Around and Around We Go....Part 1

And where we stop is within the blink of an eye of where we began! Sad, but oh so true.

This post will probably turn into a series because there is too much stew in this pot to eat in one meal. Be that as it may, it's been cooking long enough and now it is time to serve it up. By way of disclaimer be informed that it may be hot so consume at your own risk! Hopefully that will allay any lawsuits from the "I didn't know it would burn me!" crowd.

My first case of indigestion centers around last Sunday's Courier Journal front page article concerning Bob Russell's passing the torch to his second in command over at Vatican II (Southeast Christian). Since I have publicly stated to all who would listen that my personal beliefs are contrary to this or any other organized religious group it would be fair to ask why I care.

The simple answer is a two parter. First, I have seen the devestated look of total disbelief in the eyes of too many good, honest people when they initially discovered the truth they had followed for a lifetime really wasn't true after all. Second, after choosing to be uninformed, the three things that I detest the most in humanity are dishonesty, hypocracy, and those who take advantage of ignorance for their own gain. Educating the uninformed would be an option!

The non denominational Christian Churches, with which Southeast is or at least used to be alligned, all claim to have many beliefs in common. The following are a couple of the highlights;

A) The Bible is the inerrant word of God (literally) "Where the Bible speaks,we speak; Where the Bible is silent, we are silent!"

B) After the pattern of the 1st century church, the local congregation is autonomous and is governed internally by a board of elders & deacons who are elected by its members. On major issues such as land acquistion, building programs, and hiring/firing of ministers the board makes recommendations and the membership then votes yay or nay with the majority carrying the day. The day to day operation is carried out by the ministerial staff under the supervision of the board of elders.

I have several axes to grind but it's getting late so I'll limit myself to a couple here. #1) I could have sworn that somewhere in that inerrant word of God I read something negative about building monuments and worshipping idols. On the few occasions that I have been inside the edifice on Blakenbaker I was overcome with two haunting images from my childhood teachings.
The first was the account in the gospel of Matthew 21:12-13 when Jesus entered the temple, saw the money changers, graft, & corruption transpiring therein and went beserk! Second is the vision of horror of nails being driven thru his hands and feet! Whether or not either event actually occurred does not alter the fact that they are indelibly planted in my mind and I left there with a knot of anger and shame in my gut. Anger that they could build such an obcene structure in the name of good and shame that I ever was gulible enough to support such ventures. I hauled finished copper for a number of years and I got some idea as to its worth.
With that kind of cash available, there is no reason for hungry homeless people in our midst!

#2) This one goes more to truth in advertising. Earlier we mentioned the fact that the membership got to vote on major changes. According to the CJ this change of the guard was decided on by Bob Russell and the board of elders way back in 1999 yet I've never heard or read anything about a congregational vote on the subject. This fact probably should not concern me as I am not a member of this group. Still, I can't shake the image of those haunted faces when they realized they had been had.

Stay tuned, more to come!