Beth and Traci: Bizarro in Portland

15

“I think attending church regularly is important because it gives you a chance to stop, reflect on your life and regroup from the week.”

Pop Quiz!
Who made the above statement during our time at Convergence in Portland?

A - One of the conventional church female pastors trying to persuade a pierced, artfully tattooed Emergie in one of the bars at Edgefield
B - A pierced, artfully tattooed Emergie trying to persuade a pierced, artfully tattooed drunk in one of the bars at Edgefield
C - An unpierced, flawless skinned atheist interloper trying to persuade a lapsed fundamentalist in one of the bars at Edgefield
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Beth and Traci and Traci’s Girl Crush

21

Dear Kay Arthur,

Can’t get you out of my head, baby. It’s been weeks since we were introduced (via videotape, but a gal can dream) at College Park Church, and still your words ring in my head. Kudos to you for rightly placing the blame with the victim: “What was Bathsheba doing taking a bath on the roof? We don’t know; the scripture doesn’t say. But men are visual, ladies.”

Heavens, yes, and as you said, “there was nothing wrong with [David's] passions being inflamed; he’s a man.” But I am not and am wondering whether it’s okay that my own passions are inflamed. Please advise.

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Beth and Traci: Wherein Beth editorializes and pines for her churchies

28

I miss my Wednesday morning group of women. Last year another woman and I facilitated a group, and most of the same women reconvened this year, plus or minus one or two, while I took the year off. You know what I’ve discovered?

I. Miss. Those. Women!
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Beth and Traci Share the Floor

7

Since our saucy new Convergence friend Tiffany Flaming wrote such an articulate summary on her blog echoing many of our thoughts on certain aspects of the event, Traci and I thought we’d just post what she wrote (with Tiffany’s permission).

Tiffany wrote:

Last weekend I was in Portland, OR, for the Women’s Convergence meeting and I’ve been processing my thoughts about the event since. I’m still not sure that I’m done with that, but here are my thoughts so far:
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Beth and Traci: God Might Be Kind Of a Sadist

29

During my favorite-est portion of any Christian women’s gathering — the sharing — I talked last weekend at Convergence about being an atheist in a “Christian nation,” and two of the women in my group forewent “honoring my space” to express doubt about that phrase’s accuracy.

I regret not asking at the time why that seemed untrue to them. The new Pew Forum U.S. Religious Landscape Survey mightily backs up my assertion: 78.4% of the more than 35,000 U.S. adults surveyed identify as Christians. 51.3% of those are Protestant. The percentage of atheists in the study?

1.6.

One point six.

Bloody hell. I’m a middle-class white girl in a slim, slim minority.

Another interesting point from the survey: 44% of Americans switch over to a different religion in their lifetime. I haven’t looked at the fine print yet. They may be counting people like me — not that that could have much impact on the figure.

I’m curious about what that 44% says about salvation. I mean, a lot of people have said there’s one right way to be religious, one right way to be saved. My Catholic dad would say the same, and he’s coming at it from a different angle than the commenters here. What if he left Catholicism (23.9%) to become a Baptist. Which way would he really be saved? And do you get credit for time served? If God really is Catholic, will he make allowances for Dad’s affair with Baptism? (I’m guessing no, but I think there’s a baptism clause in the doctrine.)

People talk with such conviction about their religion. And then seemingly shrug it off for another when doing so is expedient. I wonder whether that really pisses off God. Then again, many people of all different religious traditions would assert that God pulled them in whatever new direction they’re going, which tells me that he must really be having a good time messing with his followers’ heads.