Yesterday, I created a blog post about the creation of my final project for my Queer Theology seminary class. Today I want to post another part of the project, the part of the curriculum that prompts us to think about how God feels about the changes we might make to our bodies, gender changes in particular.
I was inspired to do this when I was writing an earlier paper for the class. In February, I was writing, and I looked up, and I saw quilt squares that I had been creating stretched out across my bookcases:
I wrote a few paragraphs:
In class on February 21, Dr. E__ said that God gives us agency to be co-creators of our physical selves. But I worry that our culture’s wide ranging dissatisfaction with our physical selves grieves God. As I’m writing, I’m looking at a variety of quilt squares that I’ve made over the last several months; each square is composed of a minimum of eleven smaller pieces. As its creator, how would I feel if one of those squares rearranged everything I had so carefully sewn together? If I’m being honest, if the quilt square put itself together in a way that was better than I had executed, I would be happy. But if the quilt square was bowing to societal pressure and continued rearranging itself through the years, as it would have to do to satisfy the demands of a capitalistic system that needs it unsatisfied and buying stuff, I would be sad as its creator.
Would I abandon the quilt square or the larger quilt I had envisioned? No. I am a skilled fiber artist, and I’ve been making a wide variety of fabric creations for decades. If a quilt square decided to rearrange to become more orange than green, I would find a way to work with that. If a quilt square suddenly wanted to include fabrics dyed in an infusion of tea and onion skins, I would be intrigued because I haven’t experimented with fabrics that I dyed myself. I might even contribute some materials, and I might visit the quilt square in dreams to offer encouragement.
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But then realized I was heading in a completely different direction, and the paper was only allowed to be 700 words. So I excised the paragraphs, but I saved them for later. And I transformed them into this part of the curriculum, the part that gives groups three areas in which to dive more deeply into various issues:
Larger Context 1: Our View of God as Creator
Imagine that you are the one who put the quilt square together. If the quilt square wants to trade out one strip of fabric for a different one, would you, the creator, be offended? How would you feel if one of those squares rearranged everything you had so carefully sewn together?
If the quilt square put itself together in a way that was better than you, the creator, had executed, would you be happy? Or would you feel wrathful because the square could envision something that you couldn’t? Would you feel sad, because you had something else in mind?
Would you abandon the quilt square or the larger quilt of society you had envisioned? If a quilt square decided to rearrange to become more orange than green, would you find a way to work with that? If a quilt square suddenly wanted to include fabrics dyed in an infusion of tea and onion skins, how would you respond if you hadn’t ever done any fabric dyes yourself? Would you contribute some materials? Would you visit the quilt square in dreams to offer encouragement?
If the quilt square was bowing to societal pressure and continued rearranging itself through the years, would you be sad as its creator?
Some further questions to help us think about what kind of God we believe in:
1. Do you feel that God has given us one body, one society, with an idea that we will live into that body, that society, not making radical changes?
2. As you look at the history of God, do you see God as a constant being/force or do you see a shapeshifter God? Does this view of God impact your view of how much change is permissible in one’s body or one’s society?
3. Do you believe in a God who creates? If so, is the process of creation done or is God still creating?
4. Do you believe that God wants a co-creator? How do the parts of the Trinity interact and create?
5. Do you believe that God invites humans to be co-creators with God? If so, is that an equal status or are we invited to be God’s support staff in the process of creating?
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