That Was Quick

So we have a new Pope now. I'm not Catholic, but I've been following along bit by bit. I'm kind of angry that they chose the person they did. Even if he's not my religious leader per se, the Pope has a huge presence no matter where you go, and now they've gone and chosen someone who is a "traditionalist"....in other words we are going in a backslide. So much for progress.

You know, I usually keep my political views to myself. It's not that I'm uninformed, or that I don't feel strongly about things, but I have never appreciated it when someone else lit into me uninvited with their opinions, so I usually wait until I feel I can share without causing conflict. Know your audience, so to speak. I know there are people with whom I really don't ever want to talk politics or current events, because it will just be a lot of head-butting and even some hurt feelings. Actually one of my favorite people to talk to is Shannon, who, amazingly enough, classifies herself as a Republican. You'd think that would be a turnoff for me, but Shannon is the kind of Republican that more Republicans need to be like. She's educated, she knows the issues, and she has both understanding and respect for people who don't share her opinions. On our train trip to Chicago last year, we spent nearly the entire trip there discussing our opinions and at the end we both felt like we'd learned something. In truth, she's pretty liberal when it comes to human/civil rights issues, which I think gives us some common ground to start on, but she generally votes Republican on issues of policy.

And in truth, I don't always like to identify myself as a "Democrat," because there are some frikkin' scary Democrats out there. Democrats also have a habit of wanting to save everyone, rather than teach them to save themselves and actually addressing the illness, not the symptoms. I wish there was a political party for people who just think that people should all be treated equally in practice and in law, that Americans need to stop being so arrogant, and that your religion is a CHOICE.

Which brings me back to the original topic of this post....and the reason I don't talk politics (or religion, for that matter) with a lot of people. Because the trouble I've found with discussing these things with more Republican/conservative/whatever name you want to give them people is this: in the world I live in, people have a right to choose their own lifestyles (provided, of course, that they aren't hurting someone or infringing on their rights). In the world these others appear to live in, people don't. Or maybe they have a right to choose these things, but they will be judged, ostracized, even condemned to hell--which is just as good as saying they can't choose. Isn't it?? So talking to some people like this is like talking to a wall--when I say choice, they say But God Says.

This is something I struggle with in Mary Kay. I love the women I work with so much--they are probably the most awesome, smart, professional, fun women to be around you can imagine. All ages, all shapes and sizes. However, MK is technically a Christian-based company, so there is a lot of that to contend with. And honestly I don't have a problem with people being Christian. Because, as I've said, in the world I live in, people can choose. And this is why I chose to involve myself with the company anyway, because there are a lot of "Christian values" that are really just good ways to live your life, in my opinion--doesn't matter where they come from, they just make sense. Like treating people nicely, being honest, stuff like that.

But in hanging out with these women socially I find I have to bite my tongue a lot....I have to watch myself. At home, Ryan and I can talk about how oppressive it is for him sometimes to work in Allegan, which is an extremely right-wing, conservative area. He's this little blue fleck in a red county. When I go to meeting next Monday, I may hear a few side remarks about how pleased they are that a "traditionalist" Pope has been selected. When I hear "traditionalist," my heart just dies. It really does.

Because in my mind (and here I go, I'll finally say what I think), being "traditional" means ignoring the fact that the world is the way it is. It means not updating your mind, not reevaluating your beliefs, even in the face of outright experience. I know some people would argue that that's what "faith" is....and I really don't think so. To me, faith is something you have in God--and yes, God is timeless and unchanging--not in a book, not in the human representatives of God (who are human, after all, and therefore subject to not really being so godly). I myself have a lot of faith. And I think God "speaks" to people in more than just the Bible. And I trust myself in that, because I was a religious studies minor in college and did extensive research on the origins of today's Bible.

After the election in November, I got in a rather serious discussion with someone about the phrase "voting one's conscience." I was overwrought and couldn't help myself, so I wrote about my grief over the election results on a message board that I frequent. A woman who I've known for some time wrote back about how she couldn't be expected to vote against her conscience, could she? And all I could say back was, the question on the ballot wasn't, "do you think that homosexuality is an abomination before the eyes of God?" or "Is it good or bad to be gay?" It was about whether or not you feel you have the right to legislate your religious beliefs onto other people. And unfortunately, a lot of people in this country think they do.

And apparently so do a lot of people in Rome, because they've just gone and elected someone who also believes that what he is going to do is bring this poor, sin-ridden world back to basics....back to where we had abortions in dark alleys with dirty coathangers, or where women preferred to kill themselves rather than admit that they were raped, and where no one, and I mean no one, admits their homosexuality at the risk of being run out of town on a rail. Because, heaven forbid (really!), people would be able to make choices.

I don't even know where I'm going with this anymore....my brain is just whirring. rant/bitch/moan.....