Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
IN THEORY:
The secular effect on religion
During his visit to the U.S., Pope Benedict XVI praised the U.S. as a nation where strong religious beliefs can co-exist with secular society. But he later warned in a speech to American bishops that the affect of secularism, even in a subtle form, can lead religious people into promoting and accepting abortion, divorce and couples living together before marriage.
The pope reportedly spoke of the “crude manipulation of sexuality so prevalent today,” and said that churches, families, teachers, the news media and entertainment industry must take responsibility for “moral renewal.”
What do you think of the pope’s comments?
The pope’s recent statements reflect the Bible’s teaching that “bad company corrupts good morals.” God has left the church “in the world,” but He constantly reminds us not to be “of the world.” To follow Jesus Christ we must forsake secular society’s pattern of slavery to the lusts of the eyes and the flesh and the boastful pride of life. God has called us to sanctification, not secularism. His is a calling to hope, a calling out of the hopelessness that characterizes the “world” of humanity that has rejected Him.
Before God sent Israel into Canaan He warned them: “. . . you shall not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations.” (Deuteronomy 18:9, New American Standard Bible). Paul exhorted the Roman believers: “do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. . . .” (Romans 12:2).
Jesus Christ teaches that true moral renewal only happens one way: “You must be born again” (John 3:7).
“If any man is in Christ,” says Paul, “he is a new creature; the old things passed away” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
“The church of the living God [is] the pillar and support of the truth.” (1 Timothy 3:15, New American Standard Bible). God holds no group other than the church responsible for announcing the life-changing, morally renewing message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. May He find His people faithful to this mission.
PASTOR JON BARTA
Valley Baptist Church
Burbank
The first part of the pope’s statement I support wholeheartedly: strong religious belief can indeed co-exist with secular society. But the rest of what he said I have trouble with. For one thing, I happen to be pro-choice on the abortion question, and so are most of the Republican women in my congregation. Secondly, I am a divorced man, married for the second time.
Would it be better if all marriages could survive?
Of course, but the truth is that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and one of my sins is that I got a divorce from my first wife. It is certainly better that she and I are no longer married to each other — but I have to admit that I failed in marriage No. 1.
The business about secularism leading religious people to do immoral things is probably a good warning, but the truth is — as Tarzan said to Jane one time — “It’s a jungle out there!” There are no easy answers any time, and one of the things about being a thoughtful and religious human being means that such a person has a God-given mind with which to make choices.
Will my choices agree with all the choices made by other people of faith? Of course not. I’m a Protestant, and I don’t always agree with my fellow Protestant clergy — so is it any wonder that I don’t agree with everything that Benedict XVI says? I don’t even always agree with what my denomination says, but that’s the strength of the Protestant Congregational tradition. Come and see on Sunday mornings at 10!
THE REV. C. L. “SKIP” LINDEMAN
Congregational Church of the Lighted Window
United Church of Christ
La Cañada Flintridge
Pope Benedict hasn’t said anything that I think America doesn’t already know, but perhaps the millions of people who look to him as their leader will receive his words as a reminder to assess their current direction and alter accordingly.
Protestants, too, may be convicted for having become so overly comfortable in secular society that we have unwittingly embraced the declining morality of this culture, and have helped it down the primrose path along with our Catholic neighbors.
It is true that so much of America’s ills are sexual ones. From AIDS, abortion, teen pregnancy, child-molesting and rape, to homosexuality, fornication, “Girls Gone Wild” and Playboy, Americans imbibe a steady stream of approval for virtually every conceivable sexual perversion condemned by God, yet for fear of offending the offenders, we’ve become complacent and even approve their behavior. “Who are we to judge?” is the refrain, as immorality engulfs us and our families, drowning all objections.
Often, our own moral failure makes cowards of us when we should stand and confront blatant sin.
Dare we raise our voices to stem the tide of sexual depravity when we too may bear guilt, even though it’s the righteous thing to do? Perhaps it’s at this point when someone like a pope can step up to the podium and loudly speak to a filthy audience so needy of a repentant shower, and expect to be heard.
A minor change can put a wayward ship back on course, and the same to throw it completely off.
If our cherished institutions, which function by virtue of individual moral agents, do not get their own bearings straight, we as a nation are sunk. “If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’ does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?” (Proverbs 24:12).
THE REV. BRYAN GRIEM
Senior Pastor
Montrose Community Church
Responsibility definitely embraces all spheres of life. I agree with Pope Benedict XVI that promotion of moral values extends beyond the church. Including families, teachers, the news media and entertainment industry as stakeholders for the moral decline or rise in society is correct.
Scientologists view life in parts called dynamics. In brief, the first dynamic is self. This is the effort to survive as an individual, to be an individual, including one’s own body and mind for the longest time at the highest level of survival. Here we have individuality expressed fully.
The second dynamic is creativity. Creativity is making things for the future and includes any creativity, the family unit, rearing of children and sex.
The third dynamic is group survival. This is the urge to survive through a group of individuals — a community, club, a church, friends, a state or a nation.
