cover of episode 835: Children of Dave

835: Children of Dave

2024/6/30
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Boen Wang讲述了他父母在美国皈依基督教的经历,以及这种信仰如何深刻地影响了他的成长和自我认知。他童年时期浸淫在基督教文化中,导致他成年后长期遭受自我厌恶和羞耻感的困扰,尤其在性方面。他质疑基督教信仰给他带来的负面影响,并试图通过探访俄克拉荷马州,寻找答案。 Dave作为一位热情的基督教传教士,他帮助Boen的父母皈依基督教,并给予他们生活上的帮助。他展现出无私的爱和奉献精神,这解释了Boen父母皈依基督教的原因。Dave的观点是,每个人都有机会接受基督教信仰,而他只是提供帮助,并不会强迫他人。 Boen Wang的母亲回顾了她皈依基督教的经历,她承认当时因为文化冲击和对新环境的不适应,而容易接受教会的帮助,这其中也包含了物质上的帮助。她后来对教会的一些做法产生质疑,并最终离开了教会。她认为教会的某些行为带有交易性质,利用物质帮助来换取人们的信仰。 Boen Wang的父亲讲述了他最初在北京向神祈祷的经历,这为他在美国皈依基督教埋下了伏笔。他强调自己对基督教信仰的接受是发自内心的,并非因为外界的压力。他认为基督教信仰是真理,并一直坚持自己的信仰。 Andrew作为Boen Wang的无神论朋友,他的经历为Boen Wang提供了对比。Andrew也经历了自我厌恶,这表明自我厌恶并非完全源于基督教信仰,也可能与其他因素,例如父母的期望有关。

Deep Dive

Chapters
Boen Wang reflects on a pivotal moment in his family history: his father's arrival at the Oklahoma City airport and subsequent conversion to Christianity. He questions the impact of this event on his own life and upbringing.
  • Boen Wang's father, arriving from China, was met at the airport by Dave Davis, a Christian missionary.
  • This encounter led to Wang's parents' conversion and his upbringing in the Christian faith.
  • Wang questions the impact of this event on his life and the development of his self-loathing.

Shownotes Transcript

Boen Wang has a theory that a lot of the misery in his life can be traced to a single moment that happened years before he was born. So he makes a pilgrimage to see if he’s right.

  • Prologue: Ira talks about what it’s like to go back to 1119 Bayard Street in Baltimore. (6 minutes)
  • Part One: Boen visits Norman, Oklahoma, where he was born, to meet the man he thinks changed his parents’ lives—and his life, too. (31 minutes)
  • Part Two: Boen’s friend, Andrew, and his parents take what he learned in Part One, throw it into a blender, and push puree. (20 minutes)

Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org)