(no subject)
Something called "Rez Week" is happening at my university; Rez Week is short for 'Resurrection Week', and it's where a bunch of tents are set up at a specific area, around a stage where a christian band occasionally plays, free coffee and stuff is given, some signs for public responses to a handfull of questions are put up, and people mill around to strike up conversation.
I came across this program on one of its first days, and I stayed there talking for at least two hours solid about various subjects. I got some hot chocolate, and I met a handfull of people. They're all very nice, and very sincere in their desire to share. They listen, they have things to say, they don't interrupt, and they know enough of the Bible to be able to point exactly at what quotes they have in mind. My conversation with them has been extremely active, and I think it's even helped me learn a bunch of things. As a Baha'i, I share a good number of beliefs with Christianity, and this has been one of my first opportunities to examine the Bible, and compare ideas with those of Christianity. It's also been one of the first opportunities I've ever had to really discuss things over with people who have studied Christianity and profess its teachings. It's been tiring--like mental/spiritual aerobics, like a friendly spar between skilled players, using ideas and beliefs as foils.
It's been a first for a lot of things. For example, today we ended our conversation with prayers--a Christian one from her, and a Baha'i one from me. She said my prayer was like something from Psalms. From what I vaguely knew of Psalms, I suppose I agree. The only thing I'd ever really heard that was like her prayer was a prayer I'd seen in the area only yesterday, where a classmate I knew was praying over someone's wrist (which was in a cast.) This has also been a first for me to--calling back on that sparring metaphor--test the edges of my ideas on a Christian perspective. It's tiring, as I said, but also quite refreshing. I've always believed that Baha'u'llah was Christ returned, but I've never wondered about the mechanics; after some research, now I have an understanding. I've never seriously considered Jesus' condition as a prophet; now I have the self-imposed assignment of researching exactly what his status was, how close was it to Godship, and what is it as compared to the other prophets. I feel as though I personally understand the Protestant Christian perspective so much more, even if I've only glimpsed the view of a specific person. At the very least, I've had my ideas exercised by a new angle.
While talking to this girl, and the friends she's introduced me to, I've noticed a few things she's done, and some things I think her friends have done, but I'm not entirely sure. As someone who has gone out and taught her own religion, I think what I'm seeing is common threads, as though these particular people all went to a similar workshop to review before the big Rez Week event. Some of these trends are:
--Referring to people as friends. "Hey, guys! This is my new friend Zalein!" or "Zalein, I'd like you to meet my friend so-and-so." I know it was meant sincerely, but in our geographical area and from the rest of our talking style, I felt as though this usage was deliberate, psychologically/sociologically designed to set me at ease. Since I was able to pick up on its out-of-the-ordinary-ness, I don't think I will use it myself at a later time, unless I'm quietly trying to alert someone to pay attention to my words.
--They have a few quotes from the Bible in common. The most specific one I remember is one that describes how everything we can do in our lives is so small, so unimportant, so--in a way--worthless, that our actions are like "filthy rags". I heard two people use that specific term; one was a guy (who I think was probably more grossed out by the term than us girls were, considering that he added that that particular term was translated from the words used for rags used during a woman's cycle), and the other was the girl I was talking with, who mentioned the phrase only in passing.
--The fact that at some point or another, they have emphasized the concept of sin, redemption through Christ, our lowliness, and the mercy of God. I believe in all of these, in some fashion or another, but I do not think I put them as high on my list of reasons to hold fast to Faith as they do. This aside, I noticed that they followed a similar structure in introducing and persuing the idea. Therefore, I think they went to the same workshop.
There are things I want to have researched and looked into next time. Some specific things I want to raise again are:
--The status of Jesus as related to the other prophets and to God.
--I want to persue the question of how 'universal unity' might at all seem like a worldly goal; she said it in passing, but I think she shied away from the subject, either because she couldn't think of any reasoning behind it, or because she was afraid I would be offended. I want to persue it, since if she can't think of any backing, then I want to dispel the idea that this goal is worldy, or if she's afraid I'll be offended, to dispel that, and then to rigorously make sure I'm not.
--What Christians propose are alternatives as answers to questions that the Baha'i Faith answers with 'Unity'.
--Actually ask her: so DID they all go to the same workshop?
