Friday, June 29, 2012

Apocalypses, Daily Lives, and Culture... Oh my!

I'm kind of with Nicole on the being afraid of the apocalypse. I don't mind talking about it, but it has made me squirm a little inside for as long as I can remember. (To explain, I come from a Christian background, but I also tend to doubt and question my faith. In Revelation, it talks about the time in which Jesus will return and, "separate the sheep from the goats," and I have always been afraid that I will be a goat and not welcomed into His kingdom, and that makes the end of the world a very terrifying concept for me.)

But if I knew the end of the world was coming, I would probably spend as much time with the people I love as I possibly could, and I would quit doing some of the things I do because I need to, rather than because I want to (like classes I hate). I would also try to warn everyone else that the end was coming and to be prepared (in both the Christian and secular manners). I'm not going too in-depth on my beliefs because I know people come from all different backgrounds, and I know all of this can be really, really touchy. But if anyone does want to discuss it, I'd love to chat in the comments.

But on a more cheerful note, I found my Ilene! (If you don't know what I mean, check out some of John's advice videos. It's his concept.) His name is Dana, and he is willing to help me do what I need to do to improve my writing. I met with him, and the best advice he had for me at the start was to read good writing. He lent me his copy of The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, which I am extraordinarily excited to read. I also turned nineteen (finally!) and have begun my Spanish class to prepare for my trip to Honduras at the end of the summer. It's been a very wonderful, very busy week, and I'm exhausted.

To close, I want to ask a question I've been dwelling on for quite a while. When listening to my International friends (I lived in the international hall on campus, so I've got friends from Honduras, Afghanistan, Mexico, China and Korea), I hear them talk about the culture of their country. I am jealous of all of them. There is something about their homelands that ties them together, whether it be their food, their mannerisms, their birthday traditions... There is something very pinpoint-able that makes their culture THEIRS and ties them to being part of it. For example, there is something about Honduras that ties my Honduran friends to being Honduran, that separates them from the cultures of El Salvador or Guatemala. While it is certain that America is unique, we are the melting pot. We have a blend of cultures, but they change based on your location in the nation: food, sports, climate, traditions... We vary as much as our population does. So what is it to you, if anything, that ties Americans to being American and gives us our culture? Do we have a culture?

That's all I've got, I think. Happy Friday!

6 comments:

  1. I come from a Christian background as well, Linnea. The end of days of Revelation is a scary thing, and is often hard to interpret. I don't often mention that part of the faith because it's so difficult to understand. The bit about him separating the sheep from the goats is definitely scary, but even some of the disciples doubted and were afraid.

    When my fiance and I first started dating, that subject came up simply because he came from an Islamic background (albeit a background full of questioning his faith), and we both wondered how different our end of days were from one another. He became a Christian after a lot of Q&A sessions and soul-searching. But we both had an interesting conversation about the end of days. He still believes that zombies could happen and we've planned for it. As for a biblical end of days... well, all we can hope/pray is that our hearts are in the right place and our souls are ready.

    I'll answer your question about culture on Tuesday! You really picked an awesome question!

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    1. Wow! It's awesome that you two come from such different backgrounds! And thanks. I hate that anyone's insecure, but knowing that I'm not alone in doubting is really helpful. Thanks!

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    2. It's actually really great to experience another culture and belief system... His father's side of the family is from India, so we eat a lot of that food and watch Bollywood films. It's great.

      You're welcome. ;) Everyone has those moments of doubt... it isn't uncommon. Most pastors will admit that early on, they had their moments. Some call it a "crisis of faith", but I think that's a tad melodramatic. ;)

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  2. I am a christian too, and used to be very worried about whether or not i would be with my family in eternity. See i'm a lesbian, and most christians have very strict believes about "people like me". And its cool if you do too, thats your prerogative, i dont judge people for their beliefs :) But i do know that after a lot of prayer i have come to the conclusion that God wants as many people in heaven as possible, and he is not going to look down at someone for who or how they love, or those small moments where they may have doubted, or wrong doings you have done in your life. I mean no one is perfect, he knows that. At the end of this all, i know that he will look into your heart and see you for who you truly are, purely good, and he will embrace you and welcome you home :)

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    1. I think "people like you," are just that. People. We're all human, and we are all entitled to love, and I don't think who you love or the labels, "Gay," "Lesbian," "Straight," "Bi/Trans sexual" should have any matter in that. I believe that God made us to love and form relationships with Him and others, and if your someone is of the same gender, then she's still your someone, and you're darn lucky to have found her. I don't think sexuality changes the fact that Jesus died on the cross for you and that if you accept him, you receive eternal life. I think He loves you for the person He made you to be regardless. I'm sorry that not all Christians have that viewpoint, but I hope tolerance and equality make it into our government and our churches soon.

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    2. I've always had a major problem with Christians that judge people of different orientations harshly. In the end, we are all cared for by God and I think more people should understand that no matter what we do or who we are, God still loves us. Jesus was tolerant and cared for all sorts of people, even those society deemed "unworthy." Shouldn't we be living that example? How can we be Christlike if we don't even act as Christ would have? I find that so frustrating... and I can't imagine how frustrating it must be for you, Rachel. I hope people will someday be willing to open their hearts and minds to other ideas and embrace tolerance the way Christ did. Until then, we have to be a shining example...

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