I went to church earlier today. I often go and enjoy the spiritual comfort that the pew so often seems to reverberate. I talked to my personal God and angels, in makeshift prayers, alongside ancestors and African deities who huddled to listen, to answer and offer their wisdom. They saw through me, the mask, and touched me there, in that place that sends ripples down your skin and at times, makes you look back. I smiled and wondered if they smiled as well or if frowns in heaven only belonged to the brows of angels. I closed my eyes and walked the clouds along side them. Laughing like good friends, we frankly spoke in non- ecclesial vernacular. I asked for many things like love, to keep my home, for a job, and better horizons; in that order. I descended sometime later and bid farewell but for a moment. Outside they rejoined me, my traveling companions. We continued our talk, as I strolled down Broadway and they up above.
i'm glad that no matter how educated or how much of a rationalist (empiricist?) i become, the power of faith continually interests (and inspires) me. even though i have a lot of trouble finding churches that sit right with me (my spirit?), i have never really stopped believing in the importance of faith.
i think that a lot of people (especially atheists/agnostics) who criticize religious fundamentalists would benefit from an engagement with the ways in which faith has the potential to operate as a transformative force (as it has throughout history). don't get me wrong, i'm not defending the "McChristians" you describe in an earlier post; i'm just saying that in order to articulate the problematic nature of fundamentalism it is necessary to take into account the possibility that the power derived from it might be used for good. i guess it's also important to point out that fundamentalists are just as dangerous as the uncritical critics i describe above-if for no other reason than just because they indignantly transform radical love into hate. there's too much to talk about with this...
needless to say, the "spiritual comfort" you describe in relation to your visits to church really resonates with my experiences.
This is most definitely one of my favorite pictures so far, loko(the bottom one). It's hard to explain but my eyes were drawn to the hands and i get a good feeling....
a very good feeling....
big ups.
Thank you.
i love the pic yusef, keep up the good work.
and reading what u wrote, believe it or not made me think why dont i go to church anymore. thanks
You are welcome Jonathan. Always happy to inspire.