I gave some Mormon Missionaries a piece of my mind

(this was originally posted on Facebook as a note, but it deserves to be here too)

Today I had a lovely morning in Sevilla. I walked to the old center and stepped into the gigantic Gothic cathedral. I was excited because rather than paying 8 euros to enter, I went in through the side door. The church is enormous. I think it's the largest in Spain and one of the biggest in Europe. Well, who knows. What I felt when I walked inside was oppression. The heavy stone weighed down on the interior and the windows hardly allowed any light. It did not feel solemn, reverent or mystical. It felt heavy. I didn't stay long.

The church was built on the location of a grand mosque. A tower remains of what was the mosque.

From there I went to the Alcazar - a grand palace built by the Moors for some prince, king, or something like that. It was used afterwards by Spanish kings once the Moors were expelled. It was amazingly beautiful. Peaceful gardens, elaborate tiles and mosaics, it transported me beyond myself into another realm. Something the cathedral did not do.

Okay, so long story short... I am walking back to my apartment after stopping in a little supermarket that had some yummy tapas to go. I overhear two guys behind me (blond, wearing light blue shirts, ties, little name tags) talking to a young Spanish guy saying they want him to meet Jesus. He asks, "are you from here?" I slow down to overhear their conversation, and next thing I know one of them is next to me.

"Hola, como estas?" he says.

"I'm good." I answer.

He asks where I am from, tells me he is from Iowa.

Close he says.

So far, I think.

He asks me if I have seen missionaries in California. I think about the slaughter of the indigenous people in the name of Christianity.

He offers to introduce me to Jesus Christ.

I tell him I know Jesus. I know the teachings of Jesus. And then from within me, something breaks. All of the years of oppression, the guilt induced by my Catholic upbringing which indirectly told me there was something wrong with me, that I was not good, that I was destined for hell. The teachings that made me feel like if my parents knew the truth about me they would not love me. The teachings that made me think about ending my life. The years of having Christians attempt to impose their view of the world on me, their intervention in the lives of others, the murders that have been done in the name of God. Here, in the land of the Spanish Inquisition, where "heretics" or non-believers were burned, I finally stood up to them.

I told this polite young man from Iowa that I do not believe in the same Jesus they do. The Jesus I know of taught love, respect and tolerance and had nothing to say about the so-called values they want to impose on the world. Jesus would have been preaching against war, not against same-sex marriage. Jesus was a revolutionary who criticized the hierarchy of his religion, who spoke out against the Roman occupation of Jerusalem. Jesus was a rebel, but his message was love.

I told them that Jesus was about overturning the rules and regulations of the old testament, but they wanted it both ways. They wanted to pick and choose some things from the old testament and yet call themselves Christians. I told them they had to choose. If they were going to quote from the old testament, then they were Jewish, not Christian. I should have added that they would have to be Orthodox Jews. In my opinion, they are the only ones who have the right to quote from the Old Testament, since they are the only ones who live their lives according to ALL of the rules, not just the ones they find convenient.

My blood was rushing quickly through my veins, my heart was beating fast, I was raising my voice and finding it hard to breathe. They wanted to discuss with me, but I simply said, "I do not want to talk to you. You offend me."

As I left, the other one said, "We don't mean to offend you."

Ironically, I had been involved in an e-mail discussion before I went out. We were talking about the president of the Associated Students at City College who made some gay remarks that queer students found offensive. People were coming to his defense, saying he is not homophobic. I said, that there is a difference between not meaning to offend and offending. It does not matter if your intention is not to offend, if you offend, you need to take responsibility for it.

So, I want to say to all of my Christian friends out there. If you are my friend, I love you, but, on this issue, I am not willing to back down. This is my life, and the life of so many other people who are dear to me. You can have your beliefs and live your life according to them, but when you attempt to impose your beliefs on me or anyone else, that is where I draw the line.

I know I have posted some things on facebook that may appear to be anti-Christian. I am not anti-Christian, but I am totally, 100% opposed to anyone who attempts to legislate away my rights.

I do not mean to offend.