Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John

Politics and religion:  stay away from those topics.  That’s an old adage, and it is wise advice.

And I’m going to violate both in the same posting.

I was watching Cash Cab (a quiz show) a few days ago.  A young couple was asked “What winter holiday built around African tradition is celebrated each year?”  They quickly answered “Kwanzaa.”  (The couple was white, by the way.)  Later in the contest, they were asked to name one of the four gospels in the Bible.

Name just one of the gospels.

They couldn’t.

This week is a big meeting of bishops of the Episcopal Church.  A decision will be made whether many of the local churches and regional groups (diocese) will leave the Episcopal Church, which is a part of the worldwide Anglican Communion.  “Conservatives” are upset that a gay man was made a bishop and that there are women who are priests.  There is a lot of pressure from the other churches within the Anglican Communion for the American church to renounce its ways.  “Liberals” say that gays and lesbians should be welcome in the church and women have every right to be priests..

I have always described myself as a Christian who happens to worship in the Episcopalian tradition.  Frankly, I have no loyalty to the Episcopal Church, but that because I have little loyalty to organizations, which by their very nature, are bereft of a heart or soul.  My bonds are with people and with God.

With some disdain, I watch the “leaders” of my denomination piss away lots of time, money, and effort worrying about the continued existence of a man made institution.  They are so set in their ways that couldn’t even stay in the same hotel.  The only people who care about this are those who are involved in the organization of the Anglican Communion – and are paid by it.

In the meantime, young people can identify Kwanzaa, but cannot name even one gospel.

It must make God cry.

Comments

[Michael Main]

You don't even want to turn on "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader." :)

An extension of this thought is that various surveys show people's (I'm not singling out young people) ignorance on all sorts of things which folks like us sort of grew up thinking were basics. For example most people can't name one member of the Supreme Court, but they can name one or more members of the Beatles. Most folks can't name all 50 states, much less state capitals.

The "media" - and I am one - look at these surveys and decide what is "news" based on what apparently people are interested in...therefore you hear/read/see more stories about Britney Spears than Condoleeza Rice. It's a self perpetuating cycle.

Who knows...maybe it's God's plan to return to an "Eden-like" state of ignorant bliss...pre-apple (the fruit not the Beatle's record label)..

[Miss Kitty]

The whole thing certainly makes me cry (and probably God too). This battle is part of why I no longer attend my wonderful old Episcopal Church. My former church here in Small Town, GA lost about 20% of its members in 1994 when we got a female priest. (She's still there, by the way.) I just don't feel I can waste any time on a body of people who think God doesn't have any bigger fish to fry than worry about who's sticking what in whose what. So I miss going to church, but refuse to go to anyplace else around town. The other denominations are *wholesale* into treating minorities and/or the less fortunate like crap. And I've had enough of fire and brimstone for one lifetime.

I'm trying to look at it like the Civil Rights Movement--I'm sure there was a huge to-do about black people attending Episcopal churches (and there may still be), but the old-timers either go elsewhere or die off. I *want* to say that in 50 years we'll look back at this whole shenanigan and ask, "How on earth could people have thought gay folks were less human than everyone else?" but my hope for humanity is wearing mighty thin.

[Sam]

"It must make God cry."
Just go out to any ocean and take a look. Perhaps, the ocean is where all of God's tears for human being. Personally, I didn't go to church more often that I used too when I was young. Since I realized that if God is with me, then wherever I go, the "church" is with me. Otherwise, if I am not living the way God would like me to live, then it doesn't matter how often or where I should go to church.

Sam

[Sam]

BTW, I should also mentioned that sometime when I go to church, I went to support the church community, to meet people and make friend, to share with them the good & bad news of their lives; not because the Bible said so, but for the love of one another.

Sam