Yeah I just don't know.
As I grown into my twenty-something self, I am constantly challenged about what I believe about ...well...everything. Women's role in the church, homosexuality, the usage of alcohol and marijuana, and a whole host of other issues.
Currently I'm wrestling with the Vagina Monologues. I'm performing a monologue this year. I fully support them and what they do to raise money to end violence against women (this year proceeds go to CAPSA). But I'm getting backlashes. Backlashes from people for whom I care deeply. I'm stuck between a rock and hard place. Yes, I think that the monologues can be quite offensive at times. Yes, I understand the sacredness of sex and that it needs to be kept, well, sacred.
But.
BUT.
But these monologues are stories from real women. I can't ignore them. I just can't. This year I've gained an appreciation for the viewpoint of my conservative friends, more so than when I was involved last year. What I mean by this is that I have a better understanding of their concerns. I have been a challenger of conservative ideas for awhile, and I see that side more clearly now. Improvement, right? But I still don't think my support and involvement in the monologues is wrong. I have found some enlightening comments from a Catholic nun concerning the monologues. I want to share with the blogosphere:
. . . I wish our model for encountering this controversy was more in line with Jesus’ encounter at the well in the Gospel of John. When a “promiscuous” Samaritan woman approaches Him, what does Jesus do? Without any props to emphasize His divinity, He dialogues with her, asks her questions, touches her most delicate and painful reality—her sex life. Something about how Jesus addresses her deeply touches her. His demeanor communicates profound respect for everything about her. Women who have been used by men are sensitive in picking up the most subtle cues aimed at them but Jesus’ cue so thoroughly transforms her into an apostle that she goes back to her hometown and tells everyone about the new man in her life! She’s so convincing that they all welcome Jesus as their Messiah in whom they find the wellspring of eternal life. In John’s telling, Jesus is not afraid to come close to us in our most profound vulnerability to heal and save.An excerpt of the rest of her thoughts can be found here.
Taking our cue from Jesus, if the Church stopped protesting the Monologues and instead started engaging women in an honest, healthy and mature dialogue perhaps The Vagina Monologues would no longer be necessary. Until then, I’m afraid we women will have to remain content with a monologue and pray that someone is, at the very least, listening
I'm still in process.
In the land of grey.
Pray for me.
Shayla Marie
Wow, I love the perspective you found from that catholic nun. So powerful! I think a lot of people need to look at hard issues with this perspective. It would bring a lot more healing into the world and like what she said maybe the monologues wouldn't be necessary any more.
ReplyDeleteI admire your strength in wading through the grey, Shayla. The grey is hard. It is so easy to be a sheep, even if you are a sheep following the church and what they say is right. It takes strength to challenge norms and to look into yourself to see how you feel about something, not just how your leaders feel. The church is made up of humans, and humans are not perfect. The church is good but it is not perfect because our lord is not in our physical presence guiding it. The best we can do is seek out his wisdom with in ourselves and try to emulate his love--and I think you do a wonderful job of doing that.
Carly