NoCode.... you give much compelling to reply to and ponder over. Dare I say you are as verbose as I? Not that it is a problem.... I just enjoy recognizing this similarity.
Two of your points stand out the most to me...
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The problem I (and many others) see with the Church of today is that it tries too hard to be all things to all people -- such that it loses its very purpose. Too often in today's world you hear Christian leaders fall for the thinking that the Church and the Faith needs to change to accomodate so-called modern issues, lest it become "out-dated". Sadly this often includes accomodating ideas and beliefs that are at direct odds with the core tenets of our faith.
You put this well. I concur with this observation. In attempting to do too many things, the Church perhaps has diverted from its primary purpose and thus become corrupt. This would be a natural phenomenon and describes corruption of any purpose. Spreading ones self too thin. I did this in my marriage too... which of course is a fellowship of individuals that started with a primary purpose and later become corrupted. So the phenomenon is indeed commonplace.
I belong to a fellowship that abides by 12 hard-won traditions. One of which is...
"We have no opinion on outside issues, hence our name ought never be drawn into public controversy".
Another of which is...
"We ought never endorse, finance, or lend our name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose".
These plus 10 other simple principles keep us focused and have caused our organization to spread worldwide in just over 70 years. Our founder, who refused to be held in esteem... having refused the pulizer or nobel prize and refused to be Time Magazine's man of the year so he could remain simply another member with no more status than any other, never accepted a penny for his efforts.
The organization is amazingly effective and meets multiple times per day in virtually every city in the western world. It has achieved what centuries of medicince, science and religion could not. It got alcoholics sober.
I am talking of course of AA. Which of course was founded by devout Christians and uses Biblical principles. So your observation about churches taking on too many outside issues really rings home to me. Thanks for making the connection.
In this fellowship, I have found my current connection and expression of my faith. It has been fabulously healing. It has proven the Bible truer to me than any other experience in my life.
Yet, I am sure my threads and dialogue indicate that I am at a stage where I want something more. Perhaps I have reached a level of healing where I am now ready to add to my spiritual experience. AA does not compete with my Christianity or longing for God. In fact, I feel it has freed me up to seek honestly again.
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But I truly believe that God wants us to continue to try to have communion with others. And for all it's ills, the Church is the first line of defence for believers to congregate and to rally around. I concede that it is not the only such front however.
I agree too. I feel I have reacted and thrown the Baby out with the bathwater. Yet, I fellowship with many Christians in my AA community. It does not however feel complete. I quite simply wish to fellowship with simple seeking honest believers who are more interested in truth than conformity.
Who do not try to manufacture answers when they dont have them. Who are not affraid to say, "I honestly dont know". Who are not threatened by those who believe differently. That would be refreshing to me. I am sure it exists. I feel that largely in this dialogue.
So thanks.
BTW... sorry to hear that you are a fellow left-behind. I know how agonizing that was for me. Betrayal too.
