Reflections: First in a Series

First, an update. Thanks to S, the German assistant, we have successfully figured out how to circumvent the block on Skype. No more worries about expensive phone calls or running out of credit!

On my way to church on Sunday, I began thinking about the complex relationships between church, state, and society in the various nations I’ve lived in. While France is quite a secular nation, the policy of laïcité (laity) has not solved all church-state conflicts (cf the continuing struggles over Muslim headscarves in public places). As I will have been in France for a grand total of one month on Tuesday, I would like this post to serve as the first in an ongoing series about my perception of these relationships. I will not generalize to “societies” in general, but rather speak from my own personal experience and let the reader take it from there.

I have participated in the same religious tradition since I was born. Growing up in my Midwestern hometown, this was nothing so unusual. Most of my friends went to the same church or other Christian denominations, and the rest belonged to families who had some sort of religious worship experience. As you can imagine, going to college with people of many different belief backgrounds (from atheist to very pious) was quite an eye-opening experience. I encountered three distinct reactions at my university upon uttering the simple phrase: “I’m going to church on Sunday.” Most people replied, “Oh, OK. We’ll meet for dinner at 6 pm instead of 5 pm.” Some responded with: “What church? Are you sure that it’s leading you to Truth? Would you like to develop a deeper bond with God?” The third reaction: “Oooooh, you’re religious. I walked away from that brainwashing and social control years ago.”