When I discovered the Secular Student Alliance a couple of months ago, I was inspired. I decided that I was going to start a club at my school that would incorporate religion into tolerance. I felt confident that such a club could gain support if GLASS (Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Supporters) could at my school, which is located in 333 Half-Evil, Religious Nut-ville, 85209.
One of my teachers (known religious nut) planned to sponsor me. I took the club Constitution directly off of the Secular Student Alliance's page, so I wasn't too worried about his control over me. (The Club Chair, my would-be position, has ultimate authority over sponsors.)
I planned the first informational meeting, I put up flyers, created an e-mail account, and I had this grand vision of intellectual high-schoolers coming together to debate theology and broaden their horizons.
I stood up at the podium at the first meeting and looked at one teacher and three students. I read the mission statment that I came up with. I talked a little about my activity plans. One of the girls asked me questions. And I said something about monotheism being this millenium's fad.
It went okay. (There were only four people there besides the sponsor and myself, otherwise I would call it a success.) Until afterwards, when my sponsor pops up and says something akin to: "You're going to have to be really careful with what you say if this club is going to succeed with tolerance. The 'fad' thing didn't bother me, but one of those girls was religious and you should have seen her face."
I understood where he was coming from when he said that, but at that moment, I understood that I would not be capable of tip-toeing around easily-offended students and/or teachers. I wouldn't be able to head up this club.
It's hard for me to deal with religious people; I would honestly rather avoid all confrontation, because I become all self-righteous and feel horrible afterwards, because who wants to realize that they have just done the one thing that they hate the most in others? I don't want to be, for the lack of a better word, sanctimonious; I hate admitting that I feel smarter, better almost. I don't want to be that person. I know intelligent people who are religious. People I like who are religious (that normally doesn't last, but it has happened before).
Why is it hard for me to accept that people believe differently? Why can I feel "Eh, wahtever floats their boat" about homosexuality but not about religion? Why am I a theo-phobe? I know that I am not evolved enough as a person; perhaps it's because I'm sixteen and being self-righteous is apart of my growth as a human. But the whole thing is hard to deal with. I feel horrible; I feel horrible and right all at the same time.
When religious people preach at me, I turn off their sound in my brain. I'd rather someone didn't have to do that when I talk...
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Maybe it's not so much patience that you should work on, but compassion. When you have something that you feel needs to be shared and that people should be aware of, you have to be willing to meet people on their level, whether that is higher or lower. Try to be compassionate and kind to them. Be gentle with them and see where that gets you.
Just some suggestions. I don't mean to be preachy.
www.progressiveu.org/blog/americangirlinchina