Privilege and Religion

[TeaDidikai]

The classic journalism model of seems as good as any place to start.

But I think I'll start with the why.
Why do we need to talk about privilege?

Well, if we don't address privilege, we aren't able to correct the problems privilege presents. If we can't fathom how our privilege effects us, we can't even begin to level the playing field, let alone think of those we share this world with as valuable people, because we are in a position where we protect privilege without thinking about it.

Why is this important to this guild?

Well, this guild is about Rehabilitation. The guild members come from a number of different backgrounds. Not only this, but we are a Fluffy Rehabilitation guild- and privilege comes in both willful ignorance and ignorance spawned from a lack of exposure. If we are going to be talking about how privilege touches so many aspects of our lives, and our spiritual traditions are important parts of those lives, odds are we're going to find places where they overlap.

The What part of Privilege is pretty much the same no matter how it is expressed. Privilege is the set of attitudes and tools a culture grants to some by virtue of social constructs. These tools allow us to not have to consider other people and their struggle to get the same tools we have.

Further- Privilege is difficult to tackle because it blinds us. We don't have to think about how easy a given thing we try to do is because we're conditioned to expect a level playing field.

When we explore privilege in a religious setting, we have numerous things to consider- anything that a religion comments upon is something to be examined, and lets face it, religion comments upon a crapton of stuff.

Religious traditions comment upon sex, love and rituals tied to those- as well as the change in social status those rituals grant.

Religious traditions comment upon ethnicity. Who is and who is not a member of a group- how that is expressed within said group and to those outside of it.

Religious traditions comment upon basic biological drives- foods, reproduction, how to breathe sometimes.

Before I open this up to a discussion with a question- I want people who post to give careful thought before they comment on others experience. That is what we're here to do after all.

With that said, can you give an example of how privilege manifests in your spiritual life that benefits you.  

[Bastemhet]

I think this is a very relevant topic. It's unfortunate that we aren't raised to be aware of this in the first place. Lamentable that you have to go out of your way to find a class in this in college, or have access to the internet to research it.

I'm privileged in that I don't have to work to survive. I'm privileged in that my mother is kind enough to give me more money than I necessarily need so that I can spend it on books to learn more about Ancient Egypt. I'm privileged in that my mother can afford a computer, internet access, and a warm home for me to access both in. I'm privileged in that I've had so much experience with using a computer, that I can use it to my advantage without having to ask for any help. I'm privileged in that if I needed help, it would be there for me to ask for, and I would be able to pay for it, too. I'm privileged in that I can read and understand archaeological books without too much trouble. I'm privileged in that I have the money to buy whatever tools I need for ritual (within reason- I can save for more expensive things). I'm privileged to have been born in the United States and look white so that most of these things come to me as almost expected when I shouldn't expect any of it. All of these things are working in my favor- and I haven't done a single thing to work for any of it.

It makes me feel bad to see such inequality in how much I'm gaining as opposed to how much I'm giving. I try to offset this by helping my mom out as much as possible (she has problems with English since it's her second language, so I help her edit her work e-mails, and I care for my grandmother when she can't stay home). I also have mellowed out quite a bit and for the most part can share information with other people who are saying something blatantly contradictory to whatever I've learned without biting their head off. Although, that whole "Paganism is for everyone!" attitude does get in the way and makes it difficult sometimes.

I would say that I'm very fortunate to be born in the class, area, and circumstances that I've been born in. I hope that the services I give in the end balances whatever I receive. Just one small reason why I added my name to the link list for help with mythology. wink  

[maenad nuri]

I am privileged in that I have support in my community: in this case, access to the internet, several libraries including an academic one, and bookstores to feed my information habit. I am privileged to own a computer to be typing with y'all.

I am privileged that I grew up in a household that I felt safe enough to start thinking about paganism, that had books at an early age on mythology, that valued free expression and questioning of religious beliefs.

I'm privileged that I have the space and privacy to do ritual, to take dance lessons, to find local community. That even with my meager status, that I have the money to support said book habits or at least the means to work towards them. That I have the time to devote to ritual.

