A blog I follow was talking about going to church at Westminster Abby. The minister welcomed worshipers but turned away people whom he considered as tourists and those wearing jeans. Would Jesus have turned them away? What did He say about people worshiping when traveling or not wearing their Sunday best? I was once a religious person, meaning I believed in the Christian way of life, then many years ago I read something like the above, and it began my fall from grace into being a complete non-believer. The article I read at the time was about why one must believe in one true God and then went on to talk about churches turning away people whom did not believe in the same interpretation of the scriptures. Interpretation be damned! It is what it is and anything else is at the least hypocritical and at most just plain false. Jesus was a simple man; He lived a simple life. He founded His church on belief in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and He laid out a simple plan for people to follow to be able to join Him in Heaven. Anything later added by man is just plain wrong; denominations are wrong, icons and idols are wrong, gaudy church buildings used to attract genteel and wealthy people are wrong; high priced preachers of any kind are wrong. Jesus was a simple man. Do not interpret; act. The minister at Westminster Abbey was turning away God's children because they were wearing jeans and because they were gawking tourists wearing fanny packs? Big time organized religion is just as wrong as big businesses out for a unfair profits and as wrong as big time crime syndicates. Sure, there should be rules to keep things civilized in church, but the turning away is bad religion. Jesus was a simple man.
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On The Turning Away
lyrics by Pink Floyd
On the turning away
From the pale and downtrodden
And the words they say
Which we wont understand
Dont accept that whats happening
Is just a case of others suffering
Or youll find that youre joining in
The turning away
Its a sin that somehow
Light is changing to shadow
And casting its shroud
Over all we have known
Unaware how the ranks have grown
Driven on by a heart of stone
We could find that were all alone
In the dream of the proud
On the wings of the night
As the daytime is stirring
Where the speechless unite
In a silent accord
Using words you will find are strange
And mesmerized as they light the flame
Feel the new wind of change
On the wings of the night
No more turning away
From the weak and the weary
No more turning away
From the coldness inside
Just a world that we all must share
Its not enough just to stand and stare
Is it only a dream that therell be
No more turning away?
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Did I hear an Amen from the balcony?
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Happy Flag Day, United States of America.
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14 comments:
I think about church I attend every week (located close to my house). It is dedicated to father Kolbe, a monk who lost his life in Auschwitz. This church has a shape of crematorium and his décor is very simple. It is a huge building for many people.
In fact, I do not like this church. I like traditional baroque church, such as I knew in my childhood – cozy place, with a painting of Madonna at a central point, and with golden, a bit funny angels.
Was it a gaudy church? In my opinion it was beautiful and friendly church; and it did not disturb my faith.
Tone of your remarks is so principled (btw, v. good style), my friend, that it's better for me (Catholic girl) to shut up.
… and it's late. Goodnight. :-)
If you go back through my blog, you will see I vent my spleen a couple times each year about the hypocrisy of religion. Jesus was a simple man with a simple code for life; anything else is nothing more than building monuments to ourselves. I am not picking on Catholics or Anglicans or Baptists or any particular sect, but religion in general has become its own religion. The buildings, the high power church leaders, the monuments, and the pageantry are all there to remind us that Jesus was a simple man and only demands simple things from his disciples???
We have even added to and taken away from the bible to make it say what we want it to say; to make it ok to do the things we do.
I am not a person of faith, but I have studied translations of the bible, and most seem to point to one thing; faith is not complicated. The path to salvation is straightforward; believe, repent, be born again (Jesus set the symbolic example by being immersed in water), and never waver in your faith. Simple, and just the way Jesus did it.
John the Baptist was not known as John the Sprinkler, but sprinkling is common in many Christian denominations and has taken the place of baptism by immersion. Sure, it is all symbolic, but Jesus Christ must have done it in one particular way for a purpose.
I am not intending this to hurt anyone, and it is the truth as I see it. I just cannot stand by and see things I feel are wrong happen in the name of faith, or politics, or any other major part of human existence. Religion especially needs much attention because if one is a believer, there is so much at stake.
Each day, people gamble their souls, betting their way is better than the way Jesus did it.
Jesus was a simple man.
Goodnight my friend Jola. Try not to be too put out with me.
Amen, you would make a good preacher. My Dad used to say it is not what a person is wearing but what is in the heart. He was a country preacher. I visited a church at the beach last year. Some people had on shorts and no one was asked to leave That was a lot of vactioners there. You seemed to know more about the Bible than most people that call thmselves christians. You are well read my friend.
