[Dialogue] Praying for the Demise of Religion

[Starflower Enterprises]

Here is a very insightful article well worth the read.  
It came to me through a friend.
Al Roberts


Published on Monday, December 12, 2005 by the Cleveland Plain Dealer 
<http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer>

Praying for the Demise of Religion

by Rev. Kenneth W. Chalker

 

I have heard the line many times: "Rev, I want you to know right upfront 
that I'm spiritual - but not religious."

This distinction is a 21st century American mantra: spiritual - but not 
religious. It could be on a T-shirt or a bumper sticker. Truth be told, 
in the wake of the recent United Methodist Judicial Council ruling 
mandating the reinstatement of a United Methodist pastor who had refused 
church membership to an openly gay man, I would be one of the folks 
wearing the T-shirt.

I have been a parish pastor in the United Methodist Church for 31 years. 
This calling continues to be a marvelous, enriching and energizing 
spiritual experience.Among other things, it has made me deeply spiritual 
and leads me to pray for the demise of religion.

While sharing in the lives of people, I have had numerous encounters 
with the Holy, Infinite One. I have witnessed resurrections, 
liberations, high moments of justice and mercy, and life-changing acts 
of forgiveness. I have seen healings that restored broken hearts, 
fractured minds and shattered spirits. I have seen people who were 
sinking in turbulent waters suddenly walk on those waves as a result of 
renewed faith. I've seen waters part, revealing reliable paths to places 
of promise. I have seen bramble bushes of confusion and pain set ablaze 
with a Holy presence revealing messages of clarity and hope. I have 
heard angels sing of holy births even as death appears to close the eyes 
of cherished friends.

Because of wonderfully hopeful things such as these, I believe what all 
world faith traditions reveal. Namely, that God is Spirit and thus never 
captured in a picture, idea, book or creed. Rather, the Holy One is 
always mysterious, awe-inspiring, hope-raising and fear-relieving. 
Encounters with the Spirit are at once and always an amazing grace.

Religion, however, is what Satan devises as a way of confusing faithful 
people. Holy wars, suicide bombings and other religiously motivated 
killings prove the point.

Those of us who exercise our spirituality by attempting to follow in the 
footsteps of Jesus are very much aware that when Jesus was around 
religious people it made him nauseated. I believe that is why Jesus 
always enjoyed eating with sinners. It was the only way he could keep 
his lunch.

In these religious times, church organizations are forsaking their 
initial spiritual impetus and going over to the dark side. Employing 
labored, amplified heavy breathing, they have become religious 
institutions. Like most institutions, religious ones are very much 
interested in preserving their various ways of doing things. That is, in 
large part, why there are judicial councils. Their job is not to keep 
the faith. Their job is to keep the rules and make folks think that "the 
rules" and "the faith" are the same thing. Most often, they are not.

While the decision of the United Methodist Judicial Council purports to 
protect a pastor's right to ascertain a person's readiness to affirm the 
vows of membership in the church, it does nothing of the sort. The 
decision does what religion so often does: It sanctifies acts of hidden 
prejudice and self-righteousness.

Wonder of wonders, there are many, many clergy and laypersons who serve 
in and give life to many, many churches, synagogues, mosques, temples 
and prayer rooms. They are those who each day open the doors of such 
places in marvelous ways. They welcome folks in. They step out into the 
streets to help others. They transform communities and daily work to 
make things better. They relieve suffering and amplify - as well as 
enable - rejoicing. Such faithful people reveal that the Spirit is alive 
and active in our midst. They also know that judicial council terms come 
to an end and prejudices will one day pass away.

In the meantime (and sometimes the times are very mean), institutional 
religion continues to be a mind-numbing reality. In all cultures, it 
preserves the status quo in iceThat is why religious folks often seem to 
be the "frozen chosen" rather than ones warmed by the fire of the Spirit 
with tolerance, acceptance and love, and set ablaze with a passion for 
justice.

Putting people out is a coldly religious thing to do. In the end, the 
rooms from which people have been excluded become empty. The temperature 
is turned way down to save expenses. Not much is going on in those 
rooms, but at least they are neat and orderly. Current judicial 
councils, like all of them over time, very much like it that way. Among 
other things, the thermostats in their rooms never have to be reset and 
the chairs need never be moved for their small, bi-annual meetings.

Rev. Chalker is pastor of First United Methodist Church of Cleveland, Ohio.

© 2005 Cleveland Plain Dealer

 

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