November 29, 2004
I’ve got some moralizing to do, so hang onto your hats.
It’s been said that a church is a hospital for sinners, and not a museum for saints; and with such a sentiment I have to wholeheartedly agree. Peruse the New Testament, and you will find all kinds of lists stating that among those who will not inherit the kingdom of heaven are whoremongers, drunkards, adulterers, thieves and so on and so forth. It’s these kinds of people who desperately need church and the redemption thereof.
It’s to these kinds of people that Jesus Christ came, and went among, and ate with, and said, “That’s alright. You’re good people, and my Father loves you. Keep your sinful ways up, and be steadfast and shameless in your iniquity. God approves.”
I’ll pause here and let those who have done Ye Olde Spit-Take clean off their screen and catch up with the rest of us, doubtless longtime readers, who understand the Gonzster’s propensity for saying the outrageous to serve as a slap in the chops.
No, that’s not what he said, is it? I think the message was “Repent, then go and sin no more.” Heh. Silly me. Where did I get that?
It’s sad to see moral relativism creep into a church, where the ministers and pastors become more concerned with not rocking the boat, filling pews, and of course, keeping that collection money rolling in; yet in “progressive” church after church, this is precisely what happens. Heavens! Don’t offend anyone by pointing out that what they may be doing is wrong! Why, they might just take their wallet and go down the road to some church where the minister welcomes people who commit adultery, and tells them just how wonderful and special they are.
For some reason, these hospitals for sinners don’t strike me as having a heck of a lot of doctoring going on, know what I mean?
Recently a church put out an ad that showed a couple of thugs acting like bouncers at the doors to a church, of course painting them as letting in only the white-bread Ozzie and Harriet types, and keeping everyone else out. (Clever play of the race card there, too, I must say. Very subtly done.) And, with tiresome predictability, the left has taken this opportunity to excoriate those who felt they didn’t need to run this ad and borrow trouble, and orthodox Christianity for their lack of “inclusiveness.”
First, I’d never run this ad either. In case some have forgotten the recent election, there is a hell of a lot of red state folks to piss off, and even many of those so-called blue states can be shown to be a red state with some densely populated blue counties. It’s pot stirring, and it’s a cheap shot to boot. It doesn’t take a great leap of intuitive thought to see the straw sticking out of that man they are knocking down. It’d be dumb as a box of rocks to run it, but the progressive nutburgers are all over it like white on rice with the piteous whines of “Censorship!”
Bah. Round in the chamber….BOOM!!!!!!
Second, this demonstrates once again the secular and irreligious left’s failure to grasp the purpose of religion, namely, to provide moral landmarks in a person’s life, not to affirm bad behavior. Call me silly, but to me it’s the function of a priest or minister to point out when I’m straying from the straight and narrow, and not tell me what a awesome guy I am as I go wandering through an ethical minefield. If I believe in a God, and believe that God has standards, and the right to set them, then that pastor is doing me no favors by repeating trite Stuart Smalley crap to me as I skip merrily down the road to Hell. At best, he’s guilty of malpractice. At worst, he’s a plu-perfect sonofabitch, who will be roundly cursed by the souls he let wander astray in the hereafter, and mayhap, if my Dante is correct, cursed at real up close and personal, if you catch my drift.
In fact, I will be dipped if I can’t find any real church what doesn’t welcome the sinner or lost sheep trying to mend his ways; but most of them do mind the unrepentant sinner what not only refuses to modify their behavior, but also demands the blessing and approval of the church on it. You’re forgiven, as I understand, for stealing from your boss so long as you quit doing it. Cheat on your spouse? Forgiveness is there, but I really don’t think Jesus was kidding when he said “Go and sin no more.” Not a whole lot of weasel room there, in my opinion. Your mileage may vary. If it varies too damn far, I bet you’ll argue on what the meaning of the word “is” is, though.
Like it or not, the Christian Bible pretty roundly and specifically condemns homosexuality. Romans 1; bugger your brother, lose the kingdom. Maybe Jesus didn’t personally address it, but as I recall he also didn’t specifically address a whole host of sins. Some things he assumed everyone knew he was against. He never said point blank, “Thou shalt not kill” either, but somehow I seriously doubt he was waiting to give Timothy McVeigh the high five and say, “Other than that whole mass murder thing, Tim, you’re a nice guy. Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Leftists will be the first to stand up and rant on about shoving morality down people’s throats, but it is them who are the biggest purveyors of that we have going. Case in point - California: The Catholic Church now has to offer contraception as an insurance benefit to it’s employees. Say what? Anyone ever read “Humanae Vitae” by the late Paul VI? But of course, they will piously declare they have no intention at all of forcing a church to adopt secular values. Of course, they aren’t forcing these values on the church as binding on their beliefs – just on their employees. Yeahsureyoubetcha. Psst! Wanna buy a bridge?
Recently, also, the Methodists defrocked an openly lesbian minister who defied a change in their canon law, and “married” her lesbian lover in some ceremony, and dared them to do a thing about it. So they did. Now, how much you want to bet that sometime soon, if not with this Bozo, then the next, that one of these defrocked ministers is going to claim that being a minister is “just a job.” Fidelity to Church Teachings and heck, for good measure, Belief in God is optional.
Any takers? Anyone wanna bet it isn’t going to happen in the Granola State, California, or their Eastern Franchise, Massachusetts? Beuller? Beuller?
Ah, well. Didn’t think so. Damn. Easy money, there.
It’s wise for people of faith to remember that religion is voluntary in this land, and that their mission is to be a beacon and guidepost. Loving the sinner is well and good. It’s even necessary and commanded by God. But “progressive” demands of “Love me, love my sin” are not only above and beyond the call of duty, they are contrary to the very meaning of redemption, and is a philosophy rightly and justly eschewed, liberal hysteria notwithstanding.