I am privileged in my education level, the class and support system I grew up in, that gives me the tools to get through the problems I face with my different class now. I'm privileged that I'm white -- and white people can explore /most/ different religions without hassle (there are exceptions, which come with white privilege is exerted stupidly).

I'm privileged that if I needed to, I could take time off from work.

And this is just off the top of my head -- there's more, of course, but trying to articulate the ways in which I am at the top of the kyriarchy is harder than figuring out where I'm getting a boot on my neck.  

[Gho the Girl]

I'm privileged in that I have been blessed with an able body.

I'm privileged in that my issues by and large are minor and manageable without medication.

I'm privileged in that I am covered by my father's health insurance.

I'm privleged in that I have a family that accepts or at least tolerates all of my queer qualities (and I don't mean explicitly those that pertain to my sexual orientation/gender identity and expression).

I'm privileged in that I have all that I have. I have so much.  

[Recursive Paradox]

I possess white privilege, which is likely about 90% of the reason why I'm not dead yet for being both trans and disabled in a city that is well known for its murder rate for people in general. White privilege is also a large component of why I had the money early on to begin my transition and have some saved up now.

I previously had some level of male privilege due to the atypical nature of my dissonance (basically, social stuff didn't bother me, just my body) but that was killed as soon as I started transition. However, it did leave some effects combined with white privilege to provide that extra boost of money, some of which I still have left and am currently burning through to survive.

I have infrastructure privilege for living in an industrialized country. I have a bit of class privilege above people who are homeless, have no savings at all and/or aren't in school (but am still low enough on the poverty scale that I can't refer to myself as middle class) and I have passing privilege as a trans woman (i.e. I appear cis to both casual and heavy scrutiny, although likely not major scrutiny, and therefore am often spared direct transphobia until revealed)

I have the privilege of having been raised in a family that was middle class (giving me a leg up that's helped keep me afloat now that I'm low class) and while I am a person with disabilities, I lack visible disabilities and therefore have passing privilege in terms of passing as an abled person.

I have binary privilege, in that I fit, mostly, a gender that is considered binary (woman). It's a bit defanged by how much of a ******** my expression is, but my pronouns and name are seen as existing by society and not subject to binarism as a result.

I have citizen privilege, in that I am a citizen of the country I reside in (United States) and therefore have access to most of its infrastructure and am not as easily subject to violations of bodily domain, search and seizure, unrightful imprisonment and other violations that are commonly directed towards immigrants and non citizen residents, whether here legally or not.

I have cultural privilege, in that my secular culture is the same as the dominant culture of my country and region (United States). I have passing privilege in regards to religion, in that while I am not of any of the major religions in the United States and therefore subject to problems there, I do not have many visible signals that my religion is pagan and ergo can pass as a Christian by simple virtue of people assuming that I am. I have an untargeted religion/culture, i.e. while my religion and the cultural aspects influenced by it are minority and subject to some oppression, they are not specifically targeted by the majority to be wiped out or dominated. I am not subject to genocide for my religion or culture (although I am certainly subject to genocide or the equivalent for being trans) and ergo am privileged there.

I have a college education, which privileges both myself and my works/words over those without one in the eyes and ears of others. I do not possess any sensory disabilities, nor do I possess a psychotic disorder or a serious infectious disease like HIV (the jury's still out on that though, the tests will be ready after Christmas is done).

I have thin privilege, in that my size and shape is what is expected among women of my age and I am not subject to sizeism/fatphobia. I have age privilege in that I am fairly young and not subject to ageism towards the elderly. I also have a least a portion of adult privilege (part of which is harmed by my disabilities, specifically my learning disabilities, which have been used in attempts to deny me adult level self determination in the past) as I am no longer a child, nor a teen, and have privileges related to that.

That's all I can really think of. I'm sure there's more.  

[TeaDidikai]

I'm privileged because I can pass.

I'm privileged in that my strong emotional bonds with my family members has allowed them to accept me, despite my up bringing.  

[Gho the Girl]

TeaDidikai

I'm privileged because I can pass.

I'm privileged in that my strong emotional bonds with my family members has allowed them to accept me, despite my up bringing.

Pass? Pass what?  

