Today I met up with a high school friend and we talked about how different religions can be appropriated or transferred over time, and how it is hard to believe in Christianity for some people because of the way it has been associated with colonialism. I am still wrestling with what being a Christian means and what others have interpreted it as. I have been thinking about intersectionality, how gender, race, socioeconomics and religion affect people’s sense of identity and can contribute to systemic inequality after reading Jess’s dissertation prospectus and discussing these things with my high school friend today. My friend was particularly concerned with how Native American and Southeast Asian voices are often disregarded or underrepresented.
Are other religions’ views being ignored or misinterpreted? How can we talk about deeply ingrained issues such as racism, inequality, and environmental degradation in an inclusive, transformative way and bring about social justice? How can we include those questions in vocational discernment?