Diversity
I believe that diversity is an integral part of God’s plan for us. Think about it, every time we think we’ve gotten everyone integrated, that we’re all one big happy family there enters another category or group of people who are feared for being different. For my parents’ generation who thought they had opened their minds and hearts all the way by working for civil rights for blacks and women there were homosexuals. For my generation who grew up knowing out gay people the new group is transgendered people. I’m not arguing that blacks, women, and gays are somehow not in need of support in order to gain civil rights I’m just pointing out that this isn’t a situation with an end point. There will always be someone to love even though you’re not too sure how you feel about them.
In the Nicene Creed we say that we believe in “one holy catholic and apostolic church” meaning that we believe in one universal church descended from the apostles. I’m not sure about you but I’ve always thought that meant we should be working toward one united church on earth. I’m pretty sure churches have thought this and continue to believe it. Be honest, how many of you think your church is the MOST right, has the BEST view of Christ, or the theology that makes the MOST sense. Or even better how many of you have thought that Christianity is the one and only or at least the best way to worship God. I’ve thought it. A lot of people are afraid of ecumenical or interfaith organizations because there’s a sense that you have to water down your theology or your view points in order to include more churches or people.
I think that if Christianity was about right belief the Sermon on the Mount would be a list of things to believe in order to be saved. Instead of a list of what to believe and what not to believe Jesus gives us a list of how to behave in order to be blessed. He doesn’t say, “Believe these five things and you will be saved” he says, “Love the Lord your God. Love your neighbor.” My community discussed the other night how difficult it is to get four Christians to agree on anything. All four of us consider ourselves Christian, we’re all politically progressive and dedicated to service and yet we see Christ, Christianity, and our vocations very differently. Is that a failure? Or is it possible that this is what God intended?
I feel similarly about other religions. I think in this time of religion being attacked both by secular forces and forces for fundamentalism it is important that reasonable religious people of all religions support each other. Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” but does that mean that only Christians are truly worshipping God? As a religion that grew out of another religion (Judaism) Christianity should be open to the idea that other religions have access to truth. One of the things I like about religion is its ability to straddle truths. I can say that Christ died to save me and that Muslims have a true and worthy way of worship. These two things seem contradictory in our black and white, either or world but through grace I see that they can both be true.
It seems to me that diversity is how God shows us God’s bigness. God points out to us, “see that person, the one you think is crazy/dirty/mean/stupid? I love him as much as I love you, as much as I love my Son.” We constantly attempt to force God into a narrow space to say that only these type of people are worthy of God’s love or only by praying this way can you get God’s attention or only by following these rules can you live a righteous life. The charge to “love one and other like I love you” teaches us to stretch ourselves outside of our narrow definitions and love someone we see as un-loveable. If we were all the same, or all believed the same thing there would be no opportunity to do that and we would lose some knowledge of the largeness of God. A truly catholic and apostolic church is not one where everyone thinks the same or we all answer to the same worldly church hierarchy but one where all people are accepted and loved regardless.
-Katie Kimsey