Brush with Religion

It’s so hard to be nonjudgmental of people whom you perceive to be judgmental.

I had lunch today with a Babtist- I suspect she was a Southern Babtist, as we are in AZ, and she was white. I often feel self conscious of my life choices around religious people. Who do I feel guilty before though? I think it's guilty in her eyes. I don't like it when I suspect I’m being judged, especially by a really friendly sweet, down to earth young woman.

So I nodded and yesed her as she made references to her belief that the AIDS epidemic is related to modern immorality. I suspect she thinks all natural disasters are sent to punish us. I didn't ask her opinion of New Orleans.

I asked her to tell me a little about various sects of Christianity. I learned that, apparently, Muslims and Jews fall into a sect of Christianity called "non-protestants", and Catholics are a type of Protestant. At this point I spoke up---finally--- and explained a little about what the Protestant reformation was. My opinion of her dropped a bit- in college my religious friends did not lump other religions into ill fitting categories synonymous with "HEATHEN".

H thinks that I indulge people. (I think she's right.) I've learned so many cool things about people, and more tangible matters- like how transmissions work, how to play dungeons and dragons, the new configuration of the army around the striker, how to cook egg curry, saag and sushi, how fantasy baseball works, why many Columbians want cocaine to be legalized, and basically all of my cocktail stories.

This indulgence is good... except for when it is bad. It can mislead people, make them think I want to be "saved", make them think that I want a closer friendship with them than I actually do. Because of my propensity to indulge, I have a propensity to misrepresent my intentions, mislead, feel guilty, question my own morality, look to a universal morality, and have lunch with Baptists. This is the guilty circle of my life.