In Stuart McLean’s “Welcome Home”, the Canadian storyteller quotes curé Latendresse's definition of religion.
.......Religion is love. That’s all. Love. It is about the love we have for
.......God. It is about the love God has for us. And it is about the love
.......that is among us. That's the foundation. All the rest is just
.......accessory. It is only there to show love.
I recall smiling when I first read those words. You tell ‘em curé! I thought to myself, a survivor of a not-so-pretty-hell-fire catholic youth. After all, what is religion without love? And if God is not love, what are so many people buying into, exactly?
Well, it goes by names like ‘The Crusades’, or Ground Zero turned reason for revenge and lucrative oil deals in the Middle East, to name a couple. I recently became a victim of religion once again when the parents of children I teach checked out my blog, and followed one of its links to the NSI to watch my first film. In it, I play the role of a gay woman. No skin, no sex. Nothing like that.
I teach with my heart and my heart is fed for the privilege of witnessing someone else’s growth. I teach for the joy and love of it. And that was welcomed and appreciated until two weeks ago. But the word has been spread à propos, and I have been marked. My stats show a hundred hits on NSI. And with a sad, sad heart I saw that I was googled as follows: Marjolaine Hébert against men
Students have been kept away, a class cancelled, my livelihood as a teacher is in question, and my heart is broken for being judged so unfairly, all in the name of religion.
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5 comments:
Sorry to hear about your Run in with Religion.
In a way, Le Bon Curé Latendresse did not choose the Right Word..
But it should have been: FAITH
=====
FAITH is love. That’s all. Love. It is about the love we have for God and others. It is about the love God has for us. And it is about the love that is among us. That's the foundation. All the rest is just accessory. It is only there to show love.
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Personally, The whole organized Religion is too sad, too twisted, too confused….
Yet, I still turn to it one in while…
In front of my growing garden, the laughter of my children or at the bedside of a dying friend, I can only turn into Faith. But for some people, Religion leads their Faith blindly.
You must have Faith in You. Faith in your ability to teach. And Faith in others.. ……… (That’s the Toughest one)
People who know you,, trust you, love you will see through this.
I Know ,,, I Do ….
That's so awful! Why would they do that?? You're a good person! I'm really sorry...I wish I could make it better.
Just hold your head up, is the only thing I'd suggest. It'll get easier. Everyday.
Thank you :-) You're sweet to say this ...
Hello... I just stopped by your blog -- hope you don't mind. I'm so sorry this happened to you, but so glad at the same time that you brought up the unforunate issue that so many face with "religion".
You were so right when you said it's all about love. I was raised in a Christian home, and I was taught, above ALL else, to LOVE my neighbor. It makes me incredibly sad when I see someone who supposedly shares my faith, treating another person in any similar way that you were treated.
It isn't right.
It is the opposite of what this faith is truly about.
I'm glad you stopped by, Kelsi, to share this with me. Thanks..
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