Visiting other churches

I have started visiting  various churches in an effort to gain a deeper understanding of what religion means to different people.  It has been quite an interesting experience.  Here are a couple of them.

A minister I know pointed me at one church that turned out to be rather Pentecostal in nature, it had the whole "speaking in tongues" thing going on.  A number of people I know would have been seriously freaked out by the service.  Personally, I found it interesting.  Most of my history has not included what I've heard described as "the ecstatic experience" of religion.  It was also one of the most racially diverse congregations I have seen.  I'm very glad I went.  I've written a more detailed review that I sent off to my friend, but I'll be brief here.

The other church I visited was a "non-denominational" Christian church that is being "planted" by another branch.  This was the first service and most of the attendees were members of the preacher's extended family, which is quite large.  It's a very family oriented church, which is something I think our society needs more of.  On the other hand, their God is a lot more meddlesome than what I believe.  It was also a very evangelical service, which is yet another approach I need to understand in greater depth.  Learning to communicate in a way that influences and inspires other is one of the many things I need to learn to do.  I expect I'll be going back to other services there.

Both churches had live musicians playing some very modern kinds of music with lots of electronic amplification.  I'm not quite sure what I think about that.  Maybe I'm a bit too old fashioned.  I also need to develop a deeper understanding of the effects that music can have in religious services.  I know I'm not wired the same as a large number of church goers, so I'm going to have to go about understanding in a very deliberate manner.

At this point, my plan is to continue visiting a very wide variety of churches.  There is still so much more for me to learn.

Thought from listening to Sunday's sermon

The church I go to has two ministers, at least for the next few weeks, then both of them are moving on.  One of them I really don't connect with at all, the other one is the only minister who has offered any support in my going to seminary.  He's an interesting guy, with a somewhat diverse theological background.  He is also far more compassionate than most of the ministers I have had a chance to spend time speaking with, he doesn't just put on a good act while he is on stage.

Anyway, I just wanted to put in a bit of background.  Today's sermon touched on a few subjects, one of which was working with an interfaith group dealing with the poor and homeless.  I have often criticized my faith for only helping "those people over there" and making sure they stayed "over there" instead instead of making it easy for them to pick up many of the values and beliefs of the church.  Mind you, I'm talking about promoting the church and its values by leading by example.  Today's sermon was very passionate about people actually getting involved instead of just paying lip service by throwing some money at the problem and then feeling virtuous. 

It also got me to thinking about what I will be able to do once I finish my schooling.  I don't think I will be very good at dealing with the typical homeless beggar, I am much more likely to be working with people who are working their way up out of a bad turn of events.  Or, working with those who are on the fringes of society.  During my last trip to New Orleans I found that I built up connections with a number of the street performers and fortune tellers.  I'm also friends with some musicians who will never be big names or big successes, but they are getting by.  I'm sure there are those who will criticise me for this, but I need to play to my strengths.  My goals are to do good things, not great things. 

Even though it is years in the future, I'm trying understand myself better and where I will fit in.  It's challenging.

Atheism

Recently I've been dealing with an evangelical atheist online.  He seems to be one of those fundamentalist types who insist that everyone else has to believe the same way he does.  He is adamant that all religions are evil, that they have never done anything good and that anyone who has any religious leanings is seriously mentally ill.  Even when other folks point out the advancements in society that have been driven solely by religious faith, he denies them.  The depth of his faith in his beliefs is impressive, particularly given the paradox of denying the faith of others.

This anti-religious stance seems to be somewhat related to modern American culture where the individual is everything.  This attitude can be very successful when the number of people who have it is very small, but when it becomes the belief of a significant fraction of the population, it can spell the destruction of the culture or society.  The human drive and desire to be part of something greater than oneself is what has driven much of the development and advancement of humanity.  In fact, one of the current evolutionary theories is that humans developed a larger brain to deal with being part of a larger group or tribe than others.  Long term survival and prosperity of the group is what was important, not that of specific individuals.  This led to concepts that we now know as duty and self-sacrifice.  When these ideals become lost, society starts to fall apart.

while I get the point that many horrible things have been done in the name of religion, there has also been a lot of good.  Probably the best example is that literacy in Europe was driven solely by Gutenberg printing and distributing Bibles which led to parents wanted their children to be able to read just so they could read the Bible.  There were also advances in architecture and engineering made so that cathedrals could be built.  And, being a Classical Music fan, there was a huge body of music composed for religious purposes.

Personally, I've been trying to take a step back so that I can analyze and understand why various religions are successful and what they contribute to the long term prosperity of the society.  I'm also trying to understand what causes the failure of religions or churches, but that's a rant for another post.

What's in a church?

It's been a long time since I've posted anything. Life has been difficult.

Several months ago I had a falling out with the church I had been a member of. So, I have been attending another church that I seemed to fit in better with. There are two ministers serving this church. I get along very well with one of them and the other one is only mildly annoying on occasion. It has been an education and I don't mean that in a negative way. Mostly. I have learned a lot more about who I am and where I want to go.

