01 December 2011

An imperfect analogy - but I like it

It seems to me that many First Nations treat their lands in a way similar to the way some Christians treat their churches. As holy, sacred, and precious. Try telling a church member that the church is “only a building”. Then tell them to imagine that all of their ancestors for as long as anyone can remember went to that church. Now imagine someone coming in and telling them they can only use one pew. One with an obstructed view, that gets feedback from the speakers. And then, after all that, tell them that if they have a problem with that, it’s their fault. They could have gone to that synagogue down the street years ago.


That's how "Why don't they move?" strikes me.


If you think I'm exaggerating about how some churches treat their buildings and the stuff in them, consider that at one church I attended, there was a HUGE fight about the removal of 4 pews from the sanctuary. When those pews were sold, there were actually people who cried. 4 pews. Out of a few dozen. And hymnals that are 50 years old, no one wants them, and they're falling apart and attracting silverfish? Don't even suggest that they should be recycled! All hell breaks loose.