Saturday, April 28, 2012

Remembering "Transgender Exodus:" The Remnants of Faith


When I first began blogging as a transgender woman, my theme was trans Christianity.  I titled my blog Transgender Exodus, an allusion to my faith walk as a trans woman.  Like my faith, that blog was destroyed years ago.  I deleted it in a heated rage and destroyed all the files and downloads associated with it.  I regret that.  By the time I did it, the name had changed, as the subjects I covered wandered far and wide, seldom discussing faith or Christianity.  In fact, I used the space more for movie reviews than any other topic – some really good ones too, if you do not mind my bragging just a little.

Despite its rambling nature, at the heart of that blog was a deep (or so I believed) and well informed faith.  I did not study the bible – a possible downfall as a christian; but faith takes many forms, and I never found deep meaning or affirmation from that particular exercise.  I read volumes of literature about the bible, and even more about faith in general.  I was most interested in what it meant to be faithful in an era of pharmacologically induced emotion, in an age of information bombardment, and in an age of twenty four hour a day living.  The world is a very different place than when the books of the bible were written; it is interesting though that people, their hearts, are still much the same – one of the most frequent of the many doubts that constantly nibbled at my heart.

Something happened when I moved to Texas.  I changed.  It did not help matters that I was a burnt out wreck.  In the year or so leading up to my move, I had separated from my spouse, come out to my friends, and was trying to find a path forward.  At the same time, I was enmeshed in a full time career and investing twenty to thirty additional hours a week to a church service as the “house band’s” worship leader and faux-music director.  In the last few months before the move, resulting from the shocking changes in my life, I experienced the “harlot effect” – being the subject of rumors and controversy within the walls of a church I had served devotedly.  I heard the murmurs of people I thought were friends.  I felt the sting of retribution from people who suddenly felt they had the moral superiority to pass judgment over what I was going through.  I felt the hollow isolation of being the subject of gossip rather than a welcome family member.

Moving to Texas was an effective escape from all of it.  When I got here, I made virtually no effort to find a new church.  My practicing faith became a sideline faith.  During the first couple years here, my lack of devotion gradually evolved into skepticism, and eventually into an outright denial of my faith.  As I often claimed, my problems were not with god, but with his followers. And there is truth in that.  I am regularly astounded by the depth of many christians’ hate for people like me.  The utter devotion to marginalizing, if not eradicating us is practically obsessive.  But there was more involved in my fall from faith.  As I reflect, I suspect that the bigger problem was with neither god nor his followers – but with me.

I was – still am – a mess.  My life was careening toward what could only have been a catastrophic end.  Everything from my physical health to my financial security was eroding due to my deep and utter depression and the destructive behaviors I employed to numb the despair.  Over the last year and a half or so, I have been on a path away from that darkness.  I have fixed many things.  I am now officially in transition, I found counseling and treatment, I changed jobs, and am making plans for surgery.  I have worked toward a better future for myself; but the scars run deep, and my progress walks a fine line.  My journey is not so much on a path these days as on a tightrope.

Something is missing.  I do not have it right, not yet.  It is not that the journey should be easy; it is that I know the journey is far less difficult than it feels.  The heaviness in my heart is about something other than the challenges of transition.  My journey is a cakewalk compared to most, and yet somehow I fail to see it that way.  I have been completely unable to embrace the blessings in my life.  I know I am fortunate.  I know I have it “easy,” yet the message never seems to make it to my heart.

A song crept up recently as background to something I was watching.  While I could not immediately identify it, I recognized the tune.  After listening more intently, I realized the song was one I used to sing in worship services.  I have heard snippets of many of these songs over the last few years, so that is not surprising; but something happened this time.  I began to cry softly as I remembered the lyrics.  In the days since, I have experienced other little nibbles.  I have felt nudges, and my reactions have been surprising.  The bitterness that usually swells up inside me at the mention of faith is more often a sense of wonder, or sadness, or yearning.  I find myself in conversations with people I do not know about things like god.  I cry.  Not unusual, but I cry because I feel like something is trying to get in, and I do not seem to know how to let it.

Please hold onto your collection plates and your conclusions.  I have not been converted; at least, I do not think I have been converted.   I do feel like there is something I need to recognize; I feel like I am on the verge of something.  I do not yet know what that something is.  I continue to prove to myself that I can make this journey – that I can paint a new picture for myself that actually makes sense.  But I am also feeling the effects of making the journey alone.  I have to wonder, when the painting is done, what will be on the canvas.  Might the picture be more beautiful – more complete – if I relinquish control of the brushstrokes?  And if I give over control of the composition, will the result still be me?


Good night, friends.
Kate

3 comments:

  1. Religeon is always a private matter, so I never asked what had become of your faith, although I had ideas.

    Many people are drawn to religeon for a multitude of reasons, and I think fear is one of them. It can be scary as you watch society change. I think the church is a symbol of stability for many. It's no wonder that people that are drawn to the church for those reason make people like you the object of their disdain and it is sadly, sadly unfortunate.

    To me, Christians are supposed to be the most understanding lot on the planet. They are supposed to share the ideas of faith with other people, but leave you alone to your own life in the meantime. At least, that's how It appears it should be. That seemed to be JC's "MO" from the scripture. Well, except that one time he went ballistic in the temple....

    Thanks for sharing this story. Of all the challenges someone in your position has to deal with during the transition, you would think the people of your faith would be the one part of your life you could turn to for comfort. A sad story.

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  2. A really good post, Kate. Smells like a breakthrough is coming. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. Many years I spent a lot of time within the walls of organized religion. I became adept at looking reverent, singing the songs with what meaning I could muster and even dropping a dollar in the plate every now and then. Maintaining a facade' here was easier than maintaining the facade elsewhere. And similarly, I was never really fulfilled. When I was becoming aware that my life was going to change drastically, I knew I needed to come up with some counter arguments, knowing that some would be more than delighted to beat me up with their Bibles.

    Thus began a faith journey parallel to and intertwined with the journey of intense self discovery. What grew out of this was much more than simply smart assed retorts to the terminally ignorant. I never dreamed that a level of spirituality such as this was ever possible. The depth, richness and colorfulness is simply amazing.

    I believe that God gives us what we need, when we need it. My appreciation for the spiritual I don't think would have been possible if I wasn't already on a path to unwrap the true me. In my spiritual walk, I learned early on not to place limits on anything within walls or boundaries. Ram Das once said, "A God defined is a God confined." The voice of God can be as big as a thunderclap or as small as a flea's whisper. And signs are all around us. They give us a chance to look up and say, "Thanks."

    You will know when your time to be thankful happens.

    Namaste!
    Sarah

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Kind and respectful comments are expected.

Kate