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religion Theology A LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER:
They say you should never mix religion with alcohol. So put down the frosty beverage and get ready to be uncomfortable. The November-December 2019 issue is all about theology with the sole purpose of clashing a few ideologies. The staff and contributors for this issue flooded our inbox with stories and manifestos sometimes hard pressed to find common ground. But this is a safe place and we have received every contribution with open arms. My feelings as publisher of this magazine hold no weight here. This is Galveston, a melting pot of over 50,000 people, where 55% of the population prescribes to some religious background. Check out BestPlaces.net for a complete breakdown of percentages, you might be surprised. Whether your’e are religious, spiritual or just curious, there is something here for you. Learn about Texas’ brush with religion and politics (pg 22) and discover what your fellow Galvestonians have to say (pg 28). Become a better human through practice (pg 9) and mediation (pg 10). And hear the expressions of your fellow man via our Express Yourself section (pg 11). However you approach this issue, we encourage you to read, enjoy, and share.
Write us an email or shoot us a comment any time online: CultureClashGalveston.com facebook.com/CultureClashMag Janese Maricelli-Thomasson CultureClashGalveston@gmail.com Publisher
ON THE COVER: “Community Through Clasped Hands” by Violet Schubert, Acrylic Paint on Canvas. “I have never been a part of a religion, but there are times when I look at others and am jealous of their faith, their community. To be so sure of something so strong and everlasting is beautiful.” More at violetrobin.s@gmail.com *This magazine is NOT printed on recycled paper or with soy-based inks YET! But we are working on it. Help us get there, advertise or sponsor us! Email for more details CultureClashGalveston@gmail.com. 4
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table of contents Vol. 3 Issue 1 (Nov./Dec. 2019)
CULTURE
CL AS H magazine
FEATURES
PUBLISHER Janese Maricelli-Thomasson
18 Sacred Places 22 Is Texas a Theocracy? 28 People of Galveston
DEPARTMENTS
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LAYOUT & DESIGN JanMar Agency EDITORS Pat McGrew • Leslie Whaylen
CONTRIBUTORS
Be A Better Human 7 Spirituality Behind Bars 9 A Deep and Rich Practice 10 Meditating on “God”
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18
Express Yourself
Jamey Baird • Nellie Cornett Carlos Davila • Kathleen DiNatale John Embesi • Holly Hubbard • C.L. Juan Gonzales • Michael Kaiser Grace Sims • Zach Toth • Leslie Whaylen
MAKE A CONNECTION
For ad rates or personalized marketing strategies, call us at 409.502.8221
12 H.P. Lovecraft 14 Christ Wants Us to be Activists
CHECK US OUT
15 The Heart of Christianity
CultureClashGalveston.com facebook.com/CultureClashMag cultureclashgalveston@gmail.com
22
Coolture 26 Poetry
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27 Pulse Calendar of Events
U T ISS E tOPIC EX
ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS Please mail check payable to JanMar Agency 1625 23rd St., • Galveston TX 77550 In the amount of $24 Note “Culture Clash” in memo line
GET READY FOR THE NEXT ISSUE!
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Religion and spirituality come in many forms. How you choose to connect is your personal choice. Talk to the ocean, talk to Jehovah, reflect inwardly; the journey is yours alone.
be a better
Photo courtesy of Gigi Quinn
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CULTURE CLASH (Be a Better Human)
Photo courtesy of Melanie Stetson Freeman
SPIRITUALITY BEHIND BARS By Juan Gonzales
The music fills the chapel and even those who can’t, sing happily along belting the words out more or less in rhythm with the choir and band. The preacher soon takes the pulpit and gives a sermon filled with passion talking of love and forgiveness for those who truly repent. This same scene is repeated across the country and world in countless churches, synagogues, and houses of worship of every denomination and faith. There is one glaring difference here though. Every member of this congregation is a convicted felon for various reasons and were deemed too dangerous and undeserving to walk amongst free people in society. Except for the free world volunteer preacher, we all wear white uniforms here and you can’t visually distinguish who among us has committed murder, assault, or maybe got caught transporting or selling some drug. There are rapists, drunk drivers, and thieves here, both in the pews and on the stage. We are, as my judge called me, the scourge of mankind. We are for the most part unloved, unwanted, and C U LTU R EC L A S H G A LV E STO N . C O M • N OV/ D EC 2 0 1 9
unremembered. But as I have noticed when I used to play the bass during various services, I see the same looks on the faces that I saw when I played guitar for my church in the free. I see faces filled with hope, joy, and even peace. What could these people possibly find in here to feel joy or peace about when our lives are basically the very definition of hopelessness? Well many, as I, have looked for and found peace in the spiritual. Not religion, but spirituality. This place is a hell and the thought that there may be some redemption is uplifting and freeing for many. Being able to gather in a relatively safe place and enjoy some music is nice for me too. I am not going to lie, the air conditioning probably draws a large portion of the crowd. There is also the opportunity to see and talk to your friends that you may not get to see during the regular course of the week. This unit is fairly big and getting caught visiting someone in an area where you do not belong is a huge transgression. Everyone belongs
in the chapel though. There is a lot of smiling in chapel that is unusual for all other areas of this prison. A lot of people say the spirituality in prison is not real but done rather to earn certificates that will be looked upon favorably by the parole board. People say things like, “You didn’t go to church in the free and now you want to be all holy roller?” It is unfortunately true in many cases. In the Walls Unit in Huntsville, where they release the inmates once they have served their sentence, there is a big barrel in the final room that is full of bibles that inmates have thrown away on their way out. I have not seen it personally, but have heard it described by inmates who have been freed and returned. I know the day when I am finally released will be a very happy day for me, but I will still feel a bit of sadness when I pass by that trashcan full of bibles. On the other hand, I know many people here who have found spirituality and truly changed for the better. What better time to find the 7
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light than when in the midst of darkness? When you are at your lowest point in life, finding something to believe and hope in is often enough to change everything. Some people go to the chapel to find cool air, and find purpose instead. Sometimes a message started by a childhood visit to church is completed in a prison chapel.