The fourth dynamic is species. This means all men and women of mankind. All the races together working toward survival would be considered the fourth dynamic.
The fifth dynamic is life forms. This is the survival and care of all living things — animals, birds, insects, fish and vegetation. It is an interest in life as such.
The sixth dynamic is the physical universe.
This includes all physical matter, energy, space and time — the use and conservation thereof. The seventh is the spiritual dynamic. This is life source. This is separate from the physical universe and is the source of life itself — including ideas, abilities and one’s urge to sustain life as a spiritual being.
The eighth dynamic is infinity or God. This is also identified as the Supreme Being.
This can be graphically represented by drawing oneself inside eight concentric circles, each larger in diameter than the preceding with the smallest inner circle labeled self, representing the first dynamic, expanding out to the eighth, largest circle for the god dynamic.
All eight dynamics are vital. The continuation and expansion of life is accomplished through activity on all eight dynamics.
By assigning responsibility to each dynamic, the pope has urged the resolution of issues that demoralize all life.
CATHERINE EMRANI
Volunteer Minister
Glendale Church of Scientology
First and foremost, I commend the pope for visiting a synagogue while on his visit to the U.S. — only the second time a sitting pontiff has done so.
It served as a clear gesture of reconciliation and a positive step toward ecumenical healing.
I do agree that America is a blessed nation whose citizens by-and-large embrace spirituality and promote religious tolerance.
Among Western cultures, our nation stands out as a beacon of light where religion and secularism co-exist hand-in-hand. This is in no small part due to the wisdom of our founding fathers who crafted a Constitution that protects the rights of the individual above all.
I also feel that there is a counterproductive undercurrent prevalent in the media, which seems to promote subtle, anti-religious attitudes. Media companies and their leadership should be taken to task for any unfair portrayal of religion or religious figures.
At the same time, society as a whole — including families and teachers — must do its part to counterbalance this negativity by focusing on the positive and creating a constructive spiritual environment for our children.
Finally, Judaism understands the need for divorce or even abortion — albeit only as an option of last resort. Maybe there should be more emphasis on the wonderful benefits of a healthy marriage and less on the often disastrous results of divorce. We should also be encouraging couples to work out their inevitable differences via marriage counseling.
If religious organizations focus on supporting these efforts — even financially for those who cannot afford it — we may see more marriages endure, and we may even witness a decline in out-of-wedlock pregnancies, which is the greatest factor for abortions.
RABBI SIMCHA BACKMAN
Chabad Jewish Center
The pope reportedly spoke of the “crude manipulation of sexuality so prevalent today,” and said that churches, families, teachers, the news media and entertainment industry must take responsibility for “moral renewal.”
What do you think of the pope’s comments?
The pope’s recent statements reflect the Bible’s teaching that “bad company corrupts good morals.” God has left the church “in the world,” but He constantly reminds us not to be “of the world.” To follow Jesus Christ we must forsake secular society’s pattern of slavery to the lusts of the eyes and the flesh and the boastful pride of life. God has called us to sanctification, not secularism. His is a calling to hope, a calling out of the hopelessness that characterizes the “world” of humanity that has rejected Him.
Before God sent Israel into Canaan He warned them: “. . . you shall not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations.” (Deuteronomy 18:9, New American Standard Bible). Paul exhorted the Roman believers: “do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. . . .” (Romans 12:2).
Jesus Christ teaches that true moral renewal only happens one way: “You must be born again” (John 3:7).
“If any man is in Christ,” says Paul, “he is a new creature; the old things passed away” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
“The church of the living God [is] the pillar and support of the truth.” (1 Timothy 3:15, New American Standard Bible). God holds no group other than the church responsible for announcing the life-changing, morally renewing message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. May He find His people faithful to this mission.
PASTOR JON BARTA
Valley Baptist Church
Burbank
The first part of the pope’s statement I support wholeheartedly: strong religious belief can indeed co-exist with secular society. But the rest of what he said I have trouble with. For one thing, I happen to be pro-choice on the abortion question, and so are most of the Republican women in my congregation. Secondly, I am a divorced man, married for the second time.
Would it be better if all marriages could survive?
Of course, but the truth is that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and one of my sins is that I got a divorce from my first wife. It is certainly better that she and I are no longer married to each other — but I have to admit that I failed in marriage No. 1.
The business about secularism leading religious people to do immoral things is probably a good warning, but the truth is — as Tarzan said to Jane one time — “It’s a jungle out there!” There are no easy answers any time, and one of the things about being a thoughtful and religious human being means that such a person has a God-given mind with which to make choices.
Will my choices agree with all the choices made by other people of faith? Of course not. I’m a Protestant, and I don’t always agree with my fellow Protestant clergy — so is it any wonder that I don’t agree with everything that Benedict XVI says? I don’t even always agree with what my denomination says, but that’s the strength of the Protestant Congregational tradition. Come and see on Sunday mornings at 10!
