This is my first conversation with Isabel, who is on a “faith journey,” exploring questions of spirituality and activism, and drawn to our Jesus-centred, world-embracing, shalom-orientation. Isabel is a communications professional, born and raised in Roman Catholic Spain, but now living in the UK. Her main interests are spirituality and feminism, along with rights and rituals, food and fellowship.
After introducing herself in general, we talk (5:15-13:15) about the religious and spiritual aspects of her background and upbringing in Spain, where there was not a lot of talk of religion at home, though it was culturally pervasive, a sort of mix of conservative/traditional Spanish and family culture at home, school, and church, but with openness (at home) to kids exploring the world, even if risk of losing connection to faith.
We then turn (13:15-32:30) to questions, reservations, and oppositions she had, keeping her from confirmation. This centered on restrictive and fear-based nature of Christianity in general, along with matters of gender and hierarchy. She took this with her into various university experiences, still on the periphery of the church, and found a “space” slightly more open to question and challenge. This was also a time to explore other forms of “spirituality” (yoga and Ayerveda, Suffism and Buddhist meditation). She found that she was rejecting something for something else that felt a bit like cultural appropriation, at one point perceiving a connection between sanskrit prayers and “Our Father”, and eventually stopping all spiritual exploration for a year or two.
At this point 32:30-36:00 we have some back-and-forth about the nature of spirituality, faith, and identity, noting (among other things) noting the difference between “extrinsic” and “intrinsic” faith.
We then (36:00- ) hear about her move to London for a masters degree, where she had an inclination to visit a Catholic church (specifically Jesuit), perhaps because she was home-sick. This was perhaps the first time she found a version of Catholic church that wasn’t culturally indistinguishable and had non-traditional elements (like an LGBTQ group).
Around 41:00 (until 47:00) we turn to the question of values (feminism; LGBTQ; inclusion and justice) and how she came to the ones she currently holds. From there (47:00) we come to her connection with Noel our work (through a work colleague) in the form of Workshop and its ethos. And we finish (55:30) with her current questions and curiosities.
