Ideological clashes are inevitable when there are many heads in one room.
(Sometimes, two heads alone are sufficient to cause friction, and eventually a fire).
After having been part of numerous clubs/organizations, with at least 1/3 of them being religious groups, I feel that discord can fall deeper into a personal sensitivity when it involves faith.
We (speaking mostly on behalf of Catholic Christians) have the tendency to be more "tolerant" or other religions, insisting that people encounter God in different ways. That is why we are not so repulsed by the thought of people going to heaven without tagging the declaration of God' discipleship. In the other hand, different branches of Christianity (e.g., Presbyterian, Lutheran, etc.) believe in what is called sola fide--that is, by faith alone can one enter the kingdom of God.
If you can follow me up to this point, try this one:
Even within one branch of Christianity, we see precipitous discrepancies in the levels of faith. I am not so sure whether we are tolerant of this kind of individuality, however. This gap gives birth to all (almost all) administrative problems when dealing with Catholic organizations. Sure, we like to talk God. Love? Brotherhood? Spirituality and prayers?
Of course, these are all good stuff.
and these should foremost be what religious groups pursue. But I hope we understand that not everyone is on the same page. I hope we don't tsk tsk people when we don't sense the same depth of spirituality in our fellow group members. Quite honestly, social factors are big part of Catholic groups. There has to be some fun and some enjoyment in being part of the group in order to be pulled to that direction. To some, this sense of belonging partake a larger part than faith development. Religious groups should revolve around the latter, but also don't fail to include large spectrum of spirituality/faith/interest. This means that we don't tag prejudice to those who "seem" like they lack devoutness in Catholic learning. It'd be nice if we can be as holy as it looks good on God's eyes. But I am sure that he is content with us only by the fact that we gather in His name.
가끔은 이런말도 떠오른다
"너나 잘하세요"
남들보고 뭐라고 하기 전에 우리 자신부터 키우고 볼 일이다.
Path of faith is a broad one, I think. One cannot define it be of certain description. As long as people are happy, harmonious, and peaceful, I think faith can assume any shape.
ReplyDeleteJust the fact that all are gathered in a church is what matters.
Yet I see that we experience frustration after trying to fit our own frames onto others' paintings.
ReplyDelete