Ok so this post is for all of my MBCC readers. I had QUITE the conversation with the director of my women’s center the other day about religion…
It started out as an invitation to join in on a forum on family matters at the nearby Catholic Church. After inviting me, my director (a thoroughly creepy man, by the way) asked me if i happened to be a Christian. I replied that indeed I had been raised in a Protestant church.
“Ok, so you’re Presbyterian,” he says.
“Um, no… not exactly,” I respond.
“But then what church do you go to?”
“It’s called the United Church of Christ”
“No. that’s wrong. You can’t have a Church of Christ, that’s just silly. Why would you ever have to say Church of Christ? Church implies Christ and so to say Church of Christ is just being redundant and stupid.”
“Um…. I’m sorry? That’s what the branch is called.”
“No that can’t be write. There’s no way.”
This conversation continued on exactly like this for another 20 minutes. He pulled out a French dictionary to show me that eglise (the French word for church) is defined officially as a Christian place of worship, invariably. I tried to explain that in English we tend to use “church” to signify any place of worship, and he told me I was wrong.
“I’m sorry, sir, but I think I know the English language a little better than you do.”
“Perhaps, but in this case you are just wrong! You need to tell your church elders they need to change the name, because this is just ridiculous.”
“Sir, this church has been around for hundreds of years, like the 1600s when the first Europeans came to America.” (did not have the French to say pilgrims)
“Well I still think you need to change it”
“Sir, with all due respect, I don’t believe you have the authority to say what my church can and cannot be called”
Thankfully at this point his assistant came in to tell us that I was 10 minutes late to teach my class (I arrived 25 mins early if this is any indication) and so I was in a way saved by the bell. He excused me only when I pormised I would be back after class to continue our discussion — HA! I ran out of there once my lesson was over. (Ok, that is actually a lie. I had to talk to one of my students who is apparently HIV positive and pregnant… and cannot get medication from the hospital because the doctors want to see her come down with some serious symptoms before they give her treatment. WHAT?? After talking with this girl and a few more students I shuffled out of the exit furthest from the directors office)
