Dispatch #4: Closing Out Pride Month
We hope you had a happy Pride month! In this issue we reflect on queerness, highlight news on the Catholic split over abortion, and share our summer reading list. Enjoy!
“I seldom volunteer the fact I attend divinity school when socializing in queer spaces. If mentioned, I often receive raised eyebrows and a polite “how interesting!” followed by a quick subject change. When someone engages, however, they ask a seemingly inevitable question: why would any queer person choose to join an organized religion? The answer is, unsurprisingly, personal.
I was raised in a progressive Unitarian Universalist community, surrounded by openly queer individuals in the pews and the pulpit. I met my first queer friends at church conferences. My institutional leaders unambiguously and unapologetically preached the sacredness of all sexual orientations and gender expressions. When I came out as gay, my religious community did not simply tolerate me, but celebrated me.
And yes, I recognize my experience is an outlier. As for those raised in unaffirming traditions, I am continuously awed by activists working every day to reclaim space within seemingly unwelcome structures. Tuning into these stories through podcasts such as Queer, I am Lord, queer muslim resistance, Unholier Than Thou, and Kosher Queers is profoundly humbling and inspiring.
Belonging to a religious organization is not antithetical to being queer. Queerness is complicated. It defies simple binaries. We owe it to ourselves to reject such an “either/or” mindset. And to those who also exist at this peculiar intersection, I offer the wisdom I sometimes need reminding myself: you are never alone. Happy pride.”
“Over the past few years, I’ve leaned into the parts of Islam that enriched my understanding of myself, my world, my spirituality, and my queerness. For the parts of Islam that were more difficult, I put those aside. By focusing on the love and generosity of Islam, I was able to cultivate an understanding of how being gay worked in harmony with my faith.
In Islam, however, there is a large focus on Ummah, or community. On the holiest day of the week, Friday, Muslims are tasked to celebrate by praying in community for Jumu’ah prayers. While I have come to a point where I am really happy with how my queerness meshes with Islam, I am hesitant about the role of my queerness in the Muslim community. As a result, my Islam has been a solitary experience—one between me and God, one lacking the Ummah we are supposed to value so much.
The Muslim community is diverse and so much more than the dogma of the most vocal leaders. As I begin to explore what a Muslim community could look like for me, I find acceptance in places outside of the mosques I attended as a child—halaqas (or Quranic discussion circles), family gatherings, and even mosques like Masjid al-Rabia that are women-centered, BIPOC-led, and LGBTQ+ affirming. Extending my Islam to outside of myself is new and uncertain, but community is out there and my spirituality should be tied up with it—to explore Islam not alone, but together.”
This Week in the News: The Catholic Split Over Abortion
On June 18th, 2021 the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops voted to draft a document regarding “Eucharistic consistency” that would prohibit the administration of communion to pro-choice Catholics. Check out the stories and reflections below to learn more about the different responses.
Abortion rights, Joe Biden, and communion: The controversy, explained, Cameron Peters, VOX.
“Thursday’s vote by the bishops’ conference is also notable for at least one other reason: It marks a split from the Vatican, which has previously warned American bishops against taking such a step — and it reflects a peculiarly American focus on abortion rights above other matters of church doctrine.”
Catholics for Choice Denounces U.S. Bishops for Weaponizing the Eucharist Against Pro‑Choice Catholics, Catholics for Choice Press Release.
“[T]oday the bishops chose to be partisan instead of pastoral, cruel rather than Christ-like. They have chosen to disobey Jesus’s command to ‘feed one another,’ but everyday U.S. Catholics – 67 percent of whom oppose withholding Communion and other Sacraments from supporters of abortion rights – will continue to know better and do better.”
Statement of Principles, signed by 60 Catholic Democrats including Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
“The Sacrament of Holy Communion is central to the life of practicing
Catholics, and the weaponization of the Eucharist to Democratic lawmakers for their support of a woman’s safe and legal access to abortion is contradictory.”The holy war against President Biden, by Jeffrey Salkin, Religion News Service.
“I cannot and will not worm my way into canon law, no more than I would expect the local Catholic priest to weigh in on halacha. But, from this Jewish vantage point, it seems foolish to deny access to the body of Christ to the most visible Catholic political leader in the world.”
Thoughts from Our Readers
The USCCB insists that this effort is fundamentally about "reigniting Eucharistic faith.” But for many of us Catholics, the vote comes as yet another example of American clerics' obsession with "culture wars" and with maintaining power by mandating alignment with contemporary conservatism. To me, as a Catholic, the Eucharist is a practice embodying radical social commitments — so it is political. But to understand the Eucharist as reserved as a reward for those who comply with a particular cultural ideology (which is not the same as the Catholic belief in the inherent dignity of life!) is an arrogant, outrageous perversion of the sacrament and an affront to the profound inclusivity of Christ.
- Virginia Schilder, MDiv Candidate, Harvard Divinity School
If you have a comment or reflection on a current topic concerning religion & politics, email it to faithandpoliticsproject@gmail.com for the opportunity to be featured.
Religious Profile Spotlight: Reverend angel Kyodo williams
A Zen priest and the second Black woman to be recognized as a teacher in the Japanese Zen lineage, Reverend angel Kyodo williams considers her life a “ “mash-up” of the spiritual and the political.”
For her, queerness provides a lens through which to reconsider her Buddhist practice to be more than a “not-this” practice, meaning it is not solely “not-Christianity [nor] not-the-Baptist church that [she] was trying to get away” from. Queerness provided language for liberation and freedom from fixed dichotomies and led her to envision what Buddhism could be and do.