THE REV. C. L. “SKIP” LINDEMAN
Congregational Church of the Lighted Window
United Church of Christ
La Cañada Flintridge
Pope Benedict hasn’t said anything that I think America doesn’t already know, but perhaps the millions of people who look to him as their leader will receive his words as a reminder to assess their current direction and alter accordingly.
Protestants, too, may be convicted for having become so overly comfortable in secular society that we have unwittingly embraced the declining morality of this culture, and have helped it down the primrose path along with our Catholic neighbors.
It is true that so much of America’s ills are sexual ones. From AIDS, abortion, teen pregnancy, child-molesting and rape, to homosexuality, fornication, “Girls Gone Wild” and Playboy, Americans imbibe a steady stream of approval for virtually every conceivable sexual perversion condemned by God, yet for fear of offending the offenders, we’ve become complacent and even approve their behavior. “Who are we to judge?” is the refrain, as immorality engulfs us and our families, drowning all objections.
Often, our own moral failure makes cowards of us when we should stand and confront blatant sin.
Dare we raise our voices to stem the tide of sexual depravity when we too may bear guilt, even though it’s the righteous thing to do? Perhaps it’s at this point when someone like a pope can step up to the podium and loudly speak to a filthy audience so needy of a repentant shower, and expect to be heard.
A minor change can put a wayward ship back on course, and the same to throw it completely off.
If our cherished institutions, which function by virtue of individual moral agents, do not get their own bearings straight, we as a nation are sunk. “If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’ does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?” (Proverbs 24:12).
THE REV. BRYAN GRIEM
Senior Pastor
Montrose Community Church
Responsibility definitely embraces all spheres of life. I agree with Pope Benedict XVI that promotion of moral values extends beyond the church. Including families, teachers, the news media and entertainment industry as stakeholders for the moral decline or rise in society is correct.
Scientologists view life in parts called dynamics. In brief, the first dynamic is self. This is the effort to survive as an individual, to be an individual, including one’s own body and mind for the longest time at the highest level of survival. Here we have individuality expressed fully.
The second dynamic is creativity. Creativity is making things for the future and includes any creativity, the family unit, rearing of children and sex.
The third dynamic is group survival. This is the urge to survive through a group of individuals — a community, club, a church, friends, a state or a nation.
The fourth dynamic is species. This means all men and women of mankind. All the races together working toward survival would be considered the fourth dynamic.
The fifth dynamic is life forms. This is the survival and care of all living things — animals, birds, insects, fish and vegetation. It is an interest in life as such.
The sixth dynamic is the physical universe.
This includes all physical matter, energy, space and time — the use and conservation thereof. The seventh is the spiritual dynamic. This is life source. This is separate from the physical universe and is the source of life itself — including ideas, abilities and one’s urge to sustain life as a spiritual being.
The eighth dynamic is infinity or God. This is also identified as the Supreme Being.
This can be graphically represented by drawing oneself inside eight concentric circles, each larger in diameter than the preceding with the smallest inner circle labeled self, representing the first dynamic, expanding out to the eighth, largest circle for the god dynamic.
All eight dynamics are vital. The continuation and expansion of life is accomplished through activity on all eight dynamics.
By assigning responsibility to each dynamic, the pope has urged the resolution of issues that demoralize all life.
CATHERINE EMRANI
Volunteer Minister
Glendale Church of Scientology
First and foremost, I commend the pope for visiting a synagogue while on his visit to the U.S. — only the second time a sitting pontiff has done so.
It served as a clear gesture of reconciliation and a positive step toward ecumenical healing.
I do agree that America is a blessed nation whose citizens by-and-large embrace spirituality and promote religious tolerance.
Among Western cultures, our nation stands out as a beacon of light where religion and secularism co-exist hand-in-hand. This is in no small part due to the wisdom of our founding fathers who crafted a Constitution that protects the rights of the individual above all.
I also feel that there is a counterproductive undercurrent prevalent in the media, which seems to promote subtle, anti-religious attitudes. Media companies and their leadership should be taken to task for any unfair portrayal of religion or religious figures.
At the same time, society as a whole — including families and teachers — must do its part to counterbalance this negativity by focusing on the positive and creating a constructive spiritual environment for our children.
Finally, Judaism understands the need for divorce or even abortion — albeit only as an option of last resort. Maybe there should be more emphasis on the wonderful benefits of a healthy marriage and less on the often disastrous results of divorce. We should also be encouraging couples to work out their inevitable differences via marriage counseling.
If religious organizations focus on supporting these efforts — even financially for those who cannot afford it — we may see more marriages endure, and we may even witness a decline in out-of-wedlock pregnancies, which is the greatest factor for abortions.
RABBI SIMCHA BACKMAN
Chabad Jewish Center
Save/Share
 |
 |
|
| IN THEORY: Bringing many faiths to the table |
FAMILY FAITH: Take time to help thy neighbor |
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of glendalenewspress.com.
Submit a Comment
We encourage your feedback and dialog, all comments will be reviewed by our Web staff before appearing on the Web site.
Not registered yet?
RSS