Wednesday, June 22, 2016

a church-prone point of view

A letter to the editor of the local Daily Hampshire Gazette today:
The foundation of church is its people. Many people today are sad that churches are closing. Unless people start attending church, more will close.

Catholics are actually required to attend Sunday Mass. This requirement can be met from 4 p.m. on Saturday to Sunday evening and there are many times to go.

It doesn't make any sense to belong to an organization and not go there. Many people say God is everywhere and that is true but Jesus said where two or three are gathered in my name I will be there. Jesus went to pray at the synagogue.

The keys to heaven are in church attendance. The best thing you can do for your children is bring them to church.

Your child's religious education is more important than their college education.

Many people say they will let the children choose their religion when they are adults. Do they say this about everything else, like brushing their teeth or going to public school?

A lot of people want their family baptized and buried in a church but if you don't go in between, the church might not be there for the funeral.

Come and visit your place of worship on a regular basis. It is very uplifting.
                                                                               -- NOREEN BEEBE
                                                                                   Florence

I'm not sure why I liked this letter. I don't entirely agree with it, but I don't disagree either. I think I like the straight-forwardness. It's canted according to the writer -- like any other bit of assertion -- but it's not raucous. Christians can give me a terrible case of jock-itch with their sometimes well-camouflaged clamor. This did not.

Whatever ... I thought enough of it to copy it word by word out of the hard-copy newspaper since the paper's web site did not have it up yet.

1 comment:

  1. Ten thousand years ago in the town of Çatalhöyük in Anatolia Turkey each home had an altar, but there was no sign of a public gathering place for religion. Talk to your kids about things, don't farm them out for "spiritual guidance". It's too much like consulting a medium for financial advice, the benefit is one way and that way isn't yours.

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