Sorry for the tl;dr, guys. Most of these notes are for myself, both to organize my thoughts, and to look back on later. I also just wanted to at least post SOMETHING. It's been so long since I've written anything. Even if it was a GREAT WALL OF TEXT, I figured any update would be better than none.
I came across this program on one of its first days, and I stayed there talking for at least two hours solid about various subjects. I got some hot chocolate, and I met a handfull of people. They're all very nice, and very sincere in their desire to share. They listen, they have things to say, they don't interrupt, and they know enough of the Bible to be able to point exactly at what quotes they have in mind. My conversation with them has been extremely active, and I think it's even helped me learn a bunch of things. As a Baha'i, I share a good number of beliefs with Christianity, and this has been one of my first opportunities to examine the Bible, and compare ideas with those of Christianity. It's also been one of the first opportunities I've ever had to really discuss things over with people who have studied Christianity and profess its teachings. It's been tiring--like mental/spiritual aerobics, like a friendly spar between skilled players, using ideas and beliefs as foils.
It's been a first for a lot of things. For example, today we ended our conversation with prayers--a Christian one from her, and a Baha'i one from me. She said my prayer was like something from Psalms. From what I vaguely knew of Psalms, I suppose I agree. The only thing I'd ever really heard that was like her prayer was a prayer I'd seen in the area only yesterday, where a classmate I knew was praying over someone's wrist (which was in a cast.) This has also been a first for me to--calling back on that sparring metaphor--test the edges of my ideas on a Christian perspective. It's tiring, as I said, but also quite refreshing. I've always believed that Baha'u'llah was Christ returned, but I've never wondered about the mechanics; after some research, now I have an understanding. I've never seriously considered Jesus' condition as a prophet; now I have the self-imposed assignment of researching exactly what his status was, how close was it to Godship, and what is it as compared to the other prophets. I feel as though I personally understand the Protestant Christian perspective so much more, even if I've only glimpsed the view of a specific person. At the very least, I've had my ideas exercised by a new angle.
While talking to this girl, and the friends she's introduced me to, I've noticed a few things she's done, and some things I think her friends have done, but I'm not entirely sure. As someone who has gone out and taught her own religion, I think what I'm seeing is common threads, as though these particular people all went to a similar workshop to review before the big Rez Week event. Some of these trends are:
--Referring to people as friends. "Hey, guys! This is my new friend Zalein!" or "Zalein, I'd like you to meet my friend so-and-so." I know it was meant sincerely, but in our geographical area and from the rest of our talking style, I felt as though this usage was deliberate, psychologically/sociologically designed to set me at ease. Since I was able to pick up on its out-of-the-ordinary-ness, I don't think I will use it myself at a later time, unless I'm quietly trying to alert someone to pay attention to my words.
--They have a few quotes from the Bible in common. The most specific one I remember is one that describes how everything we can do in our lives is so small, so unimportant, so--in a way--worthless, that our actions are like "filthy rags". I heard two people use that specific term; one was a guy (who I think was probably more grossed out by the term than us girls were, considering that he added that that particular term was translated from the words used for rags used during a woman's cycle), and the other was the girl I was talking with, who mentioned the phrase only in passing.
--The fact that at some point or another, they have emphasized the concept of sin, redemption through Christ, our lowliness, and the mercy of God. I believe in all of these, in some fashion or another, but I do not think I put them as high on my list of reasons to hold fast to Faith as they do. This aside, I noticed that they followed a similar structure in introducing and persuing the idea. Therefore, I think they went to the same workshop.
There are things I want to have researched and looked into next time. Some specific things I want to raise again are:
--The status of Jesus as related to the other prophets and to God.
--I want to persue the question of how 'universal unity' might at all seem like a worldly goal; she said it in passing, but I think she shied away from the subject, either because she couldn't think of any reasoning behind it, or because she was afraid I would be offended. I want to persue it, since if she can't think of any backing, then I want to dispel the idea that this goal is worldy, or if she's afraid I'll be offended, to dispel that, and then to rigorously make sure I'm not.
--What Christians propose are alternatives as answers to questions that the Baha'i Faith answers with 'Unity'.
--Actually ask her: so DID they all go to the same workshop?
Sorry for the tl;dr, guys. Most of these notes are for myself, both to organize my thoughts, and to look back on later. I also just wanted to at least post SOMETHING. It's been so long since I've written anything. Even if it was a GREAT WALL OF TEXT, I figured any update would be better than none.