Seeing the Light or Post-Baptist Brain Fart

We report, you decide:

Last Sunday I had the experience of attending a Baptist worship service. I felt like the proverbial fly on the wall, but leaving that aside, it was an interesting picture of a faith and a culture that I don't entirely understand and probably don't want to. There was a lot of warmth and affection in the room--quite different from the Catholic masses I attended as a girl--and you could see why people are drawn to this kind of fellowship. Then the minister gave his sermon and it crystallized something that I had been feeling. The sermon was all about praising god, professing god, talking to people about god. And that was it. Nothing about mercy, or justice, or being kind to your neighbor or doing unto others as you would have them do unto you, etc. etc. It seemed all you had to do to be a good Christian--a good Baptist anyway--was to talk about Jesus. Whereas more "mainstream" denominations emphasize good works as a way to honor faith, this particular group, at least on this particular Sunday, were focused primarily on their personal relationship with god. In a strange way it reminded me of the way in which Catholicism sometimes seems--and seemed to me as a kid--to place greater importance on performing the rituals of faith than on living one's life in a godly manner. You could be the greatest schmuck that ever was, but if you confessed your sins and said your ten Hail Marys and five Our Fathers before you kicked the bucket, you were good to go. And yeah, I admit that's a cynical oversimplification, but that won't prevent me from making my point. And that is this: it seemed to me in observing this Baptist service that there was less emphasis on what you did, and more on what you believed and said you believed. Which goes a way to explain, to me at least, why so many self-identified Christians--if I were really being cynical I would make that "Christians", but never mind--support George W. Bush. What he does, the whole litany of lies and failure, simply doesn't matter. We are, after all, all fallible creatures before God, are we not? He has a personal relationship with god. And THAT is all that matters.

Don't quote me on this. It could all be total bullshit. But take it for what it's worth, and hey--go in peace.