I fully agree on this point Adstar. For example, you know how people go to the gym and work out on the exercise bike WHILE reading a novel? This is how many people attend religious services...where its easy to be nothing more than a spectator.
True. In the catholic service i attended every week for nearly 20 years. Everything was corri graphed. What the priest said and our responses. It was almost a blend of ceremony and a military parade ground drill. A lot of people where on auto pilot.
I remember having an interesting discussion with my dad. He is a catholic. He stated as a firm belief of His faith that every human being was going to die. That no one will avoid death. Part of the catholic church service is a recitation of the statement of faith. This is said every Sunday. In the catholic version part of it says:
"He will come again in Glory to judge the
living and the dead and His kingdom will have no end"
Now my dad was over 60 when we had this discussion. He had been reciting the statement of faith every week for probably 57 years, But it was so automated that He actually did not hear what he was saying.
It would have been beneficial also to have dropped the conception of Jesus as an idol and a sacrifice...as Jesus himself did not require worship from his followers, nor did he articulate any notions of his own suffering as a universal atonement for the sins of the world.
Totally disagree. That’s throwing the precious baby out with the dirty bath water. Jesus is God made flesh. therefore worship of Him is worship of God. Jesus is no idol. He is real.
It would have been better to have remained as you say...a *relationship* in which you are called to fully participate towards Christ in the same way that a knight serves his king.
poor analogy there me thinks. A knight serves his king by smiting his enemies and acting as an iron fist of oppression to keep the peasants down.
That's not what Jesus calls me to be or do.
All Praise The Ancient Of Days
