Tuesday, September 17, 2013

If you are one of my students and you googled me ...

mazel tov! You found me.
I recently started a job teaching high school and I suddenly thought tonight, "My students might google me!" There aren't a lot of Jennifer Goodnows out there (I did send friend requests to all the ones on Facebook and got two confirmations) so the kids will find this pretty easily. I always wonder if potential bosses will find it and what they will think. Anyway, I decided I'd better read through the old posts to make sure the blog is "kid friendly" which it is. The whole separation of church and state being another issue altogether.
One of the kids asked me the other day if I believe in God. I thought long and hard about that and I'm still working on it.
Here's what I've got so far.
I have outgrown the theology I was taught as a child. It was appropriate and simplified for children but that Jesus (hippie guy who likes children and lambs) is not the complicated, radical child of God that I know Jesus to be now. Also, God is way more complex when your theology grows up.
I think most people don't move beyond their childhood theology. This is for a few reasons, one being that most people are not as into religion as I or others like me are. I am not into sports and don't know anything beyond the basic rules for playing games and I never wanted to play them in school (and still don't).
I believe that God is far less personified than I used to. I don't think God is a beardy man in the sky. I think God is a force that works for good.
I believe in love, compassion, kindness. That is what I wish to practice, more so than liturgy these days.

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