Thing One of Five: Pseudo-Christianity
12 Aug 2009 8:13 PM
insomnius gave me five things to write about. I am going to be a copy-cat and do them one at a time. The first thing she gave me is:
Pseudo-Christianity
I grew up as a new-age-hippy-child in Byron Bay and so my background is very anti-organised-religion but nevertheless inundated with woo.
Some time ago I decided to experiment with going to Church. I walked past St Paul's Cathedral one day and I wondered what going to Church would be like. So I went.
The Sermon was given by a guy who had once been a lecturer of mine at Uni. I enjoyed it quite a bit so I went back a few times. In those days I was working on Sunday mornings at Southbank so it was pretty convenient to go in a bit early and then sneak out just as they were starting communion. The sermons were my favourite part - but some weeks I didn't particularly care for what they were saying, depending on who was there. They do a rotatey thing at St Paul's.
Then I got a new job. I wasn't going to travel all the way to the City just to go to Church so I found another church closer to me and I went there on Sunday mornings. The sermons were my still my favourite part and more consistently interesting than when there was a different person giving the sermon each week. Actually my favourite part was when he said something like "Like most things in the bible, this didn't actually happen: but this is why we tell this story and this is what the author's of the story thought was important". I thought that was pretty awesome.
I don't say the Nicean Creed.
I felt uncomfortable taking communion but I did it the first time and it seemed rude not to once I had already done it. I haven't been baptised or anything so I am not sure that it's really allowed. If I start going to another church I have discovered that I can request a blessing instead which I think I will do.
I think that the whole God/Jesus thing isn't very important to my religious experience. I'm not quite sure what I enjoy(ed) about it (I haven't been to Church for over a year now, I moved house and haven't found a new Church to go to). I tried going to the Unitarian church once but it's was far more intimidating what with them assuming that I'd be interested in all of their activisty causy things. It was much more political than I expected and I didn't end up going back.
Apart from the Sermons I really did enjoy the community aspect. I was immediately welcomed and nothing was really expected of me. I really felt like being kind and being generous were important and valued ways of being. That's a sentiment I think I can get behind.
I think I liked the praying part. I'm not sure that I was praying to the same thing as everyone else but I don't think it matters. When some of my friends were unwell I even wrote their names down on the piece of paper and had everyone else pray for them too.
I don't think that I can bring myself to think that praying actually has any effect on things, but it's one of those other things that doesn't seem to matter much - for me it was about taking some time to think about the people I cared about that were in pain or distress. Perhaps it helped me to deal with my feelings of powerlessness, without having to sacrifice how much I cared for these people.
I think maybe that's what I got out of the whole pseudo-christianity deal: a time, place and excuse to think and care about what was and is really important to me.
Perhaps I will try to find another Church to visit.
PS. If you would like five things to post about in your blog or journal, feel free to comment and request them! That's what memes are for.
There are 2 Comments! :D
If there are things you would like me to post about I invite you to suggest them, but not if you have to sit there going "argh I have to think of things".
P.S. I semi-frequently have the urge to be a Church Tourist, but I feel it would be rude as I do not intend to become a Church Person.