Churches in Crisis

[Dover]

Came across this article which is a very articulate and surprisingly informed discussion about how the movement toward 'spiritualism' is undermining the church and the 'pure faith'. However try as they might to grasp the situation, I can only speculate that this author and those he/she is speaking to haven't walked in the same shoes as those they attempt to define. Sort of a flat earth theory to discourage those who might be contemplating a great adventure to a new land.

http://tinyurl.com/2avowg

I don't think much about churches. I 'gave them up' in my youth though always felt deeply connected with the Divine. Church never nurtured that relationship in a way that felt direct and intimate enough for me. As Pluto in Sag has dredged and stirred up the sediment that has built up on the sea floor which underlies our collective and individual relationship to the Divine and it's relevance in our lives, I see Pluto in Capricorn creating further friction and a reexamination of how our religious (and other types of) institutions either serve this collective transformation or find themselves vacant and/or without congregations...an empty vessel.

These things will change not through an act of rebellion focused against laws or institutions so much as a natural result of our stronger alignment and allegiance to the Divine within and without which simply IS. It is the resistance to this shift rather than the change itself which generates the friction, and no attempts of greater control, or punishment, deception or fear-based propaganda can ultimately turn the tide. It's simply too powerful.

I think we get caught up in our own struggles and sometimes forget or don't even realize how powerful our part is in this collective shift, as we travel along our path, bumping into walls & dead ends and scraping our knees, feeling like failures or so alone in those dark places, experiencing the full gravity of the deaths we suffer as a result of these large and small steps and equally alone with our personal triumphs. It is, as the author of one article I posted expressed, the butterfly effect. Perhaps as these changes begin to manifest more and more we will not feel so alone as the work brings us together in myriad ways to build anew.

I don't feel we need to focus on the results we wish to obtain as a measure of our distance or turn and walk backwards enamored with the wake left by these changes so much as continue earnestly and humbly along our path, trusting that we have arrived with each step in each moment.

[Dover]

1. Wow! Speak of the devil (pun intended), check this out >>>

This was just posted in R/T -

The Wall Street Journal

Banned From Church
Reviving an ancient practice, churches are exposing sinners and shunning those who won't repent.
By ALEXANDRA ALTER
January 18, 2008; Page W1

On a quiet Sunday morning in June, as worshippers settled into the pews at Allen Baptist Church in southwestern Michigan, Pastor Jason Burrick grabbed his cellphone and dialed 911. When a dispatcher answered, the preacher said a former congregant was in the sanctuary. "And we need to, um, have her out A.S.A.P." Half an hour later, 71-year-old Karolyn Caskey, a church member for nearly 50 years who had taught Sunday school and regularly donated 10% of her pension, was led out by a state trooper and a county sheriff's officer. One held her purse and Bible. The other put her in handcuffs. The charge was trespassing, but Mrs. Caskey's real offense, in her pastor's view, was spiritual. Several months earlier, when she had questioned his authority, he'd charged her with spreading "a spirit of cancer and discord" and expelled her from the congregation. "I've been shunned," she says.

Her story reflects a growing movement among some conservative Protestant pastors to bring back church discipline, an ancient practice in which suspected sinners are privately confronted and then publicly castigated and excommunicated if they refuse to repent. While many Christians find such practices outdated, pastors in large and small churches across the country are expelling members for offenses ranging from adultery and theft to gossiping, skipping service and criticizing church leaders. The revival is part of a broader movement to restore churches to their traditional role as moral enforcers, Christian leaders say. Some say that contemporary churches have grown soft on sinners, citing the rise of suburban megachurches where pastors preach self-affirming messages rather than focusing on sin and redemption. Others point to a passage in the gospel of Matthew that says unrepentant sinners must be shunned.

(snip)

Scholars estimate that 10% to 15% of Protestant evangelical churches practice church discipline -- about 14,000 to 21,000 U.S. congregations in total. Increasingly, clashes within churches are spilling into communities, splitting congregations and occasionally landing church leaders in court after congregants, who believed they were confessing in private, were publicly shamed. In the past decade, more than two dozen lawsuits related to church discipline have been filed as congregants sue pastors for defamation, negligent counseling and emotional injury, according to the Religion Case Reporter, a legal-research database. Peggy Penley, a Fort Worth, Texas, woman whose pastor revealed her extramarital affair to the congregation after she confessed it in confidence, waged a six-year battle against the pastor, charging him with negligence. Last summer, the Texas Supreme Court dismissed her suit, ruling that the pastor was exercising his religious beliefs by publicizing the affair.

