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Attitude problem?

Pat Robertson made news when he said that residents of a Pennsylvanian town had rejected God by voting out of office school board members who supported the teaching of intelligent design. He also warned residents not to be surprised if disaster struck them. How do such statements and the ensuing controversies influence people’s faith and their attitude toward religion?

Pat Robertson needs to speak less off-the-cuff and use a script writer who has some intelligent design. His on-the-spot commentary without prayerfully considering those comments often get him into trouble. Last month we were writing about his comments concerning the assassination of Hugo Chavez.

Two weeks ago, a man stood on our street corner with a blow horn and large blown-up pictures telling people to repent or go to hell. In a calm conversation with the man, I mentioned that there were plenty of corners in the area and that this wasn’t the image of Christ and his church we wanted to present to our neighbors.

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Recently, Pat Robertson has been a lot like that man with the blow horn, except Pat’s blow-horn goes global. I’d love to ask him to move to another street corner, but there are none left.

We live in an era where organized religion is automatically suspect. The Barna Research Group tells us that by the year 2025 less than 35% of Americans will find their center of faith in a traditional place of worship, down from today’s 65%. Americans are increasingly finding alternative and unorthodox methods of spirituality. Comments like Robertson’s and the extreme politicalization of the faith culture have made the church seem irrelevant and, worse, uncaring. Compassion and justice are lost in the rush to win an election.

The early church had none of our contemporary advantages -- satellites, freedom of religious practice, etc.

We could learn a valuable lesson from them in that they took the task of being body of Christ in his physical absence literally. Their mandate was to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the world around them. In doing so they advocated for the dignity of women, and slaves and the responsibility of those in power. Within the next three centuries they had overwhelmed the most powerful empire on earth. It was their love that did it, not their politics.

I would love it if Pat would go back to just preaching Jesus.

SENIOR ASSOCIATE PASTOR RIC OLSEN

Harbor Trinity

Costa Mesa

It is very, very risky to judge a faith by the behavior of its proponents.

Yet I do believe, and try to follow, the wisdom of Pope John XXIII: “I want to behave in such ways that others will ask ‘If this is the servant, who must the master be?’”

Good and faithful religion suffers from having inadequate representatives such as ... (please fill in the blank with Pat Robertson, Jesse Jackson, Benedict XVI, me or any one else of your choosing). Such folks as us embarrass ourselves and our faith communities all too often and all too seldom lead others to ask: “If this is the servant, who must the master be?”

How many of us, upon hearing such statements, wonder whether this is God’s will, or what Jesus or Mary or Moses or Muhammad or Buddha would say and do? Few, I suspect.

More often such provocation provides motivation for seeing religion as a “crutch” or worse. I wish people would become mindful of the truth espoused by the Rev. Dr. William Sloane Coffin Jr., who, after giving a speech at Yale University, was verbally attacked by a student: “You seem like a smart and good guy. How can you believe that religious ... [garbage]? Don’t you know that religion is just a crutch?”

Coffin leaned on the podium pondering the question for a long while. Then he looked the questioner in the eye and responded, “And what makes you think that you don’t limp?”

We all limp. Pat Robertson and me and you.

(THE VERY REV’D CANON)

PETER D. HAYNES

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