Social Fabric...
I remember listening to the horror stories about the "fabric of society" coming unraveled with the advent of sex education in schools, acceptance of unwed mothers, or alternative lifestyles etc.
There are many Fundamentalist Christian Organizations who talk about the days when the Bible was textbook and people could raise their children without sparing the rod!
While I am not about to pick up a pitch-fork and drive those "bleeding heart liberals" out of town in an attempt to return the strap and the Lord's prayer to school... I do think there is some truth to the basic tenets of the "good old days".
Let me give some context to these WILD statements!
CONTEXT :
I grew up in a town that was about 10 years behind the rest of Canadian society, in a church that was about 12 years behind the town. So when I moved "down south" to Winnipeg I moved about 22 years into the future, into a completely different culture (both ethnically and chronologically).
I moved to a school where they had people called "vegetarians", where religion class was not apart of curriculum in public schools and "gay" did not mean happy.
So I spent half my childhood in Fundy-Heaven and half of it in a more liberal, tolerant social climate (what might be termed Fundy-Hell).
Therefore, during my turbulent childhood I've had teachings from both doctrines. As an adult I'm thinking about the "truthes" that have been passed on to me from both sides of the coin.
END OF CONTEXT.
What I like about the Fundies:
I do think that the Bible is the word of God. I believe it is full of wisdom (which people from many different religions also believe) and that following it will bring life, truth, wisdom and even prosperity to people. I do see a connection between taking the Lord's Prayer out of school and some of the junk that has let into the schools. The lack of covering, increased violence, etc. However, do I think this is the only source of trouble in society today?
Absolutely not.
But...
I think many "old-fashioned" churches had such control over past generations, that those who fled this judgement came to believe that no-control is better than shameful judgement. Those "refugees" from the church have parented their children according to these beliefs. As a result we are seeing teenagers with no self-control, no respect for authority (authority and control are seen as one entity) and distrust of anything to do with God or the church.
Am I blaming church for the state of society right now?
Absolutely not.
What I like about "The Bleeding Hearts":
I love the idea of tolerance. I like the idea that one mistake/one sin doesn't mean you have to live the rest of your life in shame, ignoring the whispers behind your back. eg. "Did you hear she had a baby before she was married?" I love the idea of trying to make a place for everyone.
I love the idea that the earth matters. I like the idea of not fearing people who are from other religions. However, does this mean that I have to accept the claims of other religions as my own? Do I need to believe sex outside of marriage, violence, drug-use or homosexuality are acceptable lifestyles? How do I accept a paradigm of tolerance and still adhere to the principles laid out in the Bible? Are Christians in-tolerant? Must Christians compromise their beliefs to love those whose religion is tolerance but whose lifestyles clearly break Biblical law? How far will Humanism go in abolishing Christian dominion/oppression(?) before there is no fabric of Canada left to unravel? Where does tolerance stop and say, "that's not okay"?
Am I blaming liberal view points for the down-fall of society?
Absolutely not.
I am processing out-loud some of the questions I have about the patterns I am seeing in Canada.
I see policies being made that clearly go against the grain of Christian beliefs. I hear grumblings about these changes but no clear voices speaking up in rebuttal.
Are Christians still the majority or do we just assume they are when we grumble about the changes in politics? If there are still more Christians in Canada than any other group, where is their voice? (BTW...in the 2001 Canadian Census, 22, 851, 825 claimed to be Christians...see side bar for comparisons to other religious followings).
These are my thoughts today...I hope I haven't offended anyone on either side of the coin. I'm just trying to figure out what I think. In the middle of these two forces who both want me to buy in, where do I find truth? Or do I toss out both , try to find God and forget about religion altogether?
I remember listening to the horror stories about the "fabric of society" coming unraveled with the advent of sex education in schools, acceptance of unwed mothers, or alternative lifestyles etc.
There are many Fundamentalist Christian Organizations who talk about the days when the Bible was textbook and people could raise their children without sparing the rod!
While I am not about to pick up a pitch-fork and drive those "bleeding heart liberals" out of town in an attempt to return the strap and the Lord's prayer to school... I do think there is some truth to the basic tenets of the "good old days".
Let me give some context to these WILD statements!
CONTEXT :
I grew up in a town that was about 10 years behind the rest of Canadian society, in a church that was about 12 years behind the town. So when I moved "down south" to Winnipeg I moved about 22 years into the future, into a completely different culture (both ethnically and chronologically).
I moved to a school where they had people called "vegetarians", where religion class was not apart of curriculum in public schools and "gay" did not mean happy.
So I spent half my childhood in Fundy-Heaven and half of it in a more liberal, tolerant social climate (what might be termed Fundy-Hell).
Therefore, during my turbulent childhood I've had teachings from both doctrines. As an adult I'm thinking about the "truthes" that have been passed on to me from both sides of the coin.
END OF CONTEXT.
What I like about the Fundies:
I do think that the Bible is the word of God. I believe it is full of wisdom (which people from many different religions also believe) and that following it will bring life, truth, wisdom and even prosperity to people. I do see a connection between taking the Lord's Prayer out of school and some of the junk that has let into the schools. The lack of covering, increased violence, etc. However, do I think this is the only source of trouble in society today?
Absolutely not.
But...
I think many "old-fashioned" churches had such control over past generations, that those who fled this judgement came to believe that no-control is better than shameful judgement. Those "refugees" from the church have parented their children according to these beliefs. As a result we are seeing teenagers with no self-control, no respect for authority (authority and control are seen as one entity) and distrust of anything to do with God or the church.
Am I blaming church for the state of society right now?
Absolutely not.
What I like about "The Bleeding Hearts":
I love the idea of tolerance. I like the idea that one mistake/one sin doesn't mean you have to live the rest of your life in shame, ignoring the whispers behind your back. eg. "Did you hear she had a baby before she was married?" I love the idea of trying to make a place for everyone.
I love the idea that the earth matters. I like the idea of not fearing people who are from other religions. However, does this mean that I have to accept the claims of other religions as my own? Do I need to believe sex outside of marriage, violence, drug-use or homosexuality are acceptable lifestyles? How do I accept a paradigm of tolerance and still adhere to the principles laid out in the Bible? Are Christians in-tolerant? Must Christians compromise their beliefs to love those whose religion is tolerance but whose lifestyles clearly break Biblical law? How far will Humanism go in abolishing Christian dominion/oppression(?) before there is no fabric of Canada left to unravel? Where does tolerance stop and say, "that's not okay"?
Am I blaming liberal view points for the down-fall of society?
Absolutely not.
I am processing out-loud some of the questions I have about the patterns I am seeing in Canada.
I see policies being made that clearly go against the grain of Christian beliefs. I hear grumblings about these changes but no clear voices speaking up in rebuttal.
Are Christians still the majority or do we just assume they are when we grumble about the changes in politics? If there are still more Christians in Canada than any other group, where is their voice? (BTW...in the 2001 Canadian Census, 22, 851, 825 claimed to be Christians...see side bar for comparisons to other religious followings).
These are my thoughts today...I hope I haven't offended anyone on either side of the coin. I'm just trying to figure out what I think. In the middle of these two forces who both want me to buy in, where do I find truth? Or do I toss out both , try to find God and forget about religion altogether?
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