The Carnival is to be held here. The question for the month is:
How have you experienced Christian worship and practice in another culture or country or denomination that expanded your view of God, worship, or how to live the Christian life? This might include how encountering a different practice led you to a new/different interpretation of some Bible verses. Did you see your own traditional ways with new eyes? Have you heard some Bible passages with new ears? Have you actually changed the way you live or work?
My answer below the fold.
There are two ways I can answer this, and I’m going to look at both. First, my only experience out of the country was on a series of job related trips totalling a little over 2 months in Cebu, a predominantly Roman Catholic (98%) island in the Philippines. During that trip, and given that at the time I was practicing in the Anglican communion, for which I wouldn’t find a church being mainly attended by the people, I went to two different Catholic parishes on my Sunday’s there. The second was a more wealthy/prosperous parish. The first, however was more striking which opened my eyes a little more to differences in culture and praxis that are to be found in the Christian world.
- One thing, which was different from much of the West, was that there were a number of nun’s assisting in service, in both churches. Many of these nuns were young. In my experience here in the states was that the average age of women committing to celibacy and Christ were relatively elderly. This was not the case there. One might chalk that up to poverty … but it just as well might be a measure of faith. It recalls to mind the “rich man and the eye of the needle”.
- I observed, A number of elderly lay women making their way toward the front of the church. However, their mode of transport was to shuffle forward on their knees. The floor was rough tile. The pain that must have been involved for elderly (likely arthritic) women walking on their knees for several hundred feet was shocking. Someone later told me that this was often done as penance and as prayer for a younger relative who was straying or doing particularly sinful things.
The second way I’d answer this turned out to be more permanent. Almost three and a half years ago, I became Christian. About a year ago, because of reading and searching, I tried Eastern Orthodoxy. The theology, liturgy, and culture is radically different from the church community to which I was accustomed. From the pussy willow or bay leaves as well as palm fronds (pussy willow -> Russian, bay leaves -> Greek). Culturally our church is a mix of Slavic, Greek, and Coptic people who bring their national traditions. The theological traditions as well are very different, and as they say, somewhat beyond the scope of a blog post to outline. In part, since my conversion I eagerly sought a change to help me acquire the fanaticism of a convert.
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