In his weekly, free, e-mail question and answer post, John Shelby Spong responds to a lengthy question from a man from Norway, that wonders why the church, and especially clergy types in the church, are often so resistant to new insights and ideas. Among the things Bishop Spong says (the emphases are mine:
"We need to understand the role organized religion plays in the lives of most people. It is part of the human security system. Most people seek security, not truth, in their religious pilgrimage. The trouble with security is that it never lasts. In the words of the poet James Russell Lowell, "Time makes ancient good uncouth." Yet we continue to make idols out of yesterday's consensus. This is true in science, as Niels Bohr discovered when Albert Einstein could not embrace quantum weirdness. It is true in politics and was quite visible when both the Roosevelt revolution on the left and the Reagan revolution on the right disturbed the status quo. It is also true in religion when we constantly define religious truth as unchanging, infallible, inerrant or external. It is the nature of self-conscious human life to be insecure. Religion, when it seeks security or peace of mind, is actually violating our humanity. So religion and religious leaders will always be conservative, resistant to change and highly critical of those who have new insights or who walk to the beat of a different drummer.
As we mentioned in previous posts, Bishop Spong publishes a free weekly e-mail newsletter, as well as another online weekly reflection on one topic or another that you have to pay for to get. You may view them and subscribe to them by going to http://www.johnshelbyspong.com/. If you want the free e-mail newsletter, be careful to follow the instructions and links carefully to get the free stuff instead of the paid subscription.
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2 comments:
I am not going to argue with the human desire for security. However I think that this answer doesn't properly address the question. I can't remember the last time I went to a good witch drowning.
But a church that refuses to change; that lets society pass it by; that fails to evolve, eventually may dwindle to no more than a cult, if it doesn't become extinct. Change may come slow for some, but for others, too quick.
The "truths" we hold today, are not necessarily the "truths" that were held in the past.
Judy Decker said...
A person’s religion has to have a certain amount of security to survive. For instance, one who believes in Christianity must have Jesus Christ or it is not the Christian religion. That in itself is security of truth in His teachings and belief in who He is. Change can occur in the way one worships…old rituals that we hold fast to which may not be meaningful or literal interpretations of scripture are the ways we can change. Religions indoctrinated to instill fear and guilt survive simply on that premise. Those, which are more open, will be more attractive to newer believers and those searching for answers. If too much change occurs to question faith in the basic beliefs, will that religion survive for lack of security? If leaders are challenging the thinking of their congregations, they need to be prepared when resistance comes to people who need certain truths to hold onto. It’s alright to walk with a different drummer, but if he’s leading the band, he’d better know the direction of the parade.
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