I just blew someone away. Not literally of course. I don't know how the subject exactly got started. He walked in to tell me a woman had fainted in the hall. (Which was an event in and of itself.) Somehow, the topic got turned to Christianity. He is of a fundamentalist ilk, though apparently not quite as conservative as that which I was raised in (most people aren't). He asked me what I thought about something and I basically said I didn't have an opinion because I was taking a hiatus from religion at this point.
He was confused and asked me to clarify. I told him that I would bet I knew more Bible verses than he did as well as his theology bettter. I reeled off the books of the Bible in high speed to prove it (no one that I know has ever beaten my time for saying them the fastest) Then I explained that for me it was all or mostly head knowledge and that if I didn't believe it with my heart and yet pretended I did I would be hypocritical. Instead all of the knowledge has made me cynical and skeptical.
We actually had a really neat conversation about it. I said that I haven't stopped seeking for Truth, and I figure that if what my parents believe is Truth I will get back to it. If it isn't, I won't and they will have to deal with it. I talked a bit (well probably lectured, becaue he was still mostly speechless) on how different denominations of Christians use different methods of Biblical interpretation (dkw I think you would have been proud of me) And how when you take a particular set of it presuppositions makes it extremely logical how a denomination got to where they did, and you can almost reason it out in advance, especially for the more rigid belief structures. Particularly on issues like women's leadership roles in churches and the like. Surprisingly, he was ok with women preachers which scored a point in his favor, even if he does have a bit of a case of homophobia.
I explained to him that some of my views are probably reactionary because I came from such a conservative extreme, and this is probably what has caused a few of our more general disagreements on other non-theological topics. I guess he didn't realize that I came to my views after having had a full dose of the opposing side's ideas and arguments, and thought I was just parroting ideas that I'd heard at college or something. He was very surprised.
I guess I was surprised that he was surpised. I've always been a very open person, but in a workplace situation it isn't appropriate to air out all your views all the time. With my other friends in the past (as well as here on Hatrack) they have always known exactly where I came from and why I am where I am, because I am that open. But, to a co-worker, even if they have become your friend, you don't realize that there is that barrier of information you haven't shared.
Anyway, I just had this experience and needed to write it down somewhere. I think that the level of mutual respect for each other has increased on both sides, which is always a good thing. He said he now looked at me in an entirely different light and he was going to have to think about it for a while. Probably the same for me.
AJ
Posted by Sweet William (Member # 5212) on :
Maybe this type of experience is why landmark posts are so wonderful.
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
yeah but the landmark would be after I thought about it for a while and distilled the single event into a two word essence which I'm lousy at.
This is also why I've only had semi-landmark posts in the contexts of other threads and nothing really stand alone.
AJ
Posted by Storm Saxon (Member # 3101) on :
Banna, I always enjoy reading your posts. Very logical and you have a great character that really shines through. Posted by Ralphie (Member # 1565) on :
Word up.
Posted by Erik Slaine (Member # 5583) on :
BannaOJ, thanks. I loved the sentiment that you expressed. I have had similar experiences in my professional life, as I try to keep my beliefs out of other peoples faces.
And yet, a man who I recently worked for and I got along famously, after a discussion of our beliefs. We could see where each other came from. After a frank conversation on "good and evil", he understood that my belief was not rashly made, and had grounding in a logic that, though he couldn't agree with it himself, had it's own sense and worth.
He was a pastor, but I taught him that you don't need to be religious to have ethics.
Posted by jehovoid (Member # 2014) on :
What happened to the woman that fainted?!
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
We don't know. Other than her physcical discription I don't even know who it was, since I know I've seen a couple of heavyset black women in the halls from time to time. See we have probably 800 employees at this particular site which also happens to be the company headquarters. So with that many people in one place things do happen occasionally. I'm sure it will eventually trickle through the grapevine as to what actually happened and whether she's ok. But that info will take longer than the shocking news as in any grapevine.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
That was my thought -- you two were talking religion instead of helping that poor woman that fainted????
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
We have a medic. I was in my office at the time and minding my own business, rather than joining the crowd of rubberneckers gawking at someone else's misfortune. The co-worker only saw the commotion as a distance because the event occured near that entrance to the lab.
AJ
edit: she was wheeled off in a stretcher, but I don't think 911 was called.
[ September 09, 2003, 02:22 PM: Message edited by: BannaOj ]
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
More grapevine. She was out cold for 15 minutes, they did take her to the hospital. She was known to have a heart condition. But those in the group she works with have all been complaining about extra stress due to their supervisor. The supervisor was one of the most attentive people while she was actually out cold. The group also happens to have two other people on extended leave for major health issues.
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