But that's not what I really wanted to write about. Sometimes there are things I just really need to write down so I can quit carrying them in my head and heart. A few weeks ago one of the members of the church I used to be a member of committed suicide. She was very active in the church and quite well liked by everyone who knew her. Suicide rarely happens without a lot of warning signs, so I'm wondering if no one at the church noticed or if they just didn't care enough to do anything. Either way, it has left me rather shook up. It's a small church, about 180 members, so it's not like she was lost in the crowd. Between this and my studies, I am starting to understand that this sort of problem may be endemic to the culture of the faith I belong to. I find this to be unacceptable and I intend to work very hard to change this. I wish it was practical for me to simply change denominations, but this is one of the few that will have me. So, I'm going to be obstinate and stand up for the values I believe in. Maybe I can make a change in at least those I'm around.

In other news, the minister of the church I was a member of has decided to move on and leave the pastoral role to work in promoting social justice. This is probably a wise decision, some folks just aren't cut out to provide pastoral care.

In any case, this has caused me to think much more deeply on the issue of "what is a church?" and I've come to some conclusions about how very important it is for a church to provide a lot more care and support than I've been seeing lately.

That's about it for now, hopefully my next post here will be about more positive things.

Don't overlook the invisible

There is a great hue and cry over certain groups of people and how they are being mistreated, abused or victimized in one way or another. For those of us with good hearts, the impuse to help and support them is automatic. But what about the people who aren't part of those groups? What about the kind and friendly person who is suddenly scowling one day? What about the person who is usually very open who is now very closed and guarded? Or the person who many people know is going through a troubled time who suddenly disappears?

Frankly the groups with good publicists are getting lots of support from many different sources. I want to make sure that the other people who need help get something. I already try to pay attention to people. I have been the one to ask "are you okay?" and "what can I do to help?". I hope I can do even more of it as a minister.

Stop creating victims

In American society, being a victim can be a very powerful position if applied correctly. Because of this, there are some groups that have been told consistently that they are victims and deserve special treatment or consideration because of it. I certainly believe in helping someone who has suffered a misfortune or injustice, but when someone or a group is constantly in that situtation, there is some underlying cause that needs to be addressed.

This needs to stop. We need to quit teaching people that they can get ahead by blaming others so that we can reserve our compassion and charity for those who truly need it. The ones who just make a habit of being victims need to learn to stand on their own two feet.

I strongly believe in equality of opportunity, but that certainly does not and should not guarantee parity of results.

Why am I writing this now? Well, the minister at the church I go to tends to push the victimization button and it does annoy me. In addition, some of the other students in one of my seminary classes are going on about how certain groups or classes of people have not only been discriminated against in the past (which I do not dispute), but are being strongly discriminated against in today's world. I've heard that story for too long and I have seen too many examples to the contrary to be willing to accept it any more. Not only that, I am really tired of being told that since I am a straight white male, it is all my personal responsibility.

Feminism Overload

This last week has been unpleasant. The focus in one of my classes has been on feminsts and feminism in the 19th Century as it applies to the history of the churches. Added to that was the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day and a sermon at my regular church about it. I went to a different church last Sunday, the sermon on global warming was far less offensive.

Fundamentally, I am sick and tired of being expected to feel guilty and ashamed for being a straight white male. I've had it and I'm really quite angry about it.

Here are some realities that are being denied:

Women are not the same as men. There are a lot of things that both genders can do equally well, but there are also a number of things that they can't.

Here are some hard facts that are in relation to me:

1. Less than 1% of the women out there have a higher IQ than I do. I've looked it up on the charts.
2. Far less than 1% of the women out there are taller than I am.
3. Less than 1% of women are stronger than I am, and I'm in lousy shape.

Yeah, some of those may seem trivial, but that's the way it works. Gender is not just a social construct, there are some very real differences between the populations of men and women.

Here's another one:
I can never have children. The closest I can come is to hire a surrogate in a third world country to bear a child for me.

Here is one of the implications:
Men really do care about how women look. Their fitness to bear the next generation is a big factor. This has been reinforced by thousands of generations of natural selection. Yes, the kind of person you are also matters, but it isn't everything.

Yeah, I'm all for equality of opportunity, but at least I understand that there will never be parity of results in many fields. One of the most obvious is the job of firefighter in most major metropolitan areas. The physical requirements are tough, most men couldn't even pass them. Reducing the requirements based on gender is only going to get more people killed. This is a harsh fact of life.

And another interesting tidbit, a recent ACM paper came to the conclusion that there are so few women in IT for the simple reason that few women are willing to put in the work required, particularly in today's society versus that of 30 years ago.

Here is the last upsetting fact:
If a significant percentage of women reject having and raising a family then our society is doomed. And that is what is happening right now. Being on the losing side of natural selection really sucks.

Women, you said you wanted a choice, and you have it. Your instant gratification or the survival of modern society. It is up to you, not the men.