Diversity

Warning: This is one of those posts, that might upset both my liberal and conservative friends. The views expressed here are mine, and mine alone, and do not represent any of the organizations of which I am a part.

I spent this weekend with a huge and crazy group of writers. We come from many walks of life, but are united by our crazy desire to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November. The people I was with this weekend were maybe a little crazier than most Nanowrimo participants. You see, we were on a 28 hour write-in tour. Yes, 28 hours of writing. Granted, most of us didn't do the whole tour, but most people were there for quite awhile.

But I'm not here to talk about Nanowrimo or the tour. This post is about diversity. Diversity has become the rallying cry of the liberals, and practically a swear word among the conservatives. I was reminded this weekend just how diverse my friends are.

At the first write-in stop I overheard an interesting conversation. Someone was complaining about a friend/relative's complete anti-gay stance and this person's complete lack of morals in his/her own life while they continued to stand in judgement of homosexuals. Then I heard, "Don't get me wrong, I really do like Christians, it's just..." and the rest doesn't really matter. I just found it quite amusing that in the middle of Lutheran Minnesota, I was a minority as a Christian in this group. I had never really considered their religious beliefs or affiliations. That is not what our relationships are based on.

My friends are my friends because we share common interests. That doesn't mean we agree on everything. We shouldn't. That would be boring. I am friends with writers because of our love of writing. I am friends with musicians because of our love of music. And in both of those groups, I meet a wide variety of people with extremely diverse lives and beliefs. It's not my job to make them see the world like I do. My job is to take them as they are and build a friendship from the things we have in common.

This week, I received a well intentioned email reminding me that I shouldn't succumb to the pressures of the world to say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas". I shouldn't let the world take Christ out of this holiday. I was both pleased that these people were sharing their beliefs and saddened that according to this email, wishing my Jewish friend and co-worker "Happy Holidays" was compromising my own beliefs. I grew up in a small isolated community where the majority of the people belonged to one Christian church. I knew there were "others" out there, but non-members tended to downplay that status focusing instead on other things. In this community I knew very few non-Christians. Merry Christmas was a greeting that made sense in this community. In my current community, I encounter people of many religions, or no religion. Part of being a community is respecting those differences. I know some Christians who would be very upset if someone wished them a "Happy Hanukkah" or invited them to a Winter Solstice party. I think "Happy Holidays" is a great way to say, "Hey I'm celebrating. I don't know what you are celebrating, but I wish you the best anyway." Anyway, that was the long way of saying, "Dear Christian friends, please don't get on my case if I slip up and say Happy Holidays, instead of Merry Christmas. I wish all of my friends peace and happiness."

(My internet keeps disconnecting. Is it God telling me not to post this, or Satan placing obstacles in the way of my doing what is right?)

Now on to an even touchier subject. This week two Facebook friends posted references to the Catholic church threatening to stop serving the homeless in DC if the city doesn't change a proposed same-sex marriage law. While I think it is sad, I also believe that the Catholic Church has the right to make that choice. Instead of complaining that they will stop giving, perhaps the rest of us can consider how we can give more.

I will defend the right of a church to choose whom they will serve, to determine what they consider sin, and to choose how much to include or not include homosexuals in their church meetings and rituals.

I will also stand with my gay friends in defense of their rights to be treated with dignity and fairness, including matters of marriage and domestic partnerships.

Is there anyone out there that isn't mad at me now?