¿Chicana Atheist?

What do you do if you’re a Latina woman who doesn’t believe in God but lives in a spiritual city?

If you’re Anna De Luna, you write a one-woman show about it.

Her show, ¿Chicana Atheist?, is playing at the SAY Sí Black Box Theatre in San Antonio, Texas this weekend (through Saturday night).

Here are some thoughts Luna shared in an interview:

… What I realized was that I would always tell people a lot of stories about my childhood growing up in a very religious, Catholic household and there were a lot of funny stories with that, because in my heart and mind I knew that I was not a believer, but I still had to go through all these rituals and events for my family. There was some comedy in that. Especially with women, if we don’t go to church, y’know, every Sunday — to have a Latina that’s not spiritual — it’s kind of unusual. So I thought maybe this is my angle. I could go do something different.

…

… I always tell people I go to church more than any atheist I’ve ever known because sometimes I go with my mother, and I feel bad about her going to church by herself (laughs). And when we go to a funeral and she starts doing the rosary, and if I don’t do the rosary with her I’m a terrible daughter, so here I am doing the rosary with her.

Its been difficult sometimes. I was in a relationship. I was falling in love with this man, but he was a very spiritual guy and so we broke up for various reasons, but that played into it as well. And sometimes my friends … they’re all very spiritual and they can’t wrap their minds around it and they’re convinced that I do believe somehow.

Even if you’re not an atheist, the show may be worth watching:

It’s not anti-God, it’s not anti-religion, and my friends (who believe in God) were able to relate to it because it hits on a universal theme that anybody who’s gone through something, or they’re different, and they’re trying to fit in and they’re asking all these questions about society I think they all can relate to that. It’s funny too. Religion can be very comedic.

More information on the show (times, location, etc.) can be found here at the bottom of the page.

(Thanks to Becky for the link!)


[tags]atheist, atheism, Jennifer Herrera[/tags]