I’ll admit up front that I haven’t seen the inside of a church in more than a minute. Not too much a fan of the organized religion. Sure, I believe in God and maybe even Heaven and Hell. Even got my own Bible laying around the house. But I have so much trouble suspending all common sense and following someone else’s interpretation of the Bible. To be honest, the Bible reads like a fairy tale to me. It’s like, if all of humanity was destroyed except a small group, they could find a copy of the Bible and a Harry Potter book and not know which one is a religious text. But that’s just me. Please refrain from trying to save my soul in the comments section. Simply pray for me in private. Thanks!
I have two issues with the ‘Chuch’ is: Gays and Money. I would think that if church is supposed to be a safe place for everyone, this would include gays. And if churches are in the business of saving souls, wouldn’t those gay souls be right up there at the top of the Who Needs Saving list?? Wouldn’t churches have minestries whose sole purpose was to lead the gays away from the pink pulsating disco light and into the light of the Lord?? It would seem logical right??
They act like everyone in church is on the Lord’s path. Like nobody sitting there isn’t doing some type of wrong. So why can’t these other wrong-doers posing as do-gooders sit side-by-side with same sex doers?? Nobody is without sin. And aren’t all sins pretty much on the same level?? Is adultry a greater sin than being gay?? I think not!! I don’t recall ever seeing it plainly written that being gay is wrong. I know there are places in the scripture that we can interpret to mean being gay is wrong. But you could just as easily interpret it in some other way.
Maybe, just maybe if the ‘flock’ really believed that all that prayer they do works, then they would accept gays and simply pray for them. Who knows, maybe it’s praying that turned Al Reynolds (Starr Jones’ husband) from a flaming ball of fire to the shiney lipped, posing as straight, married man he is today.
My other issue is money. Yeah I know you’re supposed to give your 10%. But what turns my stomach is when I see ministers getting fancy cars for their birthdays when that money could be spent on child care for poor parents! It burns my toast that nobody questions it. It makes me knit my brow at how the pastor can be living in a phat house, driving phat cars, taking phat vacays, all on the church’s dime. I know being the pastor is his job. Pay him a flat salary, maybe give him a company car!! But that company car should be a mini-van or Ford Taurus!!! But giving him HOUSES, high end premium driving machines (not cars) is ridiculous. He can only live in and drive one house and car at a time–especially when his ‘flock’ is making ends meet as they stress to give up their 10%!
Being in the hope business is big money. And maybe that’s why so many hustlers/pimps end up with their own church. Any half-way good hustler can grab a group of folks and use himself as the example of how the Lord can change a sinner to a man of the cloth. The people will buy it because they are hopeful. And it’s that hope that will land that hustler at the podium stacking paper while the types of people who used to admonish him hang on his every word. I’m not saying every minister is this way. Quit the contrary. It’s just those that are, I don’t care for.
Just so you know, this is the same conversation I used to have with my father about once a month. I’m wearing him down though. Because now this only comes up once a season.
No comments:
Post a Comment