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Mar. 29th, 2010 10:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
darchildreHad our first rehearsal with the instrumentalists tonight. It went fairly well, I thought.
We're performing in a church on Bainbridge, which is always a bit weird for me. I don't feel weird about being in my church, because I'm there all the time and I figure that if the Christian god was going to object to a heathen in that church, he would have said something by now. But other people's churches always feel really awkward, like I'm in someone's house without their permission. (Or other people's places of worship in general, I suppose - only I end up in Christian churches more than any other place of worship.) It's not a guilt feeling or a fear feeling. It's an anxiety thing, like my presence might somehow be disrespectful of some god who isn't one of my gods. For instance, I can never quite work out if it's okay for me to pray in other people's churches.* It's bad enough me being an uninvited and possibly somewhat unwelcome guest - I don't want to compound the offense by essentially inviting other guests in too.
See, this is the problem with being a polytheist. If I were a monotheist this would be easy, because the answer would be "Of course their god doesn't care because my god is the only one out there listening." Believing that other people's gods exist but that I don't have to worship them occasionally makes things awkward.
Generally, I work this out in my head by figuring that I am a guest in someone else's metaphorical house and that if I behave as a respectful and polite guest should, all will be well. And of course it is. But still, odd and somewhat uncomfortable.
*I also feel somewhat awkward praying in other people's houses, and for people who aren't heathen or my family members. I mean, I do it anyway, but it sometimes feels a little...presumptious, or something. Like I'm giving someone something they didn't ask for and may not want and may, indeed, be offended by.
We're performing in a church on Bainbridge, which is always a bit weird for me. I don't feel weird about being in my church, because I'm there all the time and I figure that if the Christian god was going to object to a heathen in that church, he would have said something by now. But other people's churches always feel really awkward, like I'm in someone's house without their permission. (Or other people's places of worship in general, I suppose - only I end up in Christian churches more than any other place of worship.) It's not a guilt feeling or a fear feeling. It's an anxiety thing, like my presence might somehow be disrespectful of some god who isn't one of my gods. For instance, I can never quite work out if it's okay for me to pray in other people's churches.* It's bad enough me being an uninvited and possibly somewhat unwelcome guest - I don't want to compound the offense by essentially inviting other guests in too.
See, this is the problem with being a polytheist. If I were a monotheist this would be easy, because the answer would be "Of course their god doesn't care because my god is the only one out there listening." Believing that other people's gods exist but that I don't have to worship them occasionally makes things awkward.
Generally, I work this out in my head by figuring that I am a guest in someone else's metaphorical house and that if I behave as a respectful and polite guest should, all will be well. And of course it is. But still, odd and somewhat uncomfortable.
*I also feel somewhat awkward praying in other people's houses, and for people who aren't heathen or my family members. I mean, I do it anyway, but it sometimes feels a little...presumptious, or something. Like I'm giving someone something they didn't ask for and may not want and may, indeed, be offended by.
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Date: 2010-03-30 08:10 am (UTC)I obviously can't speak for everyone, but as an atheist I'm only uncomfortable/feel disrespected when people pray for my soul -- that I will find religion, kinda thing.
A Jewish friend of mine who was in Israel at the time of my mother's stroke told me that she prayed for us at the Western Wall, and I wasn't offended or upset at that in any way -- I was humbled, and grateful, and felt a lot of love for my friend that she would do that for us.
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Date: 2010-03-30 09:11 am (UTC)At a few Catholic funerals I've been to, the priests acknowledged that not everyone there would be Catholic or Christian, and still encouraged everyone to join in the more universal parts of the prayer service. I take that as a general guideline: paying false lip service to a god and religion I don't follow would be offensive, but visiting a church for a good reason and being respectful and joining in prayers in a general fashion, nothing to be offended about there.
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Date: 2010-03-30 02:14 pm (UTC)I am a guest in someone else's metaphorical house and that if I behave as a respectful and polite guest should, all will be well.
Though, I guess it's pretty much a literal and not a metaphorical house. :D I tend to bring a 'host gift' - say a little something thanking the deity in question for opening their space to me and sometimes dropping coin in the collections box. This doesn't strike me as disrespectful; rather it means I'm a good guest and sticking to my own spiritual principles by honoring the hospitality rules.
I also think that the Gods tend to get on better than there followers do. I do realize that this is has not always been the case, but I'm lucky in that Brigid is one of my Matrons and she has a clearly recorded good relationship with the Church. I tend to feel like a diplomat in someone else's court -internally, at least- when I go to services this days. But I do think there's a lot more leeway granted between pantheons than individual worshippers allow.
Something else that struck me here - the Gods are always with us - which includes other people's houses of worship.
I hear you on the praying for others piece too. I try to check before adding people to my prayers, but if I can't I believe that the intention pushes past any personal spiritual flavoring.
/two cents
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Date: 2010-03-31 05:14 pm (UTC)I'm guessing the gods get on a little bit better than their followers, too. And, I suppose, if one really wanted to, since a lot of prayers are directed pretty generally, I suppose it's not too much of an offense if you add your voice to the group of people requesting that god look after his or her followers, even if you personally don't count yourself as one of those followers.