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I myself am involved with the Native American group in this unit and have experienced positive things from it. I wake up at 4 am to get ready to leave my cell at 5 or 6 am and get to the chapel at around 7 to get ready for the 7:30 am service. Before being involved in chapel activities, I slept until the noise got too bad, then I sat on my bunk in my cell waiting for the day to pass so that I could draw a hash mark through another little square on my calendar. That was my high point of each day for a few years. Now I am involved with the chapel’s Spanish band, the Native American service, the drama team, three veterans groups, the veterans color guard, AA/NA, and a project I just started called the Pathfinder Project. My days pass much more quickly and I feel like I am doing something worthwhile and positive. I have, what is for me, a lot of time left to do before I have a chance at getting released. I can’t just hold my breath and wait to get out like I did the first few years. I have lost hope in things like appeals, exonerations, time reductions, or new legislature promising to let me out early. Disappointment after disappointment destroyed what hope I had left. You know what I have hope in now? My higher power and myself. C U LTU R EC L A S H G A LV E STO N . C O M • N OV/ D EC
Photo courtesy of Melanie Stetson Freeman
As uninterested as TDCJ [Texas Department of Criminal Justice] is in helping us reform and become better people, I have to admit that there is never any shortage of activities to become involved in the chapel. There are Christian, Catholic, Buddhist, Muslim, Pagan, Wiccan, Jehovah’s Witness, Jewish, Native American, and even Hari Krishna groups that meet at least weekly here for services. There are every kind of studies of every kind of religion you can sign up for. People say that the only reason TDCJ allows all of this is because there are free world people who come to volunteer and would call attention to any kind of religious intolerance. The reasons don’t really matter though, I think, but the opportunities to better yourself do.
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CULTURE CLASH (Be a Better Human)
A A DEEP DEEP AND AND RICH RICH PRACTICE PRACTICE By Kathleen DiNatale
Over 2500 years ago, legendary Indian sage and scholar Patanjali, codified the teachings of Yoga. In this revered text, The Yoga Sutras, the only description of how to do yoga poses or asanas is that the “asana should be steady and comfortable”. Patanjali lays out a map for living a yogic life in four chapters or padas. Written in Sanskrit, these sutras or threads in 196 short directives provide a guideline for living a purposeful and meaningful life through self-discipline, ethical behavior, self-care, and reflection on the spiritual aspect of one’s nature. Patanjali calls this Astanga Yoga or the Eight Limbs of Yoga. YAMAS: socially ethical behavior, how to conduct oneself with integrity. There are 5 Yamas: Ahimsa: non harming, Satya: truthfulness, Asteya: non-stealing or appropriating, Bramacharya: wise use of personal or sexual energy, Aparigraha: non-coveting, not hoarding. NIYAMAS: personal self-discipline and spiritual practices: 5 Niyamas: Saucha: cleanliness in person and surroundings, Samtosha: contentment, equanimity, Tapas: spiritual discipline, literally “heat”, commitment, Svadhyaya: study of sacred texts and of one’s self, Isvara Pranidhana: surrender to god, higher power. ASANA: the physical postures practiced in order to maintain health, discipline, strength, focus and concentration.
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PRANAYAMA: Prana is life force, breath. Pranayama means to direct or extend life force through various technical breathing patterns to relax, enhance, or stimulate energetic qualities. Over time, the practice of the first four limbs enables the yogi to refine her personality and to develop the discipline and dedication for dealing with the more subtle realms of coming to terms with sensations and training the mind for meditation. PRATYAHARA, the fifth limb: turning away from external distraction to reflect objectively on how habits might interfere with spiritual growth. DHARANA or concentration comes about when external distractions no longer rule the mind. The yogi has gained self-mastery over their behaviors, strengthened the body, and can remain still and steady with one-pointed focus on an object of concentration. DHYANA is meditation or contemplation, the uninterrupted flow of concentration, being in the state of mindfulness or presence. SAMADHI is the state of ecstasy, recognition of the state of Yoga, union with divine, the sense of being connected to all beings. This is the goal of yoga and the 8 Limbs that Patanjali outlines are the path to that state. The practice of yoga is both the path and the fruit that awaits the sincere and dedicated practitioner.
