The Canadian flag. Sarah Schuchtard
On crisp winter days, we are reminded of family, tradition, what the year ahead of us will bring and how we will successfully end the year. Unfortunately, that was not what crossed my mind when meeting up with Kwantlen`s recognized Bible study group.
When I decided to attend a meeting, I was anxious about seeing details of a club that has been trying to receive funding from Kwantlen’s Student Association. In the past year, the Kwantlen Student Association (KSA), has had conflicts with other religious-based groups on campus over club representation and funding.
I had the expectation of being cast into a world where the horrors and stereotypes of religion were going to be confirmed. I thought I would be going against intolerance and ignorance, and might need to bring out the big guns against cult-like manipulation.
Being raised by an atheist family, I have no recollection of experiencing anything remotely spiritual or biblical. The images of organized faith have been horror stories, accompanied by jokes about “drinking the Kool-Aid,” came mind. The concept of what I expect religion to be (a patriarchy structure that teaches intolerance and misogyny) and the separation of generalized meaning of religion and the role it plays in people`s lives is a connection I never made in past.
With the stereotype of religion passed down to me from childhood, I was well aware that I needed to hide my queer identity from this group. I have grown into my adulthood realizing that my identity may need to be hidden at times for my safety, and the fear that I could be stripped of the validation of my identity was daunting.
I started to wonder, is my hat “too gay.?” as I waited for my ride to Bible study, at the corner of No. 3 Road and Cook Street in Richmond.
I met with the group at one of the member’s house. The just over a dozen, predominately international students filled the living room of the small apartment. Food in various casserole dishes covered the dining room table, along with by child-sized plastic plates.
Sitting in a circle of chairs facing the middle of the living room, we prayed and began to eat together.
Sharing conversations about life and the past week’s job interviews, school mid-terms and headaches with ICBC, the evening proved to be therapeutic. Although being scolded for my vegetarianism, it seemed to be a nice way to spend a Thursday, eating and talking about life with a group of friendly people.
Sitting, eating my meatless rice, I was introduced to a Kwantlen international student, Cindy, who was just beginning to learn English.She was awkward with her sentences as she willingly told me her story (another concept I was uneasy with). Cindy had come to Canada not as a Christian, but had found her way to Christianity through the family she used to stay with.
Finding an open and friendly group, that repeatedly expressed throughout the night that “God is love and fulfillment,” seemed to be a great place for Cindy to start her journey as a student in Canada.
Friendly yes, and evil they were not. I found myself continually questioning myself and almost feeling dirty for feeling comfort in a belief whose principles and teachings I did not believe and that my lifestyle didn’t support. I could say the main concern I had was what do individuals have to sacrifice to belong to this promise of an immortal utopia?
After an hour of singing hymns which centered around the main chorus, “He is so rich, He is so full, He is so rich He can fulfill all your need, He is so good, He is so sweet all your desires He exceeds,” and finding out that without God I am an useless, empty glove, I was handed a Bible as we broke off into groups.
Sitting on the cold tile floor of an office space, we were handed pamphlet of “God propaganda,” complete with charts pointing the word God to a circle symbolizing your soul. We were to read aloud the numbered definitions of what it means to be a Christian.
The pamphlet had sections on the resurrections of Jesus and his teachings, but what caught my attention was the little square of information in the top right corner of the page titled Sins. It stated that one could not accept God into his or her life until he or she was purged of sins and repented.
Sins, the smallest section in the pamphlet, seemed odd to me because (although I do not claim to be an expert on Christianity) from the research that I have done, sin is a major part of what makes up Christianity, and is the core reflections of the church’s teachings.
Not knowing exactly what you’re restricted to and what your life will have to reflect: it seems almost negligent not to explain to a newcomer both sides of the religion.
After painfully reading the four sentences on sin, Cindy hesitantly asked what sins were exactly. The two more experienced believers responded that it was complicated, and that sins consisted of a feeling that one will experience in one’s soul.
Sin, one of the most controversial definitions of Christianity that has always been the keystone of debates morally and politically, was given a five-minute explanation to an hour teaching.
Religion, in particular Christianity, prohibits homosexuality, same-sex marriage, women’s rights and acceptance of alternative lifestyles. It teaches love and community, but to only those who seek God. It shows happiness only to those who seek pleasure in God. It teaches that one can always be rich as long as riches are found in God’s teachings.
I found my night to be an experience I am happy to have, but one which I will never voluntarily experience again. Community and acceptance, in my opinion, is a crucial thing for international students to experience. The appeals of community that Kwantlen’s bible study provides are one that all international students should be provided at Kwantlen, but one that should be provided without the misrepresentation of Christianity.
