bunch of friends at Chutzot HaYotzer, the International Arts and Crafts Fair. That was fun.
Josh (yeah, that Josh) wrote an excellent piece on Jewschool about war ethics. His first post was good, but I found this one a good bit better. I'm kinda proud of him for this one, especially knowing him. I'm considering emailing him to tell him so. We'll see. ETA: We talked. He thinks his first is better. I agreed that it was more real in the sense that it was more personal, but I still prefer the second, though I don't know why.