Part of her focus as an activist is on shifting the American Buddhist world, which, in her view, is not welcoming to people of color and is made up of older, white, middle-class people who find it difficult to connect with suffering beyond their circumstances. Rev. angel believes that people who drive structural activism are partially driven by their own experiences, which is what leads her to challenge the fact that mediation and mindfulness are centered in communities of privilege. She believes that:
“If our lens stays within our privileged circumstances, then we turn our compassion only toward things that are personal and interpersonal. [...] People aren’t going to deal with things like racial injustice and white supremacy because they’re not affected by it personally. [...] There’s something in the way we are practicing Buddhism that actually seems to make us more insulated. Even this practice that is supposed to be about how we relate to the world and to the people around us becomes hyper-individualized. It’s time for us to cut through that.”
Rather than perpetuate traditional Buddhist teachings which teach the acceptance of suffering rather than question the roots of systemic suffering, Rev. angel calls for a new, radical Dharma that deconstructs systems of suffering and fights the social ego, not solely the individual ego. She challenges the culture of Western-convert Buddhism, in which individuals claim Buddha’s teachings but refuse to grapple with societal ills. If Buddhism is about love and compassion, Rev. angel calls for a critical realignment of individual contemplative practices and social justice.
Some Books We’re Reading This Summer
1. Saving History: How White Evangelicals Tour the Nation’s Capital and Redeem a Christian American, Dr. Lauren R. Kerby
“White evangelicals across the United States tell stories of the nation's Christian origins, its subsequent fall into moral and spiritual corruption, and its need for repentance and return to founding principles…In an era when white evangelicals' political commitments baffle many observers, this book offers a key for understanding how they continually reimagine the American story and their own place in it.”
2. The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russell (tw: genocide, sexual assault)
“A visionary work that combines speculative fiction with deep philosophical inquiry, The Sparrow tells the story of a charismatic Jesuit priest and linguist, Emilio Sandoz, who leads a scientific mission entrusted with a profound task: to make first contact with intelligent extraterrestrial life. The mission begins in faith, hope, and beauty, but a series of small misunderstandings brings it to a catastrophic end.”
3. The Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler (tw: sexual assault, violence, death)
“When global climate change and economic crises lead to social chaos in the early 2020s, California becomes full of dangers… Fifteen-year-old Lauren Olamina lives inside a gated community with her preacher father, family, and neighbors, sheltered from the surrounding anarchy…
Precocious and clear-eyed, Lauren must make her voice heard in order to protect her loved ones from the imminent disasters her small community stubbornly ignores. But what begins as a fight for survival soon leads to something much more: the birth of a new faith . . . and a startling vision of human destiny.”
4. Civil Resistance: What Everyone Needs to Know, Erica Chenoweth
“Erica Chenoweth -- one of the world's leading scholars on the topic--explains what civil resistance is, how it works, why it sometimes fails, how violence and repression affect it, and the long-term impacts of such resistance. Featuring both historical cases of civil resistance and more contemporary examples such as the Arab Awakenings and various ongoing movements in the United States, this book provides a comprehensive yet pithy overview of this enormously important subject.”
5. American Prophets: The Religious Roots of Progressive Politics and the Ongoing Fight for the Soul of the Country, Jack Jenkins
“Drawing on his years of reporting, Jenkins examines the re-emergence of progressive faith-based activism, detailing its origins and contrasting its goals with those of the Religious Right…Jenkins profiles Washington political insiders—including former White House staffers and faith outreach directors for the campaigns of Barack Obama, John Kerry, and Hillary Clinton—as well as a new generation of progressive faith leaders at the forefront today.”
Job Opportunities in Faith & Politics
American Muslim Community Foundation - Executive Director
Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility - Associate Program Director
Trinity Church Wall Street - Investment Analyst
Faith in Action Alabama - Community Organizer
Essex County Community Organization - Racial Justice Organizer
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America - Hunger Advocacy Fellow
HIAS - Program Associate, Emergency Response
Dinner Table Conversations
Everyone loves talking with their family about religion and politics!
My brother recently came out to my family and we've been trying to square that with our faith. In advocating for him, here are some resources I've found helpful, and some things I hope you, too, can put in your back pocket.
- Maddie
“On my re-readings of the Quran, I came across this passage about Allah. It says that Allah is the “One who shapes you in the womb as He Pleases.” (Quran 3:6), and that “of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the differences of your tongues and colours” (Quran 30:22). When I came across this, it was the first time in my life that I felt connected to the Quran without an urge to repel it. I could just hold the book as though it was meant to be in my hands, like a calm, sleeping kitten. There it was, in this ancient “evil” text, the idea that variance and difference among human bodies was all part of Allah’s plan. Perhaps Allah views human beings in the same way I used to think about marine aquatics – as a collection of ever-changing, different bodies, all coexisting as a formless mass unified by light and love.”
- Amrou Al-Kadhi, The Memoir of a Muslim Drag Queen
Did you know that nearly half of LGBTQ+ adults in the U.S. identify as religious, and a growing number of religious groups in the U.S. officially welcome LGBTQ+ members?
While religion has undeniably been a source of oppression for LGBTQ+ folx, a diligent reader will also find traditions full of support for queer identities. Here is just a small sampling of queer-affirming organizations from Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism.
Ultimately, your reading of your tradition is between you and any God you may or may not believe in. If you want to find a queer religious community rooted in your scripture, you will no doubt be able to find it.
If you’re struggling with oppressive relatives, faith, or any combination thereof, check out this Q&A from the Trevor Project. If you need immediate support, please call 1-866-488-7386 or chat online with www.trevorchat.org.
If you have any suggestions of content you would like to see, please contact us at faithandpoliticsproject@gmail.com. And, of course, if you haven’t already subscribed you can do so below!