I grew up Catholic and attended a Benedictine high school where I was taught by monks- quiet piety was the expectation. And just in general, no one was ever ‘in your face’ with their religion. In Texas it is so different and a little offensive to see shirts with ‘sweet tea and Jesus’ etc. I agree- less talking the talk, more walking the walk.
Yeah, being back in the south the last week has brought back a lot of those feelings 😂 I don't get it. Jesus doesn't need all the "help" people want to give him. Quiet piety goes so much further.
The “sweet tea and Jesus” really taps into the ways southern culture is sooo intertwined with Christianity . Speaking as a non-Christian southerner who was raised Christian 😌
Thoughtful read, Sarah♥️ the love actually cameo made me start laughing 😂 such an underrated character arc. Warning: short novel ahead. This was very thought provoking .
Religion or spirituality at it’s best can be a driving force for positive change and openness to having dinner with those who are different than us or dwelling in our discomfort as we try to contribute to a more positive future.
Religion + spirituality at its worst can be a power trip, controlling, manipulative and a prop for those who have no true interest in spiritual benefit.
This highlights that well. I was listening to a podcast recently specifically about fundamentalism( specifically church camps) and there was a discussion about the way forgiveness is dished out freely. I think this is true no matter what- we all have the power to forgive ourselves- but specifically in fundamentalist churches, how it doesn’t matter what you do, you will be forgiven and praised for confessing and having forgiven and how that plays into the power structure in a lot of them. ( speaking from my own understanding , not trying to over-generalize). But that specific idea reminds me of all of these celebrities that aren’t necessarily embodying Christian ideals. It’s normal to leave and come back to rigorous religious and spiritual practice I think, but where’s the line between using a religion as a crutch and being a human? Who gets to decide ?🤔
I grew up Catholic and attended a Benedictine high school where I was taught by monks- quiet piety was the expectation. And just in general, no one was ever ‘in your face’ with their religion. In Texas it is so different and a little offensive to see shirts with ‘sweet tea and Jesus’ etc. I agree- less talking the talk, more walking the walk.
Yeah, being back in the south the last week has brought back a lot of those feelings 😂 I don't get it. Jesus doesn't need all the "help" people want to give him. Quiet piety goes so much further.
The “sweet tea and Jesus” really taps into the ways southern culture is sooo intertwined with Christianity . Speaking as a non-Christian southerner who was raised Christian 😌
Thoughtful read, Sarah♥️ the love actually cameo made me start laughing 😂 such an underrated character arc. Warning: short novel ahead. This was very thought provoking .
Religion or spirituality at it’s best can be a driving force for positive change and openness to having dinner with those who are different than us or dwelling in our discomfort as we try to contribute to a more positive future.
Religion + spirituality at its worst can be a power trip, controlling, manipulative and a prop for those who have no true interest in spiritual benefit.
This highlights that well. I was listening to a podcast recently specifically about fundamentalism( specifically church camps) and there was a discussion about the way forgiveness is dished out freely. I think this is true no matter what- we all have the power to forgive ourselves- but specifically in fundamentalist churches, how it doesn’t matter what you do, you will be forgiven and praised for confessing and having forgiven and how that plays into the power structure in a lot of them. ( speaking from my own understanding , not trying to over-generalize). But that specific idea reminds me of all of these celebrities that aren’t necessarily embodying Christian ideals. It’s normal to leave and come back to rigorous religious and spiritual practice I think, but where’s the line between using a religion as a crutch and being a human? Who gets to decide ?🤔
Good reflections and I'm good with novel length if it's thoughtful 😜
Great piece!