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Illustration by Pweety Sexxay
So you have been going to yoga classes for a while and chanting Om. You’ve bought a t-shirt with the elephant-headed god, Ganesha. You may feel that sweating through vinyasa classes and working on challenging postures are making a difference in how you feel. Your ability to hold your concentration and focus is improving. Maybe you have even attempted to sit in meditation and just watch your breath, while your mind swings from thought to sensation to emotion. YOU ARE BEGINNING TO GET A TASTE FOR WHAT YOGA IS ABOUT. YES, YOU ARE SKIMMING THE SURFACE OF A DEEP AND RICH PRACTICE THAT HAS FASCINATED PEOPLE FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS.
CULTURE CLASH (Be a Better Human)
Meditating on “God ”
or whatever you want to call it...
By Zach Toth, local Galveston yoga teacher & student of meditation ...Nature, Consciousness, Allah, Buddha Nature, Creation, Krishna, Brahman, Om, Jesus, God… whatever your belief is, meditation brings you closer to The Divine Ground of Being, to truth, and it closer to you. I would like to share with you a simple, accessible form of meditation that transcends all religions and dogmas.
Photo by Maricelli Photography
Though its origins are Eastern, the practice of mantra meditation, repeating a mantra, called japa in Sanskrit, is common in religions the world over. Repeating the Hail Mary with rosary in hand, chanting “Alahu Akbar” or repeating a piece of any inspiring scripture, are all japa. All that is required to turn this repetition into a healthy mantra meditation practice is a little bit of intention, correct posture, and diligence. Choose Your Mantra First, we must choose our mantra. The easiest and most effective mantra to start with is your chosen name for God. Common mantras include “Jesus”, “Rama”, “Allah”, or “Om”. Once you have chosen your mantra, it is important never to reveal it to others, lest you lose the reverence for it. (Visit this webpage for help choosing a mantra: www.bmcm.org/learn/ recommended-mantrams/) Find the Appropriate Space Setting aside a special space in your home for meditation is beneficial but not completely necessary. Find a comfortable, quiet place where you can remain undisturbed for at 10
least half an hour. Pick a comfortable chair or create a mat on the floor with blankets and pillows. Light a candle or incense to bring a sense of calm to all your senses. Assume Proper Posture When meditating, it is important to keep your spine as straight as possible. You may sit on the floor, lie down or sit in a chair, as long as your back is straight. Keeping the spine erect will fix just enough of your attention on your physical posture to keep you from dozing off. There is no need to assume full lotus posture (if this is available to you, then go for it!). If you choose to sit on the floor cross legged and your knees are above your hips, place a yoga block, pillow or some books under your sits bones until your knees are level or below your hips. Set a Timer & Begin... The appropriate duration of a meditation session is 30 minutes. Any longer and you run the risk of zoning out or dozing off. Any shorter and you have not given yourself the chance to enter the meditative state. (I highly recommend the Insight Timer app. It allows you to set a meditation timer with soothing, ambient, background music.) Close your eyes, relax the body, take a few deep breaths then begin slowly repeating your mantra to yourself silently. Holding each syllable sacred as you focus all of your attention on the words of your mantra, unifying yourself with God, Creation, The Divine
Ground, Buddha Nature, or what have you. When we shut out all external noise, suppress all notions of the past or future, we are left only with the present moment. This present moment is where we are able to unify ourselves with truth. Your mind will inevitably drift away from the task at hand and that is ok. Whenever thoughts enter the mind, acknowledge them then let them go, like clouds floating by in the sky. Be gentle with yourself. Don’t scold or ridicule as thoughts arise, simply acknowledge them, let them go then refocus your attention on repeating your mantra. “By repeating [the mantra] constantly, a part of the mind gets linked to that. It is like going down into a tunnel with a life-rope tied around the waist and one end of the rope fixed to a peg outside the tunnel.” - Sri Swami Satchidananda, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali The tunnel Satchidananda speaks of can be likened to the tunnel of thoughts and emotions we find ourselves in day after day. The mantra serves as our lifeline to your truth. As long as we hold the mantra close to our hearts, we can pull ourselves out of the tunnel and closer to our True Selves. For more information on mantra meditation I highly recommend the book Passage Meditation by Eknath Easwaran. C U LTU R EC L A S H G A LV E STO N . C O M • N OV/ D EC 2 0 1 9
Whatever you believe, however you choose to worship, express yourself to your fullest ability. We want to see you shine! See a complete list of places to worship at www.galveston.com/religion/
Photo courtesy of John Embesi
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CULTURE CLASH (Express Yourself)
How H.P. LOVECRAFT Caused an Atheist to Stop Worrying and Learn to Love Cthulhu By C.L.
