Well, my Christmas for the year is done now. Brunch at my grandmother's this morning and church with my mother, uncle, aunt and grandmother tonight. Nice enough, I guess, the church thing. I still can't sing the hymns, the joy of having a voice that naturally falls between the accustomed domains of 99% of church music. So everything's either too high or too low for me.

It was odd, being once again in the church I grew up in as a small child. The last time was over 20 years ago, and even then only briefly before I got too disgusted by the fashion show. They've done extensive renovations on the church. Some things were familiar. Most wasn't.

This past week I debated on and off on the communion question. In the end I did it anyway. Why, one may ask? One, because conflict is wrong, and I've had enough of conflict in my life. It doesn't make me any less a Jedi. What would make me less a Jedi is to believe that any given path is the only path, or to show disrespect to the deeply held beliefs of others. I did consider it politic not to mention that I would feel just as comfortable at Islamic prayers, pagan sabbats, Zen sesshins and Shinto shrines. There are aspects and beliefs in all of them that I try to incorporate in the Way. The Way is not exclusionary. It simply works on an understanding of the universe that is more primal than those of most other religions. Because it's more primal, it's more universal, if you'll parden the pun. What I call the Force is the energies that in other relgions are broken up into the various forms of diety and creation. To me, it's all the Force.

Secondly, what people think of my behavior in this matter becomes their opinion of the Jedi as a whole. Complaining and refusing to take communion gives a bad impression. A Jedi is respectful of the beliefs of others at all times, because we cannot influence the choices of others. Showing negativity conveys disapproval, and limits my own thinking on the matter. It's taking sides. I can't do that.

Third, there was no actual conflict with the Code.

Fourth, I didn't want to upset my mother. I'm not going to start going to Sunday school, I'm not going back to Christianity, she knows it, I know it, so there it is.

Well, at any rate, I didn't burst into flames two steps past the doors so I'm ahead of the game.


Mom gave me the Marx Brothers boxed set I wanted so I'm having fun with that.