Sunday, January 31, 2016

Churches, Part One

I miss going to church.

An easy answer to that is, of course, "Well, duh, go to church."

It isn't as easy as that.  Not anymore.  I've experienced some real stupidity in churches in the last several years, and I find myself more than a little bewildered.  I've seen some real questionable attitudes and practices, not to mention some real love and kindness, and the combination of good and evil has put me in a state of "I don't know what to do."

One church my family and I attended had a conservative bent.  No problem with that, because the message of salvation is that it's available to anyone, no matter who you vote for.

If it was only that simple to the people preaching that message, and to the ones hearing it.

There is an undercurrent of belief amongst too many people who call themselves followers of Jesus Christ that if you vote Democratic or anything other than Republican, then you are not a Christian.

Tell me, in what book of the Bible is that one written?

We also noticed that the church in question had cliques - very prominent cliques which made it very plain that if you weren't in any of them, you were merely cannon fodder.  The pastor even acknowledged it and told all of us if we didn't like it, we needed to build a bridge and get over it.

Way to make a person feel needed and loved and welcome.

The church now has a bridge built over a ditch in the back of their property so that "People can get over it."  Might as well flip a middle finger up in the air as to give that message.  It pretty much means the same thing.

When I think about it now, it seems really telling that I attended a church that basically went out of its way to tick off people in its congregation.  It shows how easy it is to tolerate what should be intolerable.

One other telling item I remember was that the church's financial situation and its accounts and records were considered a "secret", to only be open to a select few members.  Although it did become very well known amongst the congregation that the church lost several thousand dollars on bad stock market choices.

Why would a house of God invest money in the stock market or in any other manner?  I still do not understand that one.

Another problem with that church was that in the teen's class, one teacher made an extra obnoxious effort to force my son to read aloud in front of the class.  This same teacher loved to boast about how he forced his two teen daughters to watch The Passion of the Christ.

I've often wondered if he's being obnoxious because that's the way he's always been, or if he does it in the hopes that he'll get in trouble.  That way he can claim that he's being persecuted.  I've noticed that some people really do want to be a martyr - without the real pain that some believers actually suffer in other countries.

I'm not really surprised that my son doesn't want to go to church anymore.  I wonder how many shy and reserved people have been given that same obnoxious treatment, and now refuse to have anything to do with church?

Despite what you've might've read in those Chick Tracts, becoming saved does not automatically make you speak boldly and defiantly.  Public speaking is a nerve-wracking experience, and it takes practice to get better at it.

The final straw at that church, however, was the pastor's statement of what we should do if President Obama were to show up during Sunday services.  He told us that we should take off our shoes and throw them at him.

I guess that even a pastor isn't above hating people. 

Not only have I grown up with a lot of Sunday school lessons, I've also taken many classes on the lives of people in classical and ancient times.  Throughout all of that, I learned that one of biggest sins a person could ever commit was to attack a visitor.  Being a host is a sacred obligation, one that is not to be taken lightly.  But, to our pastor, throwing shoes at that man was more important than being a good host, not to mention welcoming a visitor to our church.

When I look back over the years (too many) that we spent there, the pastor openly despised liberals and left out relevant details about his political enemies in order to push a point of view he wanted followed.

Another way to put it is that he lied about others for political reasons, and supported national and so-called religious leaders who also lied about the same things.

To put it even simpler, he violated the Ninth Commandment, and supported others who did the same thing, and encouraged us to do the same thing.

Despite what you may have been taught, the ends do not justify the means.  What do you have to lose when you lie about your enemies?  Nothing more than your own soul.

What really distresses me is that a lot of Christians do not see that they're being played like a violin by political and so-called Christian leaders.  They really fear that if they don't vote the way their Christian leaders tell them, they'll go to hell.

Again I ask, in what book of the Bible is that one written?

I will say this, however:  If you give up your right to vote to someone who tells you how to cast your vote, then you deserve neither democracy nor freedom.  You will have become worse than those apathetic individuals who refuse to vote at all.

Pray about it, yes, very much so, but watch what the candidates say and do.  After all, their actions are a louder witness than what they say.

Should I even have to say that you shouldn't hate anyone, especially someone you have no intention of voting into office, or even someone who votes or believes differently than you do?  Hatred is not only murdering someone in your own heart (a violation of the Sixth Commandment), but it is a luxury you cannot afford.  When you hate someone, they control you and you allow yourself to be (figuratively) enslaved to them.  I can assure you that you are not in their thoughts.  So why do that to yourself and to your soul?  It's not worth it.

I leave you with a verse I always try to keep in mind when I'm troubled.

"He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?"

--Micah 6:8 (NKJV)

Peace be unto you.

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