Art by Andree Wallin
When H.P. Lovecraft was 5 years old, after losing his father to mental illness, it was revealed to him that Santa Claus was not real. A young Lovecraft must have been slightly broken, because he angrily responded, “How is God not equally a myth?” Over his life, he would pen great monsters and present horrid visions on the world in an effort to keep finding or creating order when he saw only lies and greater fictions than his characters
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CULTURE CLASH (Express Yourself)
Azathoth or Cthulhu. He was a man who never found faith in anything, who created a writing style to be known as ‘cosmicism’, something even more dreadful than nihilism or apatheism. He brought what we know as “horror” into this world; he asked the question that God might be something not to be worshipped or ignored, but simply left alone.
his work, as there is a disturbing lack of ‘heroes’, only witnesses and survivors. It’s a bleak world view and it’s no wonder that all modern horror, science fiction, conspiracy theory, and the UFO phenomenon could be linked to an appreciation of his work. The closest thing that made humans divine to Gods of his Mythos was that humans could die. We existed in time while his monsters that were trapped did not, instead existing in a ‘living death’ as old physics slowly unwrapped around their hulking, ghastly immoral forms of flesh, chitin, foul fluids, and soul-voids. The thing we fear, the basis for faith, our fear of ‘what’s next’ haunted the subconscious of the failed mystic-turnedpulp writer Lovecraft and could be the very center of horror writing in general, a genre he is more or less given credit for inventing. Lovecraft suffered when alone, as did his monsters, but it was his friends, family, and colleagues that believed in him, believed in the Mythos while he didn’t. Trapped by his own privilege and assumptions, H.P. might have appreciated the gestures but they never seemed to have a long-lasting effect in making him happy. Even the monsters waiting in the void are waiting for someone to believe in them again; even their deepest darkest motivation is to be loved, understood, and not be alone anymore. HP Lovecraft created his monsters to not be alone, as God may have created Creation to move away from the void.
H.P. Lovecraft Lovecraft was a man tormented by mental illness, who through friends and family, barely managed to survive to 1937 when cancer overtook him, dying in as much pain as that in which he had lived. Instead of seeing God, he only would see the shadows. H.P. Lovecraft had very little faith in the human soul, if it existed at all in his view, to the point that his creatures were aliens who used 5th dimensional geometry to achieve ends that seem magical or at least occult driven. This is reflected in
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Maybe Lovecraft’s gift was exposing the motivation of the divine, showing a chink in their omnipresent awareness and existence: It’d mean nothing without us and, just maybe, they don’t want to be alone either. Spirituality is a symbiotic relationship with geometry and the universe as a whole that affects us without our active perceptions or us being fully aware of the results. But accepting it, not understanding it, is as important to the soul as hydration and respiration are to the body. As an atheist, I found spirituality by accepting that a portion of our world borders constantly into an unknown angle that the eye cannot follow, the mind can not chart and the rationale eventually falls apart. Because in the dark of the night, in the void of dreams, sharks and beasts and other broken tulpas haunt the Astral looking to feed on happy memories while we sleep, places open to us untouched by even gods themselves. By not believing in them, we leave ourselves open to them. Not believing is akin to anger in that it takes more energy to fight than accept, leaving us hollow when it’s our time to reach another plane. By making a concerted effort to believe in something beyond, we take the pressure off being physical while gaining a deeper understanding and appreciation of what makes us spiritual.
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Graphic by Bill Walker
CULTURE CLASH (Express Yourself)
Christ Wants Us to Be Activists
Jesus Christ is such a revolutionary! What radical grace to die the way he did, to change the world through non-violence, and his relentless love for mankind (John 17:20-25). How backwards to social hierarchy to embrace everyone with zero judgement (Matthew 7) and to give benefit and honor to the lowly as a vehicle to teach the strong and wise (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). What a slap in the face of the American dream to ask us to give away our possessions and money (Mark 10:21-31) and even sacrifice our own life (Luke 15:26) to pursue loving God with every fiber in our soul, heart, and mind (Matthew 22:37). What an absolutely crazy idea to love your neighbor completely as yourself (Matthew 22:39), that you share ALL things (Acts 2:42-47), and demonstrate love with endless patience, gentleness, honor, and truth (1 Corinthians 13). Do we even know anyone who lives like that? What would our neighborhoods, streets, friendships, and personal life look like if we became the people Jesus calls us to be? What would happen, if we pushed aside our obsession with being comfortable and instead gave everything with selflessness and generosity? Could it end poverty? Could it change the world?
By Nellie Cornett
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Revelation urges me--not because of the book itself, but because of how Jesus warns about it in Luke 21:34 (NIV) “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.” How easy it is for us to become distracted and apathetic. We need to push out of our comfort zones and do the things that make a difference. With politics the way it is and scarier more intense hurricane threats every year, something in the air feels charged like it could be on the brink of collapse. But what’s most stirring is the truth that the choices we make, no matter how small or insignificant, have a huge impact on the bigger picture. I reflect on the story of Jonah. Jonah’s choice to push past his comfort zones to embody God’s call to action was so successful, God did not destroy Nineveh as He originally planned (Jonah 3:10). The story shows us that our obedience to God’s call can positively change the fate of millions. In another example, in the story of Moses where the Israelites refused to do as God asked, an 11-day walk turned into a 40-year journey (Joshua 5:6), completely showing how our disobedience can bring hardship to an entire generation of people. In conclusion, we may think of ourselves as small, but the choices we embody manifest real consequence to how the big picture unfolds. Even if it seems predetermined how the end of this story goes (Revelation 12:7-9), when and how we get there is up to us. As I read books like Shane Claiborne’s Irresistible Revolution (thanks Mike Kaiser for letting me borrow it) and meditate on the two great commandments that call for loving God and loving each other (Matthew 22:37-39), I’m beginning to see that embodying the love of God in our life really means being an activist. As Paul in Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” What Jesus asks us to do is against everything we take for granted, pushes our comfort zones, and asks us to press into love, into trust, and into action to surrender to God in our lives. If that’s not activism, I don’t know what is. The choice is critical, and the choice is ours. What are you going to do? C U LTU R EC L A S H G A LV E STO N . C O M • N OV/ D EC 2 0 1 9
CULTURE CLASH (Express Yourself)
My sweet friend sat in his parked car, afraid. He was afraid to walk into church. This man had set an alarm to wake up early on a weekend. He had gotten dressed, made the drive down seawall, parked his car downtown, and then could not bring himself to get out of the car. He sat there for twenty minutes before gathering enough courage to get out of the car and enter the building. A grown man sat in fear because of his perception of how churchgoers would view a gay man coming into church. My heart breaks at the thought of this and I believe God’s heart breaks every time a roadblock is put in the way of any of his children coming to him.