Alice
Thanks Alice.
Your dad was a wise man, as is his daughter and my friend.
I think the complexity is where religion fails the masses. It seems like most Christian ideologies have gone out of their way to make religion seem complicated just so the churches can draw in crowds and explain their views to them.
Jesus said he would build HIS church on the rock of faith; faith in Him as a living God whom would deliver on his promise of eternal life. It is not the faith of Christianity or of Catholicism or of Lutheranism or of any other sect, but the faith in Christ. He made it clear and simple, but the scriptures can be confusing because of the many different writers putting their own "colorful" styles in their works. Then the various denominations etc. change things to fit their own unique views, and soon the truth of beautiful simplicity is lost.
I don't claim that those people whom do not follow the straightforward teachings (as I see them) of Christ are condemned, I am saying they are wrong to make it so complicated that a person has to belong to a "club" to have access to the intentions of Jesus.
Yeah, I don't doubt that Jesus would wear shorts and an aloha shirt. He was a simple man of the masses.
How very true. Amen.........
Yep ...
personally I feel that there is a HUGE difference between the jean wearing church goer and the obnoxious tourist who doesn't know how to act appropriately in sacred places---especially during worship (ie/ put the camera AWAY. whisper or don't talk at all. leave the backpack and fanny pack at the hotel-you don't need either to worship and they can be noisy and distracting.) I've been to old churches in Europe and there have been large number of tourists that I've personally encountered that treat these places like the local landmark they have to see and they forget that these are places where you must act appropriately. How would you feel if someone from the Eastern world came to your place of worship, during the sermon flashing their camera and talking loudly or annoyingly began digging through their travel bags. I think the author of the other blog was just expressing how these noticeable "tourists" were asked to go in to a different section because they were there for photos and touristy things...not worship. How would your church handle someone wanting to take photos and tour your church while church was going on? (and I understand the authors description of typical "tourist" attire...have you been to Europe??? I hate to say it...but...the fanny pack and tennis shoes and blue jeans scream tourist!!!
oh I forgot one thing...if you would check the website here to Westminster Abbey...you will see on their schedule it actually says "Sunday-Worship Only NO Tourist Visiting!" http://www.westminster-abbey.org/visit-us
Whats up with the Catholics not letting everyone take communion? At our chruch everyone ( any denomination) is invited to the table. Looks like you have bigger fish to fry.
Interesting comments.... it appears that Zen Master was the only one who actually got the point - ANYONE wanting to come in and worship is welcome.... anyone wanting to make an X on a page of a tour book on SUNDAY is not....I am betting all of you "gung ho" self-righteous supports still shop on Sunday if you can find something open.... see anything hypocritical there??? LOL.....
From the Book of Matthew:
Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
"Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'
And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!.
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Everyone seems to be taking my statements out of context. I am saying churches should be for the worship of God and not tourist attractions. A lot of big churches--Westminster Abbey included--advertise themselves as such. Their host cities display and advertise them as tourist attractions. What should they expect? They were built as huge attractions. The church with the tallest spire will get more visitors because it can be seen from afar. The church buildings with the fanciest architecture were surely built to glorify the builders; I can find nowhere in scripture where Jesus asked for such to be done in His name. He already has a Heavenly Mansion and promises the faithful a place therein in the next life.
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No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
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I dunno; Jesus became pretty famous in his later years, and I would not doubt that he drew the curious along with the faithful. I if that be true, did he turn them away; did he post guards to evict the onlookers? What about the fishes and the loaves? He made arrangements to feed everyone, including gawkers. Is that symbolism for churches to follow, to care for the needs of all?
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zenmasterlauren, what I write is no more than an opinion; I have been and remain suspicious of organized religion, and if I see something I think is hypocritical, I will go to scripture to read for myself, then I write my opinion. I am often wrong ... but not always.
I have never been to Europe.
Anonymous #1.
I really do not know anything about how the Catholic Church or the Anglican Church works. I know a little about American denominations, but most of what I say is derived from plain words in the bible.
Anonymous #2.
Yes, I shop on Sundays. I also have meals on Saturdays. I see nothing hypocritical about either; although both are banned at one place or another in the bible. But then again; I have no religious faith; I'm just an outsider looking in.
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