Not at all John. Some things are worth talking in circles and I know of no other subject more worthy of talking in circles about.
@John Brunner the reason I left the UMC was largely because the church left me, i.e., it no longer reflected the beliefs that led me there in the first place. It is a case of "they became so open-minded their brains fell out" sort of thing.
I thought I'd bump this topic back to the top. I've not been to services since last spring or so. Since "the shot" has been available, the UMC (at least at the state level) has adopted this policy that is printed in every weekly bulletin: -Fully vaccinated persons may be unmasked in indoor and outdoor settings including worship. -Fully vaccinated persons may sing without a mask, indoor and outdoor settings, including worship. -Social distancing and masks remain for those who are more comfortable using these measures. So the unvaxxed must still wear a mask at all times when on church property, indoors or out. A friend told me on the QT that he did not believe that everyone at church (in this 3 church charge) who said they got the shot actually did. I did not push for details at the time, but I may ask if he knows this to specifically be true or if this is just a general observation of human nature. As an aside, our pastor has been taping the sermons and trying to upload them to Facebook for the benefit of others. For some months now, he has been getting this message: "We'll let you know when this is posted." But it never is. Something changed, as he had been successfully uploading them before without issue.
Having gone to parochial school for 8 years, I know what the church believes in. If only they practiced what they preach.
If I attended church I believe they would believe they need my money more than I do.............. Frank
I suppose that would depend on the church. I have attended and belonged to several, but I have never attended a church where someone would feel out of place not contributing anything. I have not yet attended a church where getting your money would have been a goal.
I've not experienced this first-hand, but my prior pastor attended services in some communities where they passed the plate a second or even a third time because the bills (electricity, pastor's salary) were not covered the first go-round. It was a routine thing there. But any of us can get our license online today and be a preacher tomorrow, huh? (Did someone say "Sharpton"?)
I have seen some churches (or the pastors), and many evangelists, who seem to be mostly focused on money, and not on being a man of God, or helping people. Many of the television evangelists only seem to care about how much money they can collect, and they do not care of their new cars, furs, and homes come out of the social security pensions of elderly people who are just barely getting by. My mother used to donate to just about all of those who mailed her requests to help build some missionary church in some African country, which may or may not have ever happened. I do not think that these evangelists are representative of many of the pastors around this world who truly dedicate their lives (and financial resources) to helping people.
The pastor I loved so much that I met here was retired from the state penal system, then he went into ministry. He had retirement income (as did his school teacher wife) and kicked his salary back to the 3 churches via donations for specific causes. I mentioned a Stop Hunger Now event we put on that cost $5,000...he personally funded the bulk of that. When he had a birthday, we found a program where we could buy livestock and implements to help an overseas community get a start on their agricultural base, and donated it in his name. I've never seen anyone so touched. There are good ones out there "walking the walk." You gotta wonder how they maintain their principles if they start to grow a following.
I have known a few clergy who I truly admired as men of God, but not the majority. As I once posted, I also dated two women who later became Methodist ministers. One was dedicated and never married as far as I know; the other was quite confused about life, and I lost track of her and don't know what happened in her life.
We had one female minister who turned people against each other. There are 3 churches in the charge and she would go from service to service telling each congregation that the others were "talking about them, but don't ask for details because I'm going on vacation." We had "Bible Study" classes where she would tell us that rape was the only unforgivable sin. I would gently try to ask her to please point that out in the Bible and would get shut down. When I stopped going because of her, she told people that I stopped going because of them, and said that I did not want anyone asking me about it. I only found this out when I crossed paths with one of them in the grocery store and we talked...at length. The hierarchy (district supervisor) would do nothing about it, telling us that it was our relationship issue to fix, even though they appointed her. The congregation finally made enough of a stink and got district management to mediate a session, and when the pastor refused to do anything in that session but blame everyone else, they finally booted her. Conversely, another UMC in the area had a female pastor for years that everyone loved and who increased the size of the congregation due to her reputation. Of course, there are biblical principles here about which words shall not be uttered in the modern era.
I attended a church with a female minister, and she was pretty good. Both she and her husband were ordained and came as a couple, but they found they couldn't work together (I don't know why) so he got a job as the chaplain at a local college and she tended to the church. She was transferred and replaced by someone recently ordained from Tennessee who was a divorced lesbian and tried to make the church a center of gay rights activities and the church nearly died. I had left the UMC by then over the changes in the Discipline and have never gone back.
I've posted before that the UMC somewhere in the midwest ordained an assistant bishop by the name of "M." M was "questioning," and the ceremony language was changed from he/his she/hers to their/theirs just for M. COVID has deferred an inevitable split over this issue that's coming for the UMC.
Having attended events and meetings in Charlottesville ("A Welcoming City" Univ of VA territory) and gone to services in our rural county, I think the depth of wokeness in the church is in direct proportion to the community in which it resides...and I guess that makes perfect sense. We don't really get much of the SJW stuff flowing down from HQ. The closest I've experienced is our pastor saying "God bless the vaccinated," but that was borne of his own fear more than him taking a socio-political position. All of this talk makes me miss going to church, but I'm burnt out on "religion." I really don't think this organized thing smattered with the occasional bake sale is gonna work for me. Then there's the COVID Factor... Man, I need to find a good Bible study group.