Once upon a time we enjoyed regular writing from members of our community. That has dropped off, but we'd like to keep their work available for future readers. Enjoy.
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You can watch it here.
You can download it here. (The site may be busy, but it's worth it to wait and try again later.)
Enjoy!
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Sitting in Sunday School class, the “teacher” matter-of-factly says, “Catholics are going to hell.” I'm shocked, as are many of my fellow classmates. I pondered my friends, all fifth graders like myself, mentally ticking off a list, horrifically realizing that over half of them were destined to the fiery pit. I tried to imagine their horrific crime, each time coming up drastically short of a dastardly deed that could merit such punishment.
And the giant stirred.
Watching the congregation gently sway to the music, arms outstretched, eyes clamped shut, tears streaming down their cheeks, I watched as many softly spoke in tongues, glorious rapture glowing on their ecstatic faces.
I felt nothing. Absolutely nothing.
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We're planning to have a family-oriented Solstice celebration Saturday, December 18 at 5 p.m. in the UU Fellowship Hall. It'll likely be a potluck, so plan on bringing a favorite dish or treat.
We had a lot of fun at the Summer Solstice celebration in the park. Feel free to bring children, friends, or whomever you like.
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After a referral by Tom Stavros, long-time president of CMFFoT, I've been asked to serve on the task force that's looking at District 742's policy on religion. The current policy was written in 1989 and was reviewed and updated most recently in 2001. Frankly, it reads as though it was written shortly post-9/11, with vaguely threatening language like "sectarian indoctrination". An Administrative Procedure document is also available at the policies page.
Bruce Watkins,district superintendant, is very good at what he does. He manages to facilitate productive discussion without being intrusive. He has assembled a diverse group, comprising members of the Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and atheist communities. One goal for this first meeting was to bring forward the concerns of the various communities in order to define the scope of our mission. I'll try to recall some of them here, having been too caught up in the discussions to take proper notes.
Anyone who's spent significant time in the St. Cloud area knows how many new people we've taken on in recent years, as well as the sub-communities that have been with us much longer. We're one of the biggest destinations for Somali and other refugees in the state, and even in the nation. We've changed.
My children are in preschool and kindergarten in the district, and the number of children of color and who wear religiously-motivated attire here is remarkable. I barely recall a single black or Asian student at my elementary school, and if there was a Jew or a Muslim, I was oblivious. I'm tremendously grateful for the diversity they are experiencing. Of course, it's not entirely a positive situation for those other children.
One of the most poignant concerns is the lingering bias toward Muslims and their children in St. Cloud. We still have plenty of ignorance and bigotry in our community, and it shows up in the classroom on occasion. This brings me to the muted but conspicuous tension in the room... regardless of the existence of actual discrimination, every group present seemed to feel discrimination of one sort or another. Sharing a community with people of such diverse culture is an excercise in cooperation and compromise. Through the lens of each of our experiences, that compromise sometimes appears as a loss, whether it be real or not.
Still, this group expressed and inquired with admirable civility. I really look forward to upcoming meetings, though I have some doubt that everyone will come away completely satisfied. There's likely to still be either too little or too much religious influence in our school system, depending on individual outlooks, when we're finished.
For me, the goal might be best described as enrichment. Our hypersensitivity to threats to our own worldviews has dampened academics in both religion and science in this country. We're falling behind the rest of the world in education, partly because religious dogma stifles true scientific inquiry out of a need for self-preservation, and partly because we're afraid of discussing religion at higher levels for fear of backlash or litigation. We're reluctant to look past mere ritual at the deeper meaning and values present. That's an unfortunate loss for our children, and a missed opportunity for teaching understanding and acceptance. I hope to help remedy that by my participation.