Hi Karen
I think it is very important to recognize that the physical, bodily, resurrection of Jesus Christ is the central issue regarding the truthfulness of Christianity. In Paul's letter to the Corinthian Church (date A.D. 55)he makes it abundantly clear that If Jesus did not rise from the dead then Christianity is a total waste of time. I agree, and if I were persuaded that He in fact did not rise then I would abandon Christianity in very short order. Frankly, I have better things to do with my time than to play Church. On the other hand since I am convinced of the veracity of the resurrection accounts, I have the assurance that the penalty for Sin has been paid, Death has been conquered, and Heaven secured. The things I do, I do, not in order to receive God's favor, but because by His grace and mercy, while I was His enemy, He saved me. I am surprised but not shocked at the Catholic/Unitarian service that you attended. I was raised nominally attending the United church, and also the Unitarian church, so I have first hand experience with them. They did absolutely nothing for me, having nothing of substance to offer. Today, the United Church is being reduced to a skeleton of what it once was, with many local Churches having to amalgamate or close due to attrition. If it were not for the elderly parishioners who have been going all their lives, it would be closed.
As far as being too hard on them, I have at least a modicum of respect for those who have the strength of conviction to stand up and say "this is false and I can no longer be associated with it", but for those who simply pretend, and drag others along with them to destruction, I have very little. It may seem a practical matter to you to have a Christian veneer but Jesus said that when those who only have a cursory faith come before Him He will say to them "I never knew you" with that they will be ushered to judgement. However the greatest judgement is reserved for those who mislead others, particularly those who are false, religious leaders. So what seems practical in the short term is going to end up as much worse in the long run.
Greg |
