COVID-19 Lockdown, Day 82
Most of today was good. I returned to the office, and I was in for a busy day. It was great to be back. I will not miss being exiled from my office and having to lug around the dossiers of all of my clients. We still cannot drive people, but it's a start.
I have had so much on my mind this week, but I am going to focus on two things tonight. First, I often reflect on why it is so difficult for younger people to go to church. Sure, some are bored by the liturgy or do not thing Christianity or church life are not hip and sophisticated enough. In my life, I have been a member of 4 churches, and all four have certain things in common. First, there are those who make the most noise on Sunday but live godless lives all other days of the week. Next, there is petty bickering back and forth and just general meanness. After all, why give up having fun with friends when you can just go to church and be around a bunch of mean people who do nothing but yell and argue, right? Third, those who service the church, employees specifically, but even volunteers, are mistreated by those with power. I remember how, when I was a sexton, 2-3 old ladies, and sometimes their husbands, would complain over the slightest thing that went wrong--even if it weren't my fault. When one of my acolytes came improperly dressed, I would get the blame. Fourth, each congregation has that Old Guard group that holds power of the congregation for many generations because theirs was one of the first families that founded the congregation over 150 years ago. While some want to make positive contributions to the church, others just want to hold onto that power and make themselves to be royalty--even about the pastors, presidents, and other elected/called officials. What they say goes, no matter how it affects the congregation or hinders growth. Maybe Darwin was right. Fifth, in my experience, there are clergy that choose to lead by dictatorship. There was one pastor who yelled at an old woman because she asked why he would not respect the church's tradition of lighting Christmas trees during Advent. This same pastor attacked this woman in his sermon, and this was the last straw for the congregation, who voted him out by 79%. Another pastor seemed like a cult leader. He had the same demeanor of Warren Jeffs: tall, thin, and a great sermonizer whose words were as smooth as milk chocolate. Still, he had to have complete control, and he would quickly silence or threaten anyone who disagreed with him. For those who were very trusting, they would easily fawn on him and would declare him infallible. Just like Hitler.
With all my experiences, it is by the grace of God that I still believe and attend church regularly. It is a miracle that I can rise above that. For many my age and younger, this is more than enough to keep them away from the church and the faith. The parties that cause this either do not see their influence, or they do not care to change. They say that they will not be reprimanded by someone younger. Sadly, age and wisdom are not always parallel. I have met many young sages and old fools in my life. Just ask Elihu, Job's youngest friend. They say that they have the right to have their church their way. Wrong. It is not your church; it is God's church! It is His House, so you must abide His rules. They say that they are too old to change. Bullspit. No one is too old to change. True, it is difficult to change old habits, but it can be done once people get off their blessed assurances and do the work.
I want to return to the Floyd Affair again. Two different people have said that the person holding the camera should have stopped recording and did something. I will admit, when I watched the video, I wished that someone would have thrown a brick at Chauvin or that a sniper would have taken a headshot. Unfortunately, recording the murder was the only thing she could do. The same as the growing crowd pleading with Chauvin to release Floyd or for the other swine to stop the murder. All four of them had guns, pepper spray, nightsticks, and Tasers. If anyone did more to try to stop the murder, there may have been two killings instead of one. If that were a risk someone were willing to take, so be it, but there is no easy answer for this. When those who are supposed to uphold the law are doing something outside of the answer, there are no easy choices.
--Signing off.
I have had so much on my mind this week, but I am going to focus on two things tonight. First, I often reflect on why it is so difficult for younger people to go to church. Sure, some are bored by the liturgy or do not thing Christianity or church life are not hip and sophisticated enough. In my life, I have been a member of 4 churches, and all four have certain things in common. First, there are those who make the most noise on Sunday but live godless lives all other days of the week. Next, there is petty bickering back and forth and just general meanness. After all, why give up having fun with friends when you can just go to church and be around a bunch of mean people who do nothing but yell and argue, right? Third, those who service the church, employees specifically, but even volunteers, are mistreated by those with power. I remember how, when I was a sexton, 2-3 old ladies, and sometimes their husbands, would complain over the slightest thing that went wrong--even if it weren't my fault. When one of my acolytes came improperly dressed, I would get the blame. Fourth, each congregation has that Old Guard group that holds power of the congregation for many generations because theirs was one of the first families that founded the congregation over 150 years ago. While some want to make positive contributions to the church, others just want to hold onto that power and make themselves to be royalty--even about the pastors, presidents, and other elected/called officials. What they say goes, no matter how it affects the congregation or hinders growth. Maybe Darwin was right. Fifth, in my experience, there are clergy that choose to lead by dictatorship. There was one pastor who yelled at an old woman because she asked why he would not respect the church's tradition of lighting Christmas trees during Advent. This same pastor attacked this woman in his sermon, and this was the last straw for the congregation, who voted him out by 79%. Another pastor seemed like a cult leader. He had the same demeanor of Warren Jeffs: tall, thin, and a great sermonizer whose words were as smooth as milk chocolate. Still, he had to have complete control, and he would quickly silence or threaten anyone who disagreed with him. For those who were very trusting, they would easily fawn on him and would declare him infallible. Just like Hitler.
With all my experiences, it is by the grace of God that I still believe and attend church regularly. It is a miracle that I can rise above that. For many my age and younger, this is more than enough to keep them away from the church and the faith. The parties that cause this either do not see their influence, or they do not care to change. They say that they will not be reprimanded by someone younger. Sadly, age and wisdom are not always parallel. I have met many young sages and old fools in my life. Just ask Elihu, Job's youngest friend. They say that they have the right to have their church their way. Wrong. It is not your church; it is God's church! It is His House, so you must abide His rules. They say that they are too old to change. Bullspit. No one is too old to change. True, it is difficult to change old habits, but it can be done once people get off their blessed assurances and do the work.
I want to return to the Floyd Affair again. Two different people have said that the person holding the camera should have stopped recording and did something. I will admit, when I watched the video, I wished that someone would have thrown a brick at Chauvin or that a sniper would have taken a headshot. Unfortunately, recording the murder was the only thing she could do. The same as the growing crowd pleading with Chauvin to release Floyd or for the other swine to stop the murder. All four of them had guns, pepper spray, nightsticks, and Tasers. If anyone did more to try to stop the murder, there may have been two killings instead of one. If that were a risk someone were willing to take, so be it, but there is no easy answer for this. When those who are supposed to uphold the law are doing something outside of the answer, there are no easy choices.
--Signing off.
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