Prince of Peace Catholic Newman Center (University of Washington - Seattle) October 3rd 2010

      What can I say about the University of Washington Catholic Newman Center? I have so many mixed memories there. I've volunteered in the 9pm Choir for 2 quarters. I've made friends with the community. I've heard sermons that have made me want to leave and others that went beyond Christianity in their content. I've made friends with some of the priests, experienced visions, and shared countless unforgettable moments with my girlfriend here. 

     Before I get into the bittersweetness of my visit this day, I need to state my biases upfront. Most of you already know how anti-hierarchy I am when it comes to God, especially when the hierarchy is unequal in leadership and completely male dominated. I could write an entire book on everything I disagree with the Catholic Church on (like I could with most Conservative or Orthodox faiths). For a very brief list though, the fact that women serve under priests, even if they've fully devoted themselves to God, homosexuality being seen as a sin, and irresponsibility in regards to stopping the spread of AIDS and STDs trouble me. These are part of the list for my own personal disagreements with the Church...which you will find mirror my disagreements with other religions as well.

    The things I like about Catholicism are the mystery and symbols. This is an essential in all religions and especially prevalent in Catholicism. This is expressed in the Eucharist, the Trinity and the ritual. This is part of religion in which I experience imagination and feel something. A fully intellectual faith becomes nothing more than a poor classroom experience. It's in the myths that the magic happens. The other essential part of religion is the people. The people are why it exists. I came to the service with my girlfriend and her cousin and had an amazing time with both of them just being present during the service. 
       The Priest's sermon was about the importance of doubt and how all that's needed is a mustard seed of faith in order to achieve great things. The reading was from the story in which Jesus says the same thing to his apostles when they ask him to make their faith stronger. I found this to be a good liturgy. People need to question and doubt in order to understand what they believe. It's in doubt that we come to know what is that matters to us and what we do have faith in. This was one of the better services I have heard in a while in my visits.

    After Mass I talked to a man; I don't have permission to use his name so I will call him "The Man." The man was a Church Apologist. He believed the Church had done nothing evil throughout history and that the leaders of the Church were greater than other human beings in their time periods. When I brought up basic history he talked about conspiracy theories against the Catholic Church, apparently standard World History is Anti-Catholic in his eyes. He wasn't willing to admit the Church's persecution of minority religious groups when it was in power.
    The discussion took another horrifying turn when I brought up persecution against Muslims in the United States. He brought up conspiracy theorists about Muslims wanting freedom to worship in America as a Trojan Horse to conquer the United States, since "Islam has always been spread by the sword."
    He's also a faith healer and exorcist. How he holds himself is with humility and kindness...he was an old man...but his words and beliefs towards even his other brothers under God (Muslims...I fear what The Man thinks about the Jews, well he thinks the Inquisition wasn't all that bad) was horrifying.

   What does this mean for the state of the world if we can't even admit the wrongs of the institutions we believe in? If we can't be honest about our mistakes and go about demonizing others and making them devils what does that do except destroy freedom of religion and tolerance towards faiths, atheists and agnostics?

    Today's visit was bittersweet. I experienced the best and worst of people in the Mass and discussion. The ideas of love are embraced while at the same time, when mixed with nationalism and fear becomes a monster that sees itself as pure, when in fact it is a weapon against love and compassion that exists in all faiths.

    After today I will be interviewing followers as well as leaders. A religion only exists because of the people. All of its people.

9/11 Reflection - The importance of Interfaith - September 11th 2010

         I remember the day so vividly. The day the Towers fell. My, how much has changed...

         I remember the questioning and unknowing I felt, as well as the sorrow for the victims who died that day. I remember seeing Afghanistan as a just war, and protesting the Iraq War. I remember telling friends where I was the day the Towers fell.

          I was in my 7th Grade art class. The teacher had the news on; the first tower had already collapsed. Around me was dead silence, interrupted only by the question, "Why?" We eventually learned that it was perpetrated by Al Qaeda, a terrorist organization with the goals of spreading Sharia, destroying Israel, and removing the US from the Middle East.Whenever I remember that day, my mind turns to the victims and their families. To remember, to mourn, and to turn it into action.

       Al Qaeda's greatest tool against the West is the lie that Western countries are at war with Islam, justified through citing the Crusades of old and prejudices against Muslim immigrants and islamophobia in Western nations.

       After 9/11 many United States citizens gave into their base fear and turned on Muslims in their community. Many stood above that fear though, and sought to build bridges between those with different beliefs and cultures.The Interfaith movements are still going on, even though those preaching fear are the people getting publicity, such as the reverend who threatened to burn Qurans and those protesting the creation of mosques.

       It's by both sides who are in conflict defeating their fear and "other"ing of an individual in which true change occurs. It's this that will solve the problems in the end, as the eye for an eye continues on the world scale. Getting there, to that place where there is no longer an "other" between people of different faith or non-faith traditions.

       True change only occurs when both sides remove their fear and stop "other"ing each other. Only through this will the problems end as an eye for an eye leaves the world blind. Getting there, to that place where there is no longer an "other" between people of different beliefs, is the challenge at hand.