The Heart of
Christianity By Holly Hubbard
So many situations in life are determined by the filter through which we see them. Solid truths in our world are hard to find. Our perception creates our reality. There is a stark contrast between the perception of Christianity the world has given us and the truth written in the Bible. The world tells me Christianity is a religion, with rules that must be followed in order to stay in the club. The media tells me Christianity has to pick a certain political side and stand behind it completely. Parts of “the church” tell me Christianity requires judgement, attendance, a distinct vocabulary, and requires believers to try to change people. It is easy to empathize with those who don’t want any part of that.
Photo courtesy of Holly Hubbard
And then I open the Bible. The Bible tells me Christianity isn’t a religion at all, but a love story. A story of acceptance, of understanding, of equality, of love, and most importantly, of grace. Religion gives us a list of requirements, things we have to do in order to obtain favor from a god. Religion is about earning our way to heaven. Christianity is the exact opposite. The Bible tells us that God is our Creator who loves us and wants nothing more than for us to be with him, just as we are. Instead of a religion where we have to change ourselves as a means to grasp at something unattainable, we have a God who is reaching out to us. Christianity isn’t a religion. It is a relationship. The cornerstone of Christianity is God came to earth in the form of a human, Jesus Christ, and died for us, carrying the burden of all of our sins and making a clear path for us to heaven. We simply have to believe that He did that. We admit we aren’t perfect, take that burden off our own shoulders (whew!), and hand it over to Him. This is grace. Salvation is accepting this gift as truth. C U LTU R EC L A S H G A LV E STO N . C O M • N OV/ D EC 2 0 1 9
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If you read for yourself, you will read about Jesus speaking out against the religious leaders of the time who were imposing rules impossible to keep. You will read about people gathering around to stone a woman to death for her sins and Jesus declaring, “Let he who has never sinned throw the first stone”, knowing not one of them could do it. You will read about how He spent his time with the riff raff of the day and brought imperfect people along with him to share the message of God’s love. He spoke of how easy it was to find faults with others instead of within ourselves. Jesus said over and over again we are to live generously and graciously towards each other. He tells us if we keep company with him, we will learn to live freely and lightly. When someone asked Jesus what the most important commandment was, He responded, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart.” He added a second, “Love others as well as you love yourself.” Jesus is love. He brought love to us and He calls us to love others. Believing in Jesus isn’t religion, it’s relationship. It isn’t binding, it is freeing. Once I began to read the Bible for myself, I couldn’t put it down. I had spent a lifetime letting other people paint a picture of Christianity for me instead of picking up a Bible and reading it for myself. I turned the pages with my jaw continuously dropping, wondering how people had wandered so far away from the truths I was reading. I read the Bible and I see very clearly what is expected of me as a Christian is to love God and love people. There are no “as long as” clause, no qualifications, and no parameters. Just love. He takes it from there. I have learned layers of information, ways to improve my life, ways to improve my relationship with God, and ways to improve my relationships with other people through Christianity, but it all starts, and builds on, those two truths. Love God, love people. 16
Photo courtesy of Holly Hubbard
In the first four books of the New Testament of the Bible, we read four different accounts of the life of Jesus. These are my favorite books of the Bible and I return to them whenever the picture of Christianity the world paints gets to be too much to bear. I return to the truth, to the words our Savior spoke directly. If you want to know the truth about Christianity, pick one of these (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) and start reading.
