It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas........on Tuesday I had two trips to the school between 3:40-5pm and those trips took about 2 hours----for those of you who aren't local that is a 4 mile drive one way---multiply that by 4 trips and you are looking at an average speed of 8 miles an hours..........
BUT that isn't what this post is about.
It's about one of my daughter's best friend's birthday party. The birthday girls' besties were going to have a surprise party for their friend, which required getting the mom involved with the surprise part--after that the plan was hang out at limelight in Snowmass and swim and skate. Simple, easy and all pretty much designed and managed by the girls. Yea!!!!
But then trouble began. The mother took control of the guest list and added about 15 kids to the mix. Ohhhh kay (well not really), but that ain't what this post is about either.
It's about the meat in the middle---in this case the party evolved into a surprise (with pizza at the girls house), going to an evangelical church event, and then going to the limelight to skate and play.
There it is-----the meat in the middle was hanging out in a yurt talking about your personal relationship with Jesus. Some push back I got as I raised my concern was this is just like a Bat Mitzvah, but it isn't. No one asks individuals to speak about how Torah affects their daily life at a Bat Mitzvah. No one tries to convert you to Judaism, or tells you the only way to heaven, peace and salvation is through Torah. And for sure if you try to hide in the bathroom they don't send someone to get you and march you back to the service (yea that did happen to my daughter). Can't a birthday party just be a birthday party and leave the evangelical religion for another day? Don't force a friend to choose between going to a birthday party and taking Jesus as your savior?
I honestly don't think the mother really thought it was very offensive or problematic to have a fun youth focused christian event in the midst of her daughter's birthday party----which is the risk if you live too much in your buble. If you primarily hang out with other evangelical christians it's hard to get how a Jewish kid (or agnostic or Lutheran) might feel about hanging out in a yurt talking about how Jesus impacts their daily life. Also if you are gay, or have gay family members and this church's view of LGBTQ is that it is a sin and you will burn in hell.........well maybe that just isn't such a friendly birthday party. I kinda want to make sure evangelical christians take a good hard look at the crusades and maybe be open to considering that people don't like to be told who to pray to and how to pray.
Up next---more dangers about living in a bubble.