Courts have often refused to hear such cases on the grounds that churches are protected by the constitutional right to free religious exercise, but some have sided with alleged sinners. In 2003, a woman and her husband won a defamation suit against the Iowa Methodist conference and its superintendent after he publicly accused her of "spreading the spirit of Satan" because she gossiped about her pastor. A district court rejected the case, but the Iowa Supreme Court upheld the woman's appeal on the grounds that the letter labeling her a sinner was circulated beyond the church.

(snip)

Mrs. Caskey went back to the church about a month after her arrest, shortly after the county prosecutor threw out the trespassing charge. More than a dozen supporters gathered outside, some with signs that read "What Would Jesus Do?" She sat in the front row as Mr. Burrick preached about "infidels in the pews," according to reports from those present. Once again, Mrs. Caskey was escorted out by a state trooper and taken to jail, where she posted the $62 bail and was released. After that, the county prosecutor dismissed the charge and told county law enforcement not to arrest her again unless she was creating a disturbance. In the following weeks, Mrs. Caskey continued to worship at Allen Baptist. Some congregants no longer spoke to her or passed the offering plate, and some changed seats if she sat next to them, she says.

(snip)

"I don't intend to abandon that church," Mrs. Caskey says. "I feel like I have every right to be there."


URL for this article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120061470848399079.html (subscription)

[Love Bug]

13. And this, my friends is what the hard-core theocrats like Huckabee

want the government to be like. They want "God's Law" to take precedence over "man-made laws." Does that sound like Sharia law to you? Sure does to me. Shades of A Handmaid's Tale...

[MorningGlow]

2. Serendipitous post, Dover!

I was getting ready to post something on this same subject as well, because the front-page story in our newspaper today is about the Catholic Diocese in our area closing 12 of their schools--that's literally HALF of them (they're leaving 13 open). Reason: plummeting enrollment and millions of dollars lost if they kept them open any longer.

When MG Jr. sees a color photo in the newspaper, he loves to ask "what happened here" (usually he's drawn to it by seeing a car in the photo!) and he did ask what was going on in the photo accompanying the story (yes, there was a car in it). I told him that a bunch of schools were being closed. He asked why. I said, "Because people aren't being Catholic anymore."

I know that's a sweeping generalization and not entirely true, but heck, the kid is 4 and doesn't even know what a Catholic is, so I had to be pretty broad in my explanation. ;)

Still, essentially we ARE seeing a movement away from traditional religions and toward a more personalized spirituality--touching the divine without go-betweens. I would like to see the traditional religions survive by adapting, but with the repeated urge to revert to all the old traditions, Pope Benedict isn't winning any fans of Catholicism (except for folks like my crazy fundie Catholic aunt, who's still mourning the loss of the Latin mass...)

Anyway, thanks for the post, Dover! :hi:

[Dover]

3. That's a LOT of closed churches! And I feel certain that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Many Catholic churches aligned themselves with the GOP agenda. Big mistake! (and I don't mean politically).

I think there are some religious institutions that have adapted and nurture the personalized spirituality. I don't know what their role will ultimately be, but they are an example of a natural system that behaves organically.


(usually he's drawn to it by seeing a car in the photo!)
:rofl:


BTW can you post your article here or in R/T? I'd like to read it.

[MorningGlow]

4. Here you go...

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080119/NEWS01/801190326

:hi:

[Dover]

5. Thanks. How big is the area of these closings?

It seems like a lot of Catholic schools for one county. Is that mainly the city of Rochester?

This letter in the article's comment section and the blog lectures at the link in my OP are both perfect examples of how religious institutions of all persuasions will continue to implode (from the inside out) along with declining participation. Finger pointing, the conservatives blaming the liberals and vice versa, orthodox blaming progressives, or some other polarization, and no conception of larger shifts and cyclic change.
Also true for the decline of our government and election system. It doesn't work for us anymore so we need to place the blame somewhere...at the other party, the other candidate, their supporters, etc.

-----------------------------------------------------


I would like to hear from the many Catholics who have claimed to me how great this diocese is and how "progressive" and wonderful that is. Whenever I pointed out that serious problems that were destroying the diocese of Rochester under Bp. Clark's leadership (and with the help of his many "fans"), I was brow-beaten and scolded. I was then told that everything was "great" here -- better than ever.

Well, that was 15 years ago. Most of those liberals have left and have become atheists or gay or are working for Hugo Chavez.

Now we're left with the burnt-out husk of a diocese where the last "major accomplishment" was wasting 30 million dollars to rip out all the traditional architecture in the cathedral. Let's hear it for "progressive Catholicism".

Again, it's totally obvious to anyone who has been paying attention. But most Catholics haven't even bothered to notice. They like their liberal pastors who don't require anything of them. They like Fr. Charles Curran telling them they can abort or fornicate or whatever.