The reality of life is that none of us are perfect. People in the church are no different. There are Christians who fail at loving others. Imperfect people made my sweet friend believe he wouldn’t be welcome in church, because sadly there are churches where he wouldn’t be welcome. But Christianity is bigger than a building and more than a church. Christians should follow Biblical truths, but the reality is we are human. We are imperfect. The church, or the world, can alter our perception, but perception cannot change Biblical truth of love and grace. The humanness of Christianity isn’t always perfect and pure, but the heart of Christianity is. Jesus Christ is perfect and pure and loving and has his arms wide open for absolutely anyone who believes in him. Stereotyping in any form is small minded. I am forever grateful that I opened my mind and read the Bible for myself. The peace I have received through the grace of Jesus is so precious to me. My purpose and passion are to live out the love that He has given me and clear the path so that nobody is sitting alone, scared to step into the presence of their Creator. C U LTU R EC L A S H G A LV E STO N . C O M • N OV/ D EC 2 0 1 9
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S E C LA
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By Leslie Whaylen
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CULTURE CLASH (FEATURE)
Throughout history and across the world, people have asked questions about where the world came from, who they are, and what their purpose is in life. These questions have different answers for different people. Some say that there is more to life than just the physical world, and some say that by living life in a certain way the answers can be found.* I was raised in a Christian (Methodist) home. Ditto for both of my parents’ upbringings, though the religious denomination differed in their first-family homes. When I was in high school, I remember asking our church pastor questions about what happened to people who get to Heaven who weren’t Christian (e.g., millions of Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and others) or people who had never even heard the story of Jesus (e.g., lost tribes in the Amazon jungle). She explained those people will, just after dying, receive one last chance to recognize and receive Christ as the only pathway to God and Eternal Salvation. My interpretation was “believers” would presumably moon dance backwards through those Pearly Gates, while any skeptics or downright nonbelievers would be dragged down to fiery damnation by winged, evil demons. I believe my detachment began then, though there were many Sunday
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mornings in my 20s when I went to service at Moody Methodist Church. When I moved to the Florida Keys in my late 20s, I visited several churches but couldn’t get past my disappointment when I never saw a participant in any of them anywhere near my age. I quit going. My parents blamed the whack-a-doodle I was dating at that time. They were partially right. He was a whack-a-doodle, but he was not entirely the reason. During this span of my life, I spent a lot of time traveling and working in the beautiful outdoors. Religious people would say that although the spirit cannot really be described, its presence can be felt. It is what gives something its innermost essence and distinctive character.* My spirit was re-nourished when I spent time outdoors. My church was Nature. A quiet swim in a calm ocean. Watching sunsets. Hiking in forests. Beachcombing. Looking for birds. Recognizing smells of flowers. Listening to birds. Learning native plants. Exploring. Working to protect and conserve land, plants, and the ocean. These moments became my Zen. I wrapped up their essences and adapted them into my personal ethos. Fast forward to the present scene where I’m a mom of two kids living in G-Town and
MY CHURCH “WAS NATURE ” wanting to imbue some religious, historical, and architectural culture into our lives. What to do? We began a tour of religious services on this island and two years later, it continues. The congregations, history, leaders, architecture, rituals, and music have enriched our lives, even if my 12-year old son doesn’t yet see that. From the west end of the island to the east, we have traveled to different buildings of worship and there are many, many more to be visited. Our memories include Tiffany stainedglass windows showering in colored strands of light into the downtown Presbyterian church, while a giant clam shell rests near the altar of a Presbyterian congregation on the west end, serving as the perfect vessel. We admired the austere and magnificent Gothic-Revival structures of Trinity Episcopal Church, received blessings at Sacred Heart’s Catholic mass, and admired the woodwork and outside space at B’nai Israel. We went to Reedy Chapel, Texas’ first African Methodist Episcopal Church built in 1886, and also the
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CULTURE CLASH (FEATURE)
What the kids and I have talked about after our experience-gathering visits is how different religions share some of the following attributes: a supreme power, the soul, worship, prayer and meditation, scriptures, festivals, priests, sacred places, and rituals. Because I was raised in a church family, I recognize these above mentioned elements can be both powerful and helpful. It has made me seek out ways my children can experience some of them in a congregation that best aligns with my values and beliefs. Here in G-Town, that congregation has been the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (uugalveston. org/beliefs) whose vision states, “Love is the spirit of this church, and Service is its gift. This is our great Covenant: To Dwell together in Peace, To seek the truth in love, And to help one another.” Walking through
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their butterfly garden, watching my kids play in their intentionally native green space, eating yummy food at their monthly potlucks, listening to their live music, and learning from the speakers who rotate through the pulpit are what keep me going back. It’s my holy time. Anything which helps people get closer to the spiritual world is said to be sacred or holy and is treated with respect.* Our tour of religious buildings and services hasn’t been a quest to find a “place to land” so to speak, but a way to seek places on our island that will enrich our lives, engage us to serve, educate us about our island’s history, nourish our spirit, and connect us to our communities in Galveston. I call what we’ve been doing theology, or the study of religious belief. And it’s been really cool. Thanks, G-Town. *The Usborne Encyclopedia of World Religions by Susan Meredith and Clare Hickman. 2015 - a book I recommend children and adults reading.
Photo from Shutterstock.com
Islamic Center’s masjid (mosque) for their Friday afternoon Muslim prayer service. Every place of worship and its people inside have welcomed us at their service.
TO SEEK THE “TRUTH IN LOVE,
AND TO HELP ONE ANOTHER.
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CULTURE CLASH (FEATURE)
IS TEXAS A THEOCRACY? Photo from Shutterstock.com
By Grace Sims
If you read through the Texas Republican Party’s 37-page long list of “principles,” it is hard to find many of the 334 items included that don’t mention God, religion, and exclusively Christian values in some form or another. It’s no secret that the Republican Party doesn’t exactly leave religion out of their politics, and living in our red state as a non-Christian—or as one who simply does not subscribe to an outdated and oftentimes oppressive lifestyle—means enduring policies that contradict your own beliefs and rights. And it can be infuriating.