[TeaDidikai]

Gho the Girl

TeaDidikai

I'm privileged because I can pass.

I'm privileged in that my strong emotional bonds with my family members has allowed them to accept me, despite my up bringing.

Pass? Pass what?

Pass as generic European. My experience is that most US Citizens can pick out skin tone, and some common European facial features- but they can't tell I'm Rroma by looking at me. This isn't the case in parts of Europe I have lived in.  

[Collowrath]

The biggest benefit that I can see - I'm a young, college educated, "white" male. I can speak on a religious tradition at will and for the most part, people aren't going to call me on it if I'm full of s**t.

Because within the last seventy years or so, my ethnicity was determined to be white enough, my culture is considered an interesting quirk, not something to be suspicious of.

Like Tea, despite the problems extant in my family, I'm lucky enough that they accept me.

I'm also very privileged that I have the privacy to practice my faith - though that very well could change soon.  

[aoijea23487]

I've got a shitload of privilege.

White, in college, young, thin, middle-class and wealthy enough that I've never been employed in a real job and my mother is paying for school and everything else, no qualifiable disabilities, family is somewhat accepting, allowed to practice my faith, have a car/mobility, binary, citizen of a more-than-decent country, yeah.  

[rmcdra]

I am privileged in being abled bodied.

I am privileged in having a home, a job, internet, and resources to food.

I am privileged in that I have a fiancee that is willing to support me.

I am privileged in that I can donate back to charity.

I am privileged in what my God allowed me to see.

I am privileged in that I exist in a time where heresy is tolerable and that a decent chunk of documents concerning the heresy I follow has been recovered.

@Gho
Either because I grew up in the South or because of being familiar with Southern literature, I am familiar with the concept of passing. Historically in the culture I grew up in there's a lot of privilege given based on one's skin color. In some areas of Louisiana, this attitude is still prevalent.  

[TeaDidikai]

So I was initially trying to focus on how we are privileged in relation to our theology- not that the discussion has been bad.

In relation to my practices, being able to stand, walk, hike and dance enable me to participate fully. Where I not able, for whatever reason, to do these things, a number of spiritual practices would be closed to me.  

[rmcdra]

Well in that case, I'm privileged in that I have seen some things that many in my faith can only believe or take as a metaphor. Things like the Trinity and "God is Light and Love" are privileges to me in that I know through these things through personal experience rather than because I believe what was written in my text.  

[Recursive Paradox]

TeaDidikai

So I was initially trying to focus on how we are privileged in relation to our theology- not that the discussion has been bad.

In relation to my practices, being able to stand, walk, hike and dance enable me to participate fully. Where I not able, for whatever reason, to do these things, a number of spiritual practices would be closed to me.

Because some of the things done in channeling can worsen dissociative effects in the mind, I am privileged in that I don't have dissociative disorders or an inclination to dissociate to extremes, allowing me to channel without shutting down or worsening said conditions.  

[Fiddlers Green]

TeaDidikai

With that said, can you give an example of how privilege manifests in your spiritual life that benefits you.

My body(as it is) allows me to visit cites both historic and sundry that are significant.
My senses(as they are) allow me to perceive many things that others may not. They allow me to perceive the subjective/actualized echoes of the Working.
My mind(as it is) allows me to create configurational models of use in my activities, allows me to conjecture causal relationships between events that bring me closer to my goals, recalls events and experiences with clarity sufficient to assist my endeavoures, and permits me to even be cognizant of the Working at all.
My soul(as it is) allows what little interaction with objective/conceptual Knowledge that I have.

My birthrights have afforded me the wealth to pursue the Working with commitment and fewer distractions than one not so privileged. Both financially and socially, the circumstances of my birth have conspired to give me many advantages that others might not have, these have given me both the permissive upbringing and interaction with other sentients, both present and past, that have helped me alongst and provided much of my mental framework to understand the Working.

Outrageous fortune co-conspired to introduce me to persons and situations which have provided much of my leisure to theor and massive amounts of external perspective and observables.

Are we only discussing about inherent/accidental privilege, or are we also counting privilege we have carved out/came to by intent rather than chance?