..snip..

Hope comes from strong, confident leadership. Liberal Catholicsim (which is basically agnosticism) is simply destructive -- and we can see the results clearly with this news item today.

[MorningGlow]

7. The closings are in the city and two northern suburbs in the county

We used to have a LOT of Catholic schools--practically one for every church, throughout the whole diocese--way back when, but they've been declining steadily for decades. I attended eighth grade at what was supposed to be my church (we hardly ever went though--thank goodness). And I went to the last Catholic girls school for high school--but there used to be three--they closed right around the time I was going to high school (early '80s). My high school survived by becoming 7-12 (after I left)--that's the one the article was talking about maybe taking on 6th grade to accommodate the displaced students.

Totally agree about the dinosuar-like outlook of too many established religions. "Adapt or die" just isn't in their rulebook...so they're dying.

Most of those liberals have left and have become atheists or gay or are working for Hugo Chavez.
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

WTF is THAT supposed to mean? OMG...

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

6. We are in the midst of a great change

in consciousness, I think. The old ideals are being shattered on the rock of Truth as people realize that they must find their own Truth now, and not rely on anyone else, certainly not a preacher, certainly not a church. What comes of this will be amazing and wonderful--sort of like going from a formal garden into a rainforest.

[Dover]

10. Love the garden imagery!...n/t

[cliss]

11. I agree with you, Ayes.

(beautiful post, as always, Dover!)
That was really good writing, and I think it expresses what a lot of us feel.
It's not the CHURCHES which are changing. It's us.
We as a people are moving beyond the narrow, rigid dogmatic rituals of the church.
We're becoming more and more aligned with spirituality, and as a result we are moving away from a system that doesn't address our needs.
Churches, as can be expected, as panicking.

It's a fact: church attendance has been in a state of decline, for a long time. Unbelievable fact: the Christian church has been in a long steady state of decline. It's the only one out of the major religions which is declining. Other religions, such as Islam, and exploding but that's mainly because of population explosion in those countries.
The west is going through a population decline, and this has a big part of it.
But ~ it's not the only reason.
The abuse scandals in the Catholic Church, in particular, caused a huge rift and people just drifted away.
When people find their spiritual needs are not being met, they just - quit going.

[Stevepol]

8. It's an interesting question, whether to attend a church or not.

Obviously, if you are too far from the tenets of the church, you probably don't have any business there, but no church can have a dogma suitable for every individual, just as no country can possibly profess the right set of beliefs to please all of its citizens.

And there's a lot to argue for attending a church: you meet a lot of people, you can go to some interesting groups and classes on "spiritual" subjects, you are able to attend a lot of social and "semi-spiritual" activities if you wish, etc. In life, you can't live totally to yourself, and you can influence others for good sometimes too, if you don't get too identified with or attached to some particular church. That's the danger: attachment or identification.

I think it's just the most fundamentalist of the churches that insist on disciplining their members in this mis-guided way.

But the church is within anyway, regardless of what so-called "church" you attend. It is within you. The fellowship is just to keep the basic principles alive and help you keep your purposes strong, like walking on a treadmill. But you don't make any real progress until you actually are able to "forgive" an old enemy or such. That's where you make progress. Everything else is just running in place.

[Dover]

9. Well said. Always enjoy your input Stevepol, the quality & depth of your responses. Thanks! n/t

[Manifestor_of_Light]

12. You guys know about the Unitarian-Universalists, right?

The UUs have NO creedal or doctrinal test. They have agnostics, atheists, pagans, the undecided, and so forth. They really DO accept everyone, not just give lip service to the concept.

The regular churches don't change, and more and more people say "I'm spiritual, but not religious". This judgmental crap and shunning is exactly why more and more people say that.


More info at:
www.uua.org

[stellanoir]

14. Stuff like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPFQ4kor3I4&feature=related

could partially explain this phenomenon.

:rofl:

[MorningGlow]

15. You know, I'd actually GO to that church!

:rofl:

[stellanoir]

16. Yeah I know

If he keeps it up then the local comedy clubs will also be in crisis.

[hermetic]

18. Oh my, total meltdown

"I have no job now."

Buh-bye.

Thanks for the link. And thank The Divine for AS&AHGroup. You help keep my head clear when it gets fogged by too many daily events. And you make me smile.



:grouphug:

[Dover]

19. Whoa!

I still don't understand what it was he meant to say...lol!

Where do you find these things Stella?!

(sorry for the delayed response, but I put off watching this till I had some time because it takes so long for my poor little pooter to download videos).

