I hear it a lot: "churches are full of hypocrites", "organized religion keep people tethered", "I see people who go to church on Sunday then act like they don't the rest of the week".......
And though I usually respond in a more mature manner, what I often think is "Well, DUH!"
When groups of Christians gather in a building, eventually things go pear-shaped - just like things do whenever groups of people get together. Someone who is not a church goer may then conclude that it is the FAITH that goes awry and not the people. But that is as faulty a conclusion as assuming that HEALING is wrong because there are nothing but sick people being checked into a hospital. Think about it: there are probably plenty of folks wandering around who need to be in hospital but aren't, because they do not know they are sick or because they do not choose to admit it.
Same with churches, it seems.
When told that the church was a crutch, the eminent theologian William Sloane Coffin responded: "Of course it is. What makes you think you don't limp?"
And though I usually respond in a more mature manner, what I often think is "Well, DUH!"
When groups of Christians gather in a building, eventually things go pear-shaped - just like things do whenever groups of people get together. Someone who is not a church goer may then conclude that it is the FAITH that goes awry and not the people. But that is as faulty a conclusion as assuming that HEALING is wrong because there are nothing but sick people being checked into a hospital. Think about it: there are probably plenty of folks wandering around who need to be in hospital but aren't, because they do not know they are sick or because they do not choose to admit it.
Same with churches, it seems.
When told that the church was a crutch, the eminent theologian William Sloane Coffin responded: "Of course it is. What makes you think you don't limp?"
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