how appropriate that i write my inaugural pk pulpit entry with a piece on jesus!
i was walking back to my dorm room when i saw flyers of Jesus Week hanging on the walls. i guess it’s almost easter, so it makes sense to see these things, but for the three years i’ve been here at columbia, this week-long celebration has always made me think about christianity, especially on this campus.
i remember last spring, sunny and warm, i was making my way across college walk when i saw a bunch of asians crowded on low plaza around a speaker. the speaker, of course, was an eloquent white man, answering benign questions about jesus christ and telling everyone how much he loved us all. i didn’t know quite what to make out of the scene – a wise white man serving as the guiding light for budding asian christians.
i’ve learned the hard way that there is no point in arguing against christianity. the religion is infallible (!) in that its ‘faith’ element makes it tough to undermine. i actually have no wishes to argue against it. and even resorting to calling it a sort of ‘spiritual therapy’ for the ‘feeble-minded’ doesn’t satisfy me. then what? why am i still bothered?
i’d like to think that i am now over the feeling of exclusion from the christian community and also over the fact that my non-christian preference limits my social activity, including the dating arena. but sometimes i like to think there is something deeper than those concerns. is it the air of certainty or the firmness in direction that i despise? or is it some sort of envy that i have of those who are able to maintain this ‘faith?’
jesus week — jesus died for our sins on the cross. it was out of love. jesus was god’s only son. mel gibson showed that it was a brutal death that jesus suffered. his ressurrection is a testament to the glory of god’s power. i once saw this t-shirt at urban outfitters with a face of jesus aimed at by a crosshair (gun pointer) with the caption “jesus in the crosshair.” almost thought of getting one but realized it would not be good in dealing with christian friends. i won’t be taking part in any of the festivities associated with this event, but it’s worth noting that many of my asian american peers will be involved.
as a korean american, i am aware of christianity as an undeniable part of the korean american narrative. i grew up going to revivals, retreats, and playing basketball after church services. it’s nothing alien to me. i guess this is what bothers me. will there be a korean american identity that departs from the institution of the church? of course, korean american professionals begin to construct the next phase of their lives through bars, lounges, clubs – but how does one maintain the korean element without somehow reverting back to the christian setting?
i falter at being coherent on this topic, but i will narrow my concern to korean americans:
i currently go to a school in which the korean american population is predominantly christian. will this trend continue or will there be a point when a signficant portion of korean americans that hang out with each other in large groups be non-christian?
it’s a fairly obtuse question to ask at all, and i do have some korean american friends who share my views and are unconcerned with the practice of religion. i guess i only wonder how a non-christian korean community would function and how different the discourse among its members will be. instead of an elightening experience reading the da vinci code, perhaps people will be more willing to discuss if chang rae lee’s new novel surpasses his previous two.
but until such a day, i have the same amount of respect and love for the christians as i do for the heathens. and it’s too bad i’m not a believer and without a pass to heaven, but while we’re all on earth, let us in our individual ways take part in the celebration of jesus week.
-pk
Simply put, the proponents of what their disciples call religion, intended faith in teachings to be a promoter of social justice and not as a way to oppress. Socially organized religion becomes a constraint on people when teachings are taken as dogma and discriminatory policy is practiced. What I think your problem with Christianity is that it has constrained the identity of Korean people, and therefore yourself and your social options. Since you are Korean, the expectation is that you will partake in belief practices that form your cultural identity, and when you do not, you are different and because of the nature of these beliefs, it is not difficult for beliver Koreans to exclude you from their belief group. To answer your question “will this trend continue or will there be a point when a signficant portion of korean americans that hang out with each other in large groups be non-christian?” I think that that will largely depend on whether or not non-Christian Koreans succeed in America and how these non-Christian Koreans raise their children. Research shows it only takes about three or four generations to lose connection with a historical cultural identity and native language. These next hundred years may determine the trajectory of Koreans in America.
Hey Habu, wouldn’t you rather have just one God who loves you a bunch than a bunch of gods that don’t love you at all?
if you had a choice between being one lost sheep and being one sheep in the herd, which would you choose? i’d choose to be lost. let the shepherd come rescue me. jesus says he will. that’s my kind of faith. that he will miraculously rescue me if he cared so much about this one lost sheep.
i was a good christian in korea when i didn’t have to worry about making friends. i was in the praise team. going to retreats and crying out loud “oh lord save me!” was part of my everyday prayers. going to church was a completely separate activity from my social life. but in america, (in korean communities) being a christian is a necessary requirement to have a decent social life. now that i HAVE to be christian to make friends, i choose to be alone. i hate this bs korean american culture. getting trashed on weekends and going to church drunk the next morning. and god cleverly gave us a solution to this problem by giving us morning and night services on sundays. we’re saved!
my mom (who’s a very very good christian) says it really doesn’t matter which bible you follow and who you think was the messeger of god and all that. as long as you help the community around you, you are doing what you’re here to do and what your creator has meant for you to do. but im too selfish for that. so i can’t be religious. puhaha. i blame my selfishness and this nonsense korean american culture for my anti-christianitism or whatever the fuck you wanna call it. this is strictly personal so don’t listen to me. PEEEEET.