Wayman Newton: A transformative experience

This weekend, I had the opportunity to attend a service at an Episcopal Church for the first time.

Initially, I was reluctant to go because Episcopalians did not necessarily strike me as the Bible-thumbing, hallelujah-shouting, dancing-their-way-into-heaven types that I have become accustomed to growing up in a Baptist Church in the South.

Much to my disbelief, this was not the case. In fact, while much of the service was steeped in tradition, there were times that were less formal and reminded me of my church back home. While singing Negro spirituals and clapping hands and swaying, I often forgot that I was in an Episcopal Church.

Though the experience has given me a greater understanding of the foolishness, no matter how convenient it may be, of stereotyping people, I will take from it a far more valuable lesson.

This Sunday, I discovered the true meaning of religion: it is a synergistic force that allows people to merge their individual selves into a collective being. Religion has the ability to remove people's social inhibitions and enables them to do things they normally would not do.

American churches are among the most segregated institutions in the country. Rather than being places where people from all walks of life can meet in fellowship, many churches in America conform to secular social norms.

Instead of being houses of refuge, many churches often perpetuate the status quo by casting a blind eye on divisive social issues and often try to exclude those marginalized by society.

My experience Sunday challenged these religious norms. Unlike many churches in America, the church I attended had an integrated congregation of both blacks and whites. Whereas many churches have a clear gender hierarchy subordinating women, the women at the church had significant leadership positions well beyond those as Sunday school teachers or leading the kitchen.

While most churches try to dissuade gay people and others whom they consider to be "social deviants" from attending services, the church I went to on Sunday seemed to welcome all worshippers no matter what circumstances they came from.

For the first time in my life, I understood how religion can bring seemingly different people together as one. Never before had I worshiped with white people or openly gay men, yet this past Sunday I was sitting right next to them.

Although this was an odd situation for me at first, it helped me understand the roles churches can play in bringing about unity in society. It gave me a chance to satand outside of my comfort zone for the hour and a half I was there.

I knew the opportunities for myself and the white woman sitting next to me to interact outside of a religious setting were limited, butduring the service that fact was trivial. Whereas it was highly likely that I would never see or speak with the gay man sitting in front of me, this was inconsequential. My sense of purpose and community overcame all these social barriers.

Looking back at my experience on Sunday, I wonder how society would be if every week people had the opportunity to stand outside of their comfort zones for an hour or two.

What would be the outcome if churches were to take a more assertive role in bringing people together from all walks of life and allowing them to become unified in mind and spirit? How would race relations in America change if churches were to be hubs of cultural diversity? How would people's views about homosexuality change if given the opportunity to interact with them every Sunday? How would society's perception of women change if they were given more substantive leadership positions in churches? How would society's view of social issues change if churches were more in the fore-front of pressing problems such as AIDS, child molestation, domestic violence and substance abuse?

When one realizes the influence churches have in society, one is left to wonder why they don't take a more active role. If a service can change a social cynic like myself, just think about what it can do for others.

Wayman Newton is a senior Political Science major from Birmingham, AL.

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