My Sunday Thought for 1/31/16: Middle Ground

middle ground  

noun 

1. an intermediate position, area, or recourse between two opposites or extremes; a halfway or neutral standpoint. 

2. middle distance. 

3. Nautical. a length of comparatively shallow water having channels on both sides.

All the definitions for "middle ground" seem to mean essentially the same thing.  When it comes to relationships, the "halfway" or "neutral" standpoint comes into play.   I have never been a fan of the neutral standpoint.  It is noncommittal and evidences fear to take a stand one way or the other.  Taking the "halfway" stand at least lets everyone know your opinion, yet allows you to meet them "halfway" in order to accomplish a common goal.  Meeting someone halfway requires some give and take from both sides.  It is a balancing of what everyone wants in order to accomplish something which is good for everyone.

I recently came across this note beside the name of a Catholic priest on an emergency call list:  "Do not call Father X during the night, and not at all unless it is one of his congregation!"  As a minister for religious tolerance I found this note troubling.  This is the type of comment which drove me from the Catholic Church, and mainstream Christianity as a whole.  For "Father X" there is a schedule for his Christianity, and there is a limit to his tolerance for those of other congregations, much less of other faiths.  It seems to me the priest is making it very clear, "There is only so much I can do, and you're not in my congregation, so you can just die without Last Rites.  I cannot be bothered with you."  Father 'X' chooses when it is appropriate to shirk his voluntarily dedicated responsibility to humanity and God.  It makes one wonder how we would have fared if Christ had taken the same tact.  He wouldn't have died on the cross for all of us, which would seem fairly certain.

Father X walks proudly down that submerged sandbar of shallow "Christian" attitudes hidden behind the thin veil of an intolerant definition of Christianity.  I have met these priests before, and their faith allows them an ego, control over a flock, a roof over their head, and an escape, as they see fit, from their true Christian responsibilities as a "man of the cloth."  He refuses to dive into the good side, to become fully vested in his chosen righteousness, and thereby risks falling into the other side which is populated by all the sharks of sin which one's ego allows to swim around them like welcomed friends.  These are the priests, ministers, and assorted clergy who build multimillion dollar cathedrals while allowing the poor to starve and go homeless, embezzle church funds, diddle little boys, frequent whore houses, cheat on their wives, smoke and become alcoholics.  They're the clergy which will deny their faith to save their own ass.  They're the clergy that preach vehemently against, yet readily fall prey to, the Seven Deadly Sins.  They are no better than the congregation they serve, but aren't they supposed to be?  Aren't they supposed to set the example?

So, where does this leave the idea of "middle ground" when it comes to Christianity?  Can a minister of God choose when and where to walk in the footsteps of Christ?  Can they pick and choose who they will show charity to and who they will condemn to hell?  I see in this attitude a revisiting of Christianity to the Dark Ages when Christian corruption and sin reigned supreme, the Church coffers were the golden idols used to wage war to fill those same coffers, and heresy was loosely interpreted by a Church which investigated and punished through unspeakable tortures, all in the name of God.  Middle ground?  I wonder.

Maybe this is something to consider as you watch your clergy, this Sunday, railing from the pulpit about the evils of sin and the benefits of charity.  Do you really know where they stand, and do they practice what they preach?

What do I know?  I'm a self-admitted sinner and hypocrite, trying to do the best I can, with what I have, to help others along their path.  I have no expectations of salvation, at least not in this life, but, then again, I have not taken a sacred vow.  I just expect more from those that do.

Of course, as always, this is just an opinion.  I could be wrong.  

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so.

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years as a military intelligence analyst, planner, and briefer, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.

Pastor Tony is founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance and author/editor of the Congregation's official blog site, "The Path."