When Religion Makes a Comeback

        Images taken from production of Jesus Christ Superstar at Theatre St. Catherine

Easter is long over, meaning summer is finally approaching. However this Easter, I was more in touch with my faith in the most unconventional ways. It was not so much that I had found God, but I was embracing the festivities of the religious holidays more. When I was a child living in Los Angeles, there was a routine to approaching Easter celebrations. You gave up meat for forty days, you gave up more meat on Good Friday, wore black on Morbid Saturday, and then capped it off with a feast on Easter Sunday (mostly consisting of pork and cheese). However, when you are living alone away from home as an adult in your twenties, Easter can become just another holiday.

Religion can become a figment of the imagination, and ones faith is depending on their belief in it.  One would have to question why anyone would celebrate the religion of a holiday that at times can be hypocritical and downright tyrannical. I think as soon as we move out of the house as adults, the thing we look forward to most is abandoning our faith and embracing our vices; after all, we are only human. Once you start meeting the daily demands of the typical nine-to-five job, our vices wear us down and any day of festivity (or day off, for that matter) is something to look forward to.

       
This year I was embracing the Easter tradition more than I expected. Being alone, I had already planned on doing an Easter dinner, but then I went the extra mile and decided to go to Easter Mass. Prior to all the events I attended a reproduction of the Andrew Loyd Weber classic, Jesus Christ Superstar, which was starring a woman. I guess you can say that it was not your typical resurrection play. The stage was small and the budget seemed smaller, the Pabst Blue Ribbon (nectar of the bohemian hipster gods) was spilling all over the place, and the actors spent most of the time either singing or improvising. Jesus Christ Superstar is a modern interpretation of a classic story that can be adapted in any era, while still retaining the same message. Even though it was a hedonistic experience, the message was sound and clear. In the end, we were all dancing to the theme song praising the glory of Jesus.

This experience resonated in my mind the next day as I was dressing for Sunday Mass, ending the night enjoying a glazed ham with friends. I once had a professor say that everything you do is a form of critical research. In that night of dancing and laughter, I was unconsciously doing some soul searching only to realize that I never lost my faith. It almost became cool to praise the G.O.D.

Sometimes you need to modernize your soul and beliefs in order adapt to the changes around you, so that your belief becomes so much stronger.  Religion in this day and age should not be about scripture, but experience based on principle; what steps can we take in our lives to not only become better people, but find true happiness. I cannot say that I wanted to join a nunnery after watching this play, but it did make me have a more positive outlook on faith and not shy away from the subject of religion.

In Response to the Article Titled, "Black People are Cowards"

                                                                                  Image Taken from The Daily Mail

In the aftermath of the controversy surrounding Clipper's owner Donald Sterling, blogger Homeboy Sandman posted what seemed to be a missile assault on all people of colour, questioning the dignity and bravery of the Clippers' fans and team mates. He targets specifically black people, calling them "cowards" for not having more radical reactions in the face of adversity. He even goes as far as siding with Mr. Sterling saying, "In light of the recent decision by a professional basketball team, comprised of mostly black players, to respond to their boss basically saying “I hate niggers” by turning their shirts inside out the next day at work, I have come to the decision that I agree wholeheartedly with the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, and I too do not want black people invited to my events." The interesting thing about his blog rant is that Homeboy assumes the team mates and fans accept this racist behaviour when they attend the following game.

He continues to categorize, stereotype, and vilify people who continue to support the team. Well, here is my response to that. Donald Sterling does not make up the Clipper's team or association for that matter. You do not see him running down the courts, scoring three pointers, or even coaching the team. He is a real estate agent and business magnate who saw an opportunity to purchase the Clippers. He did not create the team, the most he has ever done is given donations and attended the games. What is disturbing about Homeboy's rambling pile of malarkey is that he adjust assumes that black people should just give up on the team, eradicate their loyalty, and punish the association. The only person who should be punished is Donald Sterling and the punishment should be swift and newsworthy.   The one who should deliver the punishment is Magic Johnson, because of his personal affiliation with Mr. Sterling  to the point where he could call him his friend. You can never predict a wolf in sheep's clothing, but you can strip them of their fur, which is what Magic is in the process of doing when he makes an attempt to purchase the team and reshape the morale.

It is better to encounter situations diplomatically rather than radically, because then we can actually learn to cooperate with each other and create more positive solutions. I cannot condone the Clippers reason for continuing, but I can respect their decision and call them brave for doing so. It takes a lot of courage to stand in front of a broken stadium of fans who are at a loss for words and still continue playing. Ruby Bridges, the first black girl to attend an integrated school, did not stop attending, because rocks had been thrown at her, so why should any people of colour cower in the face of adversity. Even though Ms. Bridges had very different circumstances, the idea remains the same. As a black person, I can always expect to encounter some form of racism that I believe should be dealt with and this did not resonate with me until I watched Chris Rock's Kill The Messenger. In his bit on racism, he says that he can always expect it at any point and would not be surprised. I think we should not be surprised that it still exists today, but the surprise should come from our reactions to it. People are not brave when they react violently or radically, they are brave when they can learn to abandon their judgement and start the healing process of  forgiveness.  

To read the whole article: http://gawker.com/black-people-are-cowards-1568673014/+HomeboySandman