[MorningGlow]

22. Was that a Texas accent?

I think that was the problem--when the "e" in a word sounds like a nasal "i", "pitching their tents (tints)" can easily be scrambled into "pinching their..." ahem...
:rofl:

Reminds me of when I was little--we drove cross country to California. We stopped to get gas in the panhandle, and the total was, according to the attendant, "Tin tin". (Aside: See how long ago that was? Not only did we have someone pump our gas, but the total to fill up was TEN BUCKS!) It took my brother, who was driving, a couple of seconds to figure out what they guy was saying.

[LWolf]

17. I don't know whether to laugh, cry, be outraged, or see it as a sign of hope.

Perhaps a bit of all of the above.

When the church moves this far, publicly, from the universal messages of non-judgement, of love, then I see it as a last pitched battle to hold on to power, as the rest of the world moves forward.

[Dover]

20. LWolf! Always so glad to see you!

hope life is treating you well, my friend. Some rough looking weather up your way.

I think you're absolutely on the mark about the "last pitched battle to hold onto power".
There are still plenty of folks who find things like yoga and meditation strange and I don't
know how many will venture from the flock. But an interesting story that helped me to see how this shift might creep into even these more fundamentalist churches - I bumped into a woman who works at a convenience store near me. She is a 'born again' gal and very intensely religious. Sometimes a bit scary in her intensity. We were always kind to one another and one day she told me that she was desperate for answers for her life and had, that day, gone looking for a 'medium' she'd heard about (but got lost and never found her house).

I was really surprised to hear this from her, as it seemed she, of all people, was very committed
to receiving answers through her church and preacher. But apparently it wasn't giving her what she was needing, and she sensed there were those who had a closer connection or better 'telephone' than she did. Hence her search for this 'holy woman' or medium.

So I think that's ultimately how this change might happen for many. They recognise that some seem to have a closer connection to the Divine and want it too. And I think most know when it's authentic.

Granted, this girl was still looking for those answers outside herself, but I think she'd be open to cultivating those connections within herself. Most people set about change after they hit enough walls, and/or get enough bad advice...lol!

[LWolf]

21. I've noticed, too, an increase

in SEEKING. That which people have relied on for their lives, for generations, is no longer fulfilling their needs, and they are looking further.

It helps me to understand so much about our culture, our politics, and our humanity when I notice that, at the very core, people seem to crave that outside source of leadership, wisdom, and safety.

Part of me wonders if this is just the way humans are hardwired; that some will be the leaders and some need to follow.

The other part of me recognizes that as we move forward with enlightened spiritual evolution, we ALL have the capacity to seek and find within.

I find myself pondering, this morning, what my place in the process is. To encourage, to nurture those ready to seek within around me, (and to remember to do so myself, lol,) of course.

How to respond to those who are still seeking outside themselves? Again, to go within and recognize that I'm still dealing with my own impatience. That accepting where each is, and encouraging them from that place, is my mandate, and that getting impatient and frustrated with all those who are at earlier stages of the process is counter-productive.

In all areas of life, not just the spiritual.

It's good to hear from you, and a great opportunity to clarify my wanderings by sharing them, Dover. That's a productive thing to do when I'm procrastinating on other tasks, like leaving for work. I've been to the barn to feed already; it's 0 degrees, which is 6 degrees warmer than this time yesterday morning. It looks like we're due to get above freezing on Saturday. TODAY I will make sure I've left the faucets dripping before I go to work, so that the pipes don't freeze up.

Time to bundle up and get going.

:hi:

[Dover]

24. LWolf, your beautiful warm presence is enough.

One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul. Soul on deck shines like gold in dark times. The light of the soul throws sparks, can send up flares, builds signal fires, causes proper matters to catch fire. To display the lantern of soul in shadowy times like these - to be fierce and to show mercy toward others, both, are acts of immense bravery and greatest necessity. Struggling souls catch light from other souls who are fully lit and willing to show it. If you would help to calm the tumult, this is one of the strongest things you can do. -- Clarissa Pinkola-Estes

[MorningGlow]

23. Seen that a lot, Dover

Pardon me for jumping in, here, but my former elder, who also did a lot of readings for the general public, always had a LOT of churchgoers as clients. Some need is not being met, that's for sure. I always used to wonder if they were the type to denounce "that kind of thing" in public and yet sneak in my elder's back door for a reading. I wouldn't be surprised--'twas always thus. If organized religion gave people everything they needed, our ways wouldn't be as popular as they are...

[Dover]

25. Well I think 'some' religious groups do nurture the inner light and individual path.

Ultimately I suppose we are all 'seekers', and that more than anything was the common ground upon which this woman and I could recognize one another.