A coworker informed me that Massachusetts is just as religious as the Midwest. Clearly, that coworker has not spent a substantial amount of time in the Midwest. After living in Ohio for 24 years, the past six months of living just a few minutes walk from Harvard University has felt practically like a different world, one in which atheism… well… doesn’t actually matter so much.
Sure, sure—there is religion in Boston. However, it feels more like the free-form Western European variety of religion where some people are religious, some not, and only a relatively small percent of the population actually wants to shove their religion down your throat. Compare this to Ohio, where atheism was such an oddity that I was included in a newspaper article about local atheists, and where, on my last day as a tutor, the mother of one of my clients spent twenty minutes explaining to me that god had asked her to witness to me because he wants to be a part of my life. (Note to god: asking a friend to ask someone out for you is soooo middle school. In the future, I’d advise both god and middle school students to try direct communication for better results.)
The only bad part of the move? No inspiration. Since packing up myself and my books and transporting us to Boston, I’ve been horribly lax about writing in general and blogging specifically. I think the best solution would be for me to move back to Ohio, thus recreating the religious tension necessary for good atheist blogging. However, since I’m not actually interested in moving, my second-best solution is to just sit down at the darn computer and start typing. Regularly. We’ll see how that works. If I’m unsuccessful, please start sending new cardboard boxes for my books.
(Okay, so I have absolutely no intention of enforcing this threat to myself. I (heart) MA.)
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
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3 comments:
I have the same problem on my blog : I used to speak about what annoyed me in my country's politics. But now, with Sarkozy on the presidential chair, everything is more than just annoying. I'm totally desperate.
But, you're finally back ! Hopefully, the inspiration will come back soon.
Hey! Glad you found a new job. Congratulations!
I would agree with you that the form of religion here at MA is far more free-form spirituality than dogmatic faith. Sure, there are those who are very religious, but even those people are pretty accepting of other religions and those who do not believe at all. Just north of here in NH, the Episcopal Bishop there is openly gay.
Part of it may be that there are so many faiths around here that it is hard to justify being too dogmatic. Someone could be a Lutheran or some other Protestant, but not too far away could be a Catholic church, a synagogue or even a mosque.
Most of the conservatives here, I find, are not really that religious. They tend to be the 'small-government, low taxes' brand of conservatives. More libertarian than conservative in that diagram you were describing.
snoow wrote:
But now, with Sarkozy on the presidential chair, everything is more than just annoying. I'm totally desperate.
You have my condolences. Many of 'em.
Jack wrote:
Hey! Glad you found a new job. Congratulations!
Well, the aforementioned coworker was a coworker from my last job. However, I also DID find a new job and am starting on Monday.
Someone could be a Lutheran or some other Protestant, but not too far away could be a Catholic church, a synagogue or even a mosque.
I think that's a lot of it. In Ohio, we're pretty strictly Protestant, with a few Catholics thrown into the mix. Christianity of some sort is definitely the base assumption. That doesn't seem to be the case here.
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