I went to a couple of meetings in college, by which time I'd been reading and digesting a fair amount of theology and comparative religion, and even as someone who was solidly Team Religion Yay! I had -- not alarm bells, exactly, but ick bells going off. These people were not Merton or Dorothy Day and when they appealed to emotions it wasn't in an ecstatic, inclusive Francis of Assisi way but in a way that just got my back up although I couldn't quite articulate how. (Maybe reading too much Flannery O'Connor at a young age is what did it?)
It was easy enough for me to ghost my way out of that group after just a couple of meetings, but if I felt uneasy and manipulated as a college student, I can't imagine what it would have felt like to me as a middle schooler. (Actually, I'm sure YL was active in my hometown, but the pretty, popular, athletic kids loathed me and anyone like me and they would've cut off a limb before inviting any of us to anything; we were totally unworthy of their Jesus.)
So when Matilda handed me the letter and permission slip, all the ick bells went off again, way closer to alarm because middle school is SO fucking different from college, and I just took it without saying a word to her and went online to Google the shit out of it. I didn't dig deep enough to find the really disturbing shit Hec did, but enough for a good strong HELL NO.
because middle school is SO fucking different from college
Because they aren't legally adults. It's so gross. They bank on the idea that parents, when handed a permission slip, will think "Oh, well, it's CHURCH, so that's okay, then." Reprehensible.
And now talking to another parent, I discover that this guy bought these kids ice cream at the local store while handing out his applications to psycho Jesus camp. So freaking skeezy and manipulative.
We're in a literal "don't take candy from strangers" scenario.
::checks clock::
Okay, I've heard back from the parent who is doing humanitarian work in Kenya before I've heard back from the school. I presume school admins are running around in ass-covering mode but I am about to escalate.
They bank on the idea that parents, when handed a permission slip, will think "Oh, well, it's CHURCH, so that's okay, then."
You'd think they would know better in San Francisco. Here, even the churchy people give church stuff the side-eye and very, very little benefit of the doubt.
Especially
in public schools, but really pretty much everywhere and at all times.
What did the humanitarian parent say?
I am waving my pompoms and fascinated by this story. If only every kid's parents were this aware!
What did the humanitarian parent say?
Michelle (Caterina's mom) said "This is very disturbing. Thanks for looking out for my kid while I'm on another continent."
I am sure the school will respond, and I expect will not be pleased, but they have to go through the beaurocrazy first.
I hate to inject levity in the middle of this, but I just got an email from someone with my favorite kind of name! She has an elaborate ethnic name, hyphenated with a different ethnicity. In this case, an Eastern European first and last name, hyphenated with a Chinese last name.
America!!
