Smarter than you

  Went to a church that had no altar. In it's place was a stage with two microphones on stands. High stools were placed by those microphones, I suppose for the comfortable seating of the preacher, pastor or minister. I wasn't there for a church service but rather a fundraiser so perhaps the altar gets rolled out for that. I don't know and I didn't ask. We are all entitled to interact with our god in our own way. There is no right or wrong way, I want that to be clear in this writing. I'm just sharing my personal view of things, not issuing a judgement. That is getting to be a difficult thing to do these days. This forum is one of the few ways I can do that without hearing a lot of feedback, pushback or condemnation. That is only because I can choose whether to read the comments or not. It's not very difficult as the comments are few and far between, probably a good thing in the big picture.

  It did make me think once again about going to church, and what the intent of that action is supposed to be. I have written about all of this before, a few times in fact. One blog sticks in my mind in particular as the title explains my thought. Supplicant or celebrant? That is the gist of what I'm thinking about when it comes to attending church services. Do you go to ask for forgiveness, to confess your shortcomings before your god or do you go to celebrate that god? The central question for me being, does god require praise, or does god require supplication? Which action ensures the reward offered by acknowledging that god? Isn't that the reason for worship, to receive the reward. That, in and of itself causes me discomfort, as it seems a bit selfish.

  Now an altar is a place where you make offerings to your god. An altar is also the table of God in the Christian tradition. Way back an altar was the place where a sacrifice was made, that sacrifice being the life of an animal. What other sacrifices were laid upon an altar? In some traditions, human lives were those offerings. In my upbringing I prayed at the altar. When I really wanted that prayer to be heard, to express deep sincerity, I would kneel before the altar. It was also the place to receive communion. Sitting in the pews, kneeling there, wasn't quite as sanctimonious. The altar was as symbolic as the cross. That's why I was struck by the absence of one, in a church. But, it is called the worship center in that particular facility and so perhaps that makes a difference.

  Risk and reward is another theme I often mention or discuss. I do believe we all operate under that awareness. We tend to think the larger the risk, the larger the gain should we be successful. I'm not so certain that is true all of the time as reward is dependent upon your wants. How much do you want something? Do you really want eternal life? That is the reward offered for obedience to your God. Well, in the Christian tradition it is anyway, the Norse believed they would gain entrance to Valhalla, quite a different scenario than our vision of heaven. The older we get, the higher the risk of death and so we start to contemplate these things a bit more seriously. Remember when you were young and thought you would live forever? I'm not certain the children of today have quite that level of confidence given all the warnings issued today. Prevention is at the top of the list! Prevention supersedes all else, safety first.  It's enough to make anyone paranoid!

  I wonder if todays services of praise and worship, designed to be far more entertaining, hence the stage, serve the purpose of reenforcing the reward. You get to enjoy a bit of the reward offered; today. A place were everyone is singing, dancing, and sharing brotherhood and fellowship. The band is playing and all hands are raised in jubilation, a distraction from the realities of everyday life here on the planet. The emphasis has shifted to praise, to the belief that you have gained entry to heaven, it's assured, you're a shoe in. The reward is yours! A bit different from the days when I attended services where the emphasis was on sin and if you were worthy to receive that reward. We even had a book that your name needs to appear in. 

 I went to an Episcopal church so it wasn't hellfire and brimstone but you were reminded of your shortcomings! Well I remember the staring eyes of the Reverend, as he spoke of such things, those eyes seemed to be staring directly at me. It was an appeal to conscience, not a promise of reward. That's the difference I see in those services. A difference in intent, although the goal was the same. 

  I don't believe it makes a bit of difference to god. What is important here is the obedience to conscience. We all have that little voice inside us, telling us right from wrong. We all know when we should listen to that voice, and we all choose to ignore it when the situation offers a reward greater than the risk. We are influenced by the society in which we live, there is no denying or escaping that. The norm is established by the majority. If everyone is doing it. Remember saying that as a child? But everyone was doing it as an excuse for your choice. I believe if you stay true to your conscience you will do just fine. 

  I do believe life continues far beyond this mortal plane. That energy we call the spirit can never be destroyed, only transformed from one state to another. Even science agrees with that. I'd suggest that science discovered that long after the first humans thought about that. We have always known. A appeal to the gods, is an appeal to your conscience. Sometimes you can get your gods to agree with you, sometimes they do not. That will not change by dismissing the gods. Your conscience remains. Ignoring your conscience is seldom a good idea, that little voice in your head, it's smarter than you are. When you learn that, it's a revelation.