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Let’s examine some of these policies— specifically those regarding reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and alcohol sales. Nationwide, efforts toward equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community have been very successful—in 2015, same-sex marriage was legalized by the Supreme Court in all 50 states. Unfortunately, Texas lawmakers continue to propose legislation that discriminates against LGBTQ+ people. For example, earlier this year Senate Bill 17 was approved by the Texas Senate, which The Guardian says, “would protect the right of state-licensed workers such as doctors, teachers and counselors to refuse to provide their services based on ‘a sincerely held religious belief,’ except in cases where medical services are necessary to ‘prevent death or imminent serious bodily injury.’” Many believe this controversial bill, proposed by Republican senator Charles Perry, will encourage discrimination against members of the LGBTQ+ community. “What we’ve seen crop up,” says Angela Hale of Equality Texas, “not just here in Texas but across the country, are these religious exemption bills. It’s kind of a disguised way of trying to discriminate against the LGBT community or minority religious groups across the United States.” Texas has also failed to repeal certain laws criminalizing homosexuality, despite their ineffectuality. Section 21.06 of the Penal Code, which outlaws “homosexual conduct” is one of these laws, and according to the Texas Observer, “Texas is one of 12 states with so-called sodomy bans still on the books, and one of three where the laws specifically target homosexual activity.” In addition to encouraging hateful sentiment toward LGBTQ+ people, this law has led to the attempted arrests of members of the queer community; the Texas Observer reports, “In 2009, El Paso police threatened to arrest several gay men for ‘homosexual conduct’ after two of them kissed in a restaurant.” Abortion is another right that religious groups across the country have continued to infringe C U LTU R EC L A S H G A LV E STO N . C O M • N OV/ D EC 2 0 1 9
CULTURE CLASH (FEATURE)
“These laws are slowly hacking away at Roe v. Wade under the guise of ‘protecting women,’” comments a Galveston resident, “but they are doing quite the opposite. We can’t sit back and watch abortion laws revert back to the way they were in the 1950s, when women died trying to use clothes hangers to end their pregnancies.” In an interview with ABC News, Adele Zimmerman describes the aftermath of receiving an illegal abortion in 1965 from a doctor who insisted she be blindfolded during the procedure. “It was probably one of the most alone times I’ve ever had. Damn, I was scared,” she said. “The bleeding wouldn’t stop. I didn’t know how to stop it. I didn’t know what would happen. And I was one of the lucky ones, I survived. A lot of women did not survive, or they developed horrible complications, complications that ruined their health. My theory is that it isn’t about respect for fetuses or religion.” She continued, “It’s trying to put the genie back in the bottle, and women are the genies. Because if you can’t control your reproduction, what are your career choices? You become dependent on men, which is what they want.”
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Unfortunately, religion seeps into many other aspects of the law in our great state, from sex education to marijuana policy.
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Ever wonder why you can’t buy alcohol on Sundays or Christmas, but liquor stores are allowed to remain open during Ramadan? While they are perhaps less of a hot-button issue, let’s examine the Texas laws that prevent the sale of liquor on days seen as holy in the Christian religion. According to the Dallas Morning News, Christian laws governing the sale of alcohol can be traced all the way back to the 1890s, but the “blue laws” we know today didn’t take effect until 1961, and were “embraced by many religious groups for [their] purpose to ‘protect family values.’” Blue laws are so deeply engrained in our culture that it seems we hardly question them, but in a society where many other rights are under siege by antiquated Christian values—and the government that creates policy supporting them— we must consider their effect on our state and our democracy. Unfortunately, religion seeps into many other aspects of the law in our great state, from sex education to marijuana policy. But we don’t live in a theocracy; we live in a democracy, and it is our responsibility to protest policies that threaten the separation of church and state. Columnist Jin Kim from Collegiate Times piquantly wrote, “To say that our government is founded on Christian values denounces the very efforts our Founding Fathers made to promote the separation of religion and government.” For the long list of our sources, please visit the online publication at www.CultureClashGalveston.com 23
Photo from Shutterstock.com
upon, and laws in Texas surrounding abortion have narrowed access tremendously. “Texas has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country,” states FindLaw.com, “including mandatory ultrasound imaging and parental consent for minors. Additionally, women seeking abortioninducing medications must make four visits to a doctor and obtain an ultrasound.” The most recent laws passed to restrict abortion access include House Bill 214, which would force women to purchase separate insurance policies if they wish to have abortion coverage. Texas Democrat Chris Turner stated, “By signing HB 214 into law, Governor Abbott has told women and parents they must pay extra for what is tantamount to ‘rape insurance.’”
