Day 49 – Another Difficult Covo

 
I am awake, I am alive, and we have to have yet another serious conversation, this time about … God.

For context, I am Anishinaabekwe, an Ojibwe woman who lives and breathes my teachings. In other words, there is no “God” in my world. Nor is there room for one, thanks primarily to the eff ton of garbage and pain and heartache heaped on Indigenous peoples in the name of “God” and I cannot forget that.

Having said that, I do acknowledge that many Indigenous people now choose Christianity but again, in many cases, that is because they were raised in it. In fact, many were told there was no other option, not even … our own.

So, truth be told, the hair stands up on the back of my neck when someone says “God bless you” because I don’t want any God in my world, nor do I need him blessing me. If you enjoy him in your world, I think that is awesome just please, don’t try to push him into mine.

Even worse is being told that “God is working through me”. No, he isn’t. My ancestors are. My Creator is but God isn’t, simply because there is no God in my world. No hell. No lightning bolts hitting bad people. No guilt. No shame. Just responsibility and consequences like in the natural world we all reside in.

So, in future, I invite all to enjoy what I post but I do ask that you respect my boundaries as much as I respect yours. I understand God may be important to you. He may even be everything to you, but he isn’t to me, so please keep him in your world where he is welcome. He isn’t in mine.

That, my friends, is decolonization at its core, in one of the trickiest and touchiest arenas there is – religion. I have my teachings, my faith, my creation story, my afterlife and they work for me as powerfully and as beautifully as yours work for you. Recognizing that and allowing space for that, means we can truly walk together, and I pray we can.
 

I love you!
HUGSSSSSSSSSSS
Sandi

#ibelieveinyou #ibelieveinme #icreatespace #celebrateandsurvive #repairingfeathers