I was just making my monthly scan of myspace and I noticed that one of my childhood buddies is now writing and singing his own music. I remember him being an exceedingly sweet kid, very considerate, very eager, very bookish. When we were little, maybe kindergarten, he sent me a postcard from Japan (or his mom did). I always liked him, but we never really knew each other. I knew that he like science fiction and computers. He knew that I liked ponies and bunnies. How we managed to stay in touch is more about luck than a testament to friendship.
And speaking of testifying, it appears that my buddy has gone all out for jesus. His songs are “deeply christian in nature.” I’m not using quotes to mock him, I just think his choice of words is significant. For him, Christianity and his relationship with god is central. I started browsing his page and got a mini lesson on gethsemane, a story I never found particularly useful. In fact, most christian parables are fundementally depressing as far as I am concerned. I have to wade through loads of gloom to get to some positive message. Jesus’ friends sounded more like a bunch of five year old easily distracted chimps to me.
I have always loved primatology. Jane and Birute are my heroes. It was impossible for the ten year old version of me not to picture the chimp behavior I’d seen a million times on Nature when the priest would recount tales of stoning and mob chaos. I would slouch in my pew and wonder whether humans were more advanced at all.
I feel like I’ve grown since those long hours in high-school anti-abortion lectures. You know, the ones that culminate with the famed partial birth abortion video? Again, I was left thinking about the chimps that watch as one rips another limb from limb. Chimps are seven times stronger than humans. How did my teacher think this was helpful? Why was she terrorizing me with blood and gore? Chimps don’t have impulse control. It’s one of the reasons we consider ourselves their boss. But where was the control in my high-school classes? Where was the reasoned and thoughtful presentation of evidence? Why the devolution to chaos and reactionary rhetoric? Jane always presented the facts. She would narrate the events that led up to the messy limb-wrenching scene. Always, the behavior was more instructive when set against its factual background. So that’s what’s going on. Later, a girl learns why late term abortions occur. She learns the facts and events that put a process in context. She can actually sythesize social history, personal history, and events.
I see that Christianity works for people. I see that they are very decent, gentle, caring people living exemplary lives who are also religious. Being a catholic has been a very positive thing for my mom. Being a Baptist has been everything to her mom. They are both as good a human being as you can hope to find.
So, when I run across someone with a shared past who has chosen to stay the course I wonder: is he stronger? Is he stupid? Am I stupid? Why do we do what we do? Why do some of us appreciate concepts that others find upsetting? How is it that he grows with Catholicism and I felt like I was wilting in the good lord’s shadow?