CULTURE CLASH (Coolture)
HALLS LIQUOR
2121 45th Street • 409.763.0162 Open 10 am - 8:55 pm • Mon.- Sat. www.HALLSLIQUOR.com
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C00LTURE FEATURED ARTIST
GABRIEL PRUSMACK “WHERE YOU GO I’LL BE” Acrylic on canvas (Live painting) “This message is so constantly present to anyone that knows Christ on a personal level. His forgiveness is constant and His grace and love endless. Jesus is with you in every area of your life and pours life into those areas only with love, never with judgment. His love wins, so Be free! He set you free from sin and condemnation! He set you free from yourself.” C U LTU R EC L A S H G A LV E STO N . C O M • N OV/ D EC 2 0 1 9
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CULTURE CLASH (Coolture)
The Un-Sheltering Sky By Carlos Davila The thoughts that haunt me An infinite sky that yields me no answers While many say it does Yet I am isolated and unheard I scream my lungs out, desperate to be reached Only to feel more lost in the silence that echoes back at me, ad infinitum Such a broken image to be cast from, with broken mirrors to match I’d never want to teach you, like this You broke my heart My God, you broke my heart You broke my heart, as if I were special to you This is why only children believe like they do The world hasn’t broken them, quite yet And the Almighty hasn’t failed to save them, quite yet They’ve never had to survive They haven’t run out of tears, from crying for guidance I wish I could believe like I once did Now such a distant memory, I can’t recall what it felt like All because I came to understand one thing... That everything, means nothing Nobody talks about how hard it must have been... When the last of the angels flew away
Et Tu, Me? By Michael Kaiser I killed the cockroach He kissed my foot Twice Probably just looking For a way out Well I showed him the door Probably just looking For love I could’ve given him more Than a chase And my fist Crippled and wrapped In a white sheet I threw him out Onto the street Maybe God’ll do The same for me
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CULTURE CLASH (Coolture)
SEE ART GABRIEL PRUSMACK “THE MERCY SEAT” 4’x4’ - Acrylic on Canvas (Live painting)
Nov. - Dec. 2019 Calendar of Events
SEE MORE NOW gabrielprusmack.com FROM THE ARTIST!! “The description of this chair is the blood of Christ poured out as mercy for us. Christ died for us to set us free from the law of religion. We are free in Christ as an identity of victory by faith and love.”
NOVEMBER Unshakeable Conference Sun - Wed. Nov. 3 - 6, 2019 10am & 7pm Abundant Life Christian Center 601Delany Rd. LaMarque, TX 77568 Admission: Free see website for more info. United Worship--Night of Hope Saturday, November 16, 2019 Sangerfest Park 2302 Strand St. Admission: Free Seaside Treasure Festival Holiday Market Friday, November 22, 2019 9am-11am Moody Methodist Church 2803 53rd St. Admission: Free C U LTU R EC L A S H G A LV E STO N . C O M • N OV/ D EC 2 0 1 9
DECEMBER Christmas Eve Services Tuesday, December 24, 2019 5pm - Children’s Mass 6:30pm - Contemporary Mass 8pm & 10pm - Traditional Mass Moody Methodist Church 2803 53rd St. Culture Clash EPIC BASH II Friday, December 13, 2019 7pm - 11pm Live Music from Heights Funk Collective, Robert Kuhn & DEM Roots Music Dancing, Food, Cash Bar, Art, and SO MUCH MORE Buck’s BBQ 801 Postoffice St. Admission: Free
Drink up EL DIABLO
Your basic Bloody Mary with a big ol’ side of BEEF!
Get it NOW at BUCK’S BBQ 801 Postoffice St.
New Year’s Eve Dinner and Special Jazz Night Tuesday, December 31, 2019 7:30pm - 12:30am Hotel Galvez 2024 Seawall Blvd. Admission: Call for pricing 27
e l p o e p lveston
CULTURE CLASH (FEATURE)
a g of is t a h “W
you
ion r relig
or b
s Photo s and ird w ie v r Inte Jamey Ba By Aqsa Sohail (not pictured) “My religion is Islam and I’m a Muslim that’s a Sunni. I practice the Five Pillars of Islam which are the Declaration of Faith, Obligatory prayer, Charity, Fasting for Ramadan, and Pilgrimage to Mecca. We teach of only one God which is Muhammad.”
Melvin Johnson (above) “I’m Baptist, and I believe there is a greater power that I choose to call God and the savior Jesus Christ. I believe that we are spiritual beings that need to plug into a source which is God in order to get in line. The mind wants to do what it wants to do. In order to stay submissive, I believe I need to stay closer to the higher power, Jesus Christ.” 28
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tem s y s f e eli
Drayton Baber (below) “I am a Roman Catholic, centered around the belief that God sent his son, Jesus’ Christ to Earth to preach and help sinners to heaven. We live by Jesus’s teachings to love our neighbors, judge no one, repent for our sins, and love God. I think that the rituals Christ gave early Christians is more valuable in my life than the scripture. We regularly confess sins, receive God’s grace through the sacrament of the Eucharist, and pray.”
Bo (not pictured) “Hail Satan! No really, I could give a f*** less. Religion is a tool. I am not interested in wasting my time on a set of beliefs laid out by old white men who have ill intentions in mind. I will stick with my meditations and solo reflections.” C U LTU R EC L A S H G A LV E STO N . C O M • N OV/ D EC 2 0 1 9
CULTURE CLASH (FEATURE)
shment
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BRUNCH... Saturday & Sunday 8:30am-3:00pm
Danielle Altamirano (above) “There are all types of Wiccan beliefs, my belief is mainly focused on energy and the zodiac signs and also what lies within our palms. Tarot readings are part of what I believe in. I don’t believe in a higher power because I believe our “higher power” is our Earth and universe, where our futures lie within the stars. Every life has a purpose big or small, to take care of each other and love one another.” C U LTU R EC L A S H G A LV E STO N . C O M • N OV/ D EC 2 0 1 9
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