You Aren't God!

“Well, I’m glad you aren’t God!” I heard my colleague say to the representative of the protest organized by a group called Action4Canada.  The Christian (and political) representation in this group  is right winged and confident that they are speaking the truth as God planned it! I was among those who stood in solidarity with Pictou County Pride. It is fair to say that the seven ministers who stood together have a different take on God’s inclusive message of love, one expressed through the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is tough to hear the circular arguments of those who want to “correct” those who have struggled with gender identity and are still dealing with the feeling of unworthiness projected on them by those who “know” the truth and are ready to tell them all about it.

Our message was simple. Preach love, God’s inclusive love, and accept that each of us has to work out our own truth. It felt good to be a part of a counter protest, among a much-maligned group of people. Indeed, there was a feeling that The Spirit of God was among us.

Educational resources in schools and public libraries that address sexual identity and orientation with children in a way that doesn’t villainize those who are questioning or trying to understand themselves are exactly what we need.  When the protestor kept talking about the “Enemy” in connection to these resources, I tried to imagine what he was describing.

We have probably all heard some variation of the phrase "We have met the enemy and he is us." A slight change from the War of 1812 quote by Commodore Perry "We have met the enemy and they are ours." Cartoonist Walt Kelly altered it in 1970 for the first Earth Day, hoping to drive the point home that humans are the planet's enemy. The phrase was repeated amongst the counter protestors several times. It seemed to fit.

A woman in a former congregation once told l me that “Satan’s hands are never idle.” Again, I tried to imagine what specifically she was talking about. I find that kind of personification difficult.

Good and evil exist in our world, I don’t deny that. When we use our own pre-conceived ideas and prejudices though, to name what is good and what is evil, while refusing to listen so that we might understand the experience of another, the lines get pretty blurry. For years that has been the stance of the Christian church, about slavery, about racial inclusion, about cultural practices, about the wide spectrum of ways to express love and personal identity, especially when it pushes a straight understanding of what is socially acceptable. I invite you to remember the grave and horrific abuses which were accepted by the institutional church and merely swept under the clerical rug. The authority of the church mattered, and nobody questioned it. The Christian church may never recover from that fallacy.

Institutional power has much to apologize for. Living into those apologies will take generations of good will and humility. I believe in a God who embraces all of creation in its great diversity. Jesus shows us that institutional rules are never as important as individual lives, that greed and corruption stand in the way of embracing the sacred experience of love, that one’s class or race or position in life ought never separate them from the embrace of faithful communities.

I’m glad to know that God, who was present in our protest, waving the pride colours!

Rev. Donna Tourneur ministers among the people of Trinity United Church in New Glasgow.