Anne Lamott says she doesn’t need to be a spokesperson for any cause. And she never cancels an engagement. But she nearly got booted froma gig in Omaha, when a bunch of conservative Catholics tried to get her removed from speaking at Creighton. Her positions on assisted suicide and abortion were the reasons these folks got upset, but then a bunch of other Christians got upset at the upset and now dear Anne will speak to a larger crowd than originally expected. Huh? We Christians couldn’t be that dangerous to others because we’re out to eliminate all those who don’t agree with us. That’s mostly other Christians.
How sad, the way we treat each other. Anne Lamott has brought so many people closer to God, and yet she gets trashed for stuff most of us have never dealt with and may never face. Kind of like how many antiabortion screeds are written by men, who don’t have that much experience in actual childbearing.
I think about this flap with Lamott (which I’m sure is nothing more than fodder for her wonderful wit) and I admit I’m a bit worried about things I might write here. After all, I have friends and acquaintances across the Christian spectrum: evangelical, liturgical, conservative, progressive, Bible literalists and those who think The Word is symbolic. People who’ve never said a swear word in their lives, and a few salty-speeched souls who can keep up with Lamott. When (and I use this term loosely) people finally tune into the godsong blog, I’ll probably end up making all sorts of people really mad. OK, so go ahead and get mad. I see no need to be a spokesperson for any causes, either.