our religion
the encyclopedia of religion defines religion like this:
"Religion is the organization of life around the depth dimensions of experience; varied in form, completeness, and clarity in accordance with the environing culture."
recently dan and i joked to our friends that football was our religion. we attend church in our pajamas promptly at 10am every sunday from september to january. we take pizza/chips and beer/cider communion at least once a month. we even attend extra services on sunday afternoon and evening, and also on monday nights. we are incredibly devout.
they didn't think it was funny.
they attend church regularly. sunday is a family day. they've created a community through fellow believers, and it's important to them to surround themselves with people with similar values.
i totally understand - i would prefer to surround myself with fellow broncos fans but they're hard to come by in raider country. so my religion doesn't actually refer to god, per se, but what isn't divine about a hail mary pass? but seriously, i know that our equation of football and their christianity was offensive to them, and i understand why.
their reaction to our joke got me thinking. i always really liked going to church when i was little. i miss the rituals and hymns and pageantry of it now. but in college i made the conscious choice to worship in the silent quaker meeting on campus. stillness and reflection are much closer to my vision of prayer and exaltation than any kind of formal service. and if that's the case, why not find a little time to be still and reflect when you feel moved to do so, not just because it's sunday morning? that has been what i say to myself every week as i feel a little pang of guilt pulse through me.
last sunday i gave into the pang. i found a quaker meeting here in town that is right up my alley. old simple meeting house, silent worship, no jesus freaks - it's perfect. i dragged dan with me. after 40 minutes of silence (most of which i spent thinking about how restless and uncentered i was) a woman stood to share that she had recently been reminded, by leonardo di caprio of all people, to seize the day. to live the moment. to take advantage of all that comes your way and to appreciate life. i realized that something had been holding me back from going to meeting - and that i had finally decided this sunday morning to seize the day. to take advantage of this community. to live life without the pang of guilt. then the meeting's elder, a 100-year-old man with a jaunty walk and a flowing white beard, ended the worship with announcements and introductions.
then this sunday rolled around. i woke up early enough to make it to meeting. i told myself that they best way to get into the habit of going was to try to establish some relationships. i would attend meeting and the after worship coffee time. i would surround myself with people with similar values.
then dan reminded me that the broncos game was on at 10.
so what's wrong with spending my sunday morning with dan on the couch watching football? maybe my old mantra is worth repeating. maybe watching the broncos seize the moment is enough reverence and ritual to qualify as a religious observance and ward off those guilt pangs. or maybe i should start my own quaker meeting for football fans...
we'll meet on tuesday evenings.
"Religion is the organization of life around the depth dimensions of experience; varied in form, completeness, and clarity in accordance with the environing culture."
recently dan and i joked to our friends that football was our religion. we attend church in our pajamas promptly at 10am every sunday from september to january. we take pizza/chips and beer/cider communion at least once a month. we even attend extra services on sunday afternoon and evening, and also on monday nights. we are incredibly devout.
they didn't think it was funny.
they attend church regularly. sunday is a family day. they've created a community through fellow believers, and it's important to them to surround themselves with people with similar values.
i totally understand - i would prefer to surround myself with fellow broncos fans but they're hard to come by in raider country. so my religion doesn't actually refer to god, per se, but what isn't divine about a hail mary pass? but seriously, i know that our equation of football and their christianity was offensive to them, and i understand why.
their reaction to our joke got me thinking. i always really liked going to church when i was little. i miss the rituals and hymns and pageantry of it now. but in college i made the conscious choice to worship in the silent quaker meeting on campus. stillness and reflection are much closer to my vision of prayer and exaltation than any kind of formal service. and if that's the case, why not find a little time to be still and reflect when you feel moved to do so, not just because it's sunday morning? that has been what i say to myself every week as i feel a little pang of guilt pulse through me.
last sunday i gave into the pang. i found a quaker meeting here in town that is right up my alley. old simple meeting house, silent worship, no jesus freaks - it's perfect. i dragged dan with me. after 40 minutes of silence (most of which i spent thinking about how restless and uncentered i was) a woman stood to share that she had recently been reminded, by leonardo di caprio of all people, to seize the day. to live the moment. to take advantage of all that comes your way and to appreciate life. i realized that something had been holding me back from going to meeting - and that i had finally decided this sunday morning to seize the day. to take advantage of this community. to live life without the pang of guilt. then the meeting's elder, a 100-year-old man with a jaunty walk and a flowing white beard, ended the worship with announcements and introductions.
then this sunday rolled around. i woke up early enough to make it to meeting. i told myself that they best way to get into the habit of going was to try to establish some relationships. i would attend meeting and the after worship coffee time. i would surround myself with people with similar values.
then dan reminded me that the broncos game was on at 10.
so what's wrong with spending my sunday morning with dan on the couch watching football? maybe my old mantra is worth repeating. maybe watching the broncos seize the moment is enough reverence and ritual to qualify as a religious observance and ward off those guilt pangs. or maybe i should start my own quaker meeting for football fans...
we'll meet on tuesday evenings.
posted by jordan at
12:30 AM
1 Comments:
I'm jealous that you even have an option. Around here it's programmed (which is not particularly fulfilling for me) or an hour drive (to Earlham, where I would just be sad that I didn't know anyone anymore and wish as hard as I could that my friends were there, or to Bloomington which was a little too political and not enough spiritual for me (this coming from a PAGS major)). I really miss Meeting a lot every now and again when everything gets to be too much and an hour of silence is all I really need. Sometimes I think just having the option, just knowing it's there when you need it, has a ton of value. And if some weeks you need football and other weeks you need Meeting or a walk with Zoe or whatever then you can "seize the day" (Leonardo di Caprio??) by doing what you need to do. And that is a "depth dimension of experience," whatever that means..or something.
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Anonymous, at September 12, 2006 9:06 PM
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