My Sunday Thought for 021118: Religion (pars quattuor) - Oh, the Vows of Clergy!

"Charles Darwin destroyed the foundation of orthodox Christianity. There is nothing left but faith in what we know could not and did not happen. Religion and science are enemies. One is a superstition; the other is a fact. One rests upon the false, the other upon the true. One is the result of fear and faith, the other of investigation and reason."

-- Robert G. Ingersoll  (1833-1899), attorney, soldier, author, freethinker

It is my humble opinion that the vows of Christian clergy went south with the death of Jesus, if not before.  The same corruption occurred with the death of Muhammad when both factions of his family ripped the Qur'an in two, one of love and peace, and one not.  But, isn't this the way it, almost always, plays out when the wealthy, leaders, and even family, die?  There are always vultures waiting in the wings to pick at the carcass and forward their own agenda.

Robert G. Ingersoll was the son of an itinerant preacher and went on to become a state Attorney General and a preeminent freethinker of his day.  If we were in the 1800's I would agree with his statement (see quote, above), but we aren't.  Many of us have become more open minded and enlightened.  Charles Darwin did, in fact, rock the foundation of orthodox Christianity, but this was not a bad thing as it required rocking to its core.  There is nothing left but faith, and this is as it should be, after all, since this all of what God requires from us.  Perhaps Mr. Ingersoll missed this in his father's preaching, or perhaps he lost faith because of it.

The entire point of faith is to believe in the absence of proof, not in the presence of it.  If there is proof, what is the point of faith?  The truly spiritual do not require proof in order to have faith.  Their faith is not in the existence of God; God is a given.  Faith is the unyielding belief in what God, the ultimate creative force in the universe, offers in salvation, and the rebirth of our souls to a higher state of being.  And, yet, proof of God continues to unfold around us regardless of faith.  Science would give such miracles scientific reasoning, and the faithful would accept this.  Why not?  It isn't that "only God could make this happen" in as much as it is that only God knows how to make it happen.  If science would embrace a belief in an omnipotent power, perhaps science could open to all possibilities and learn to perform "miracles" as well, instead of being anchored to a philosophy of the impossible.

Science and religion are not enemies, they are not mutually exclusive.  One is not "superstition' and one "fact."  Religion, nay, spirituality is faith that there exists a universal creative power of which we are all a part.  Science is a belief in "facts" which might change daily as more information is collected, and will ultimately, per the spiritual, result in the discovery of an "omnipotent" creative force in the universe.  Why is this bad?  There must be balance in all things, even in this.  You must have faith to discover fact and, for many, fact to validate faith.  There must be balance or there would not be.

"The Christian leader of the future is called to be completely irrelevant and to stand in this world with nothing to offer but his or her own vulnerable self. That is the way Jesus came to reveal God's love. The great message that we have to carry, as ministers of God's Word and followers of Jesus, is that God loves us not because of what we do or accomplish, but because God has created and redeemed us in love and has chosen us to proclaim that love as the true source of all human life."

-- Henri J.M. Nouwen (1932-1996), Catholic priest, professor, theologian

I think that many of the spiritually religious and faithful have, at one time or another, thought about the vows which clergy takes before they take on the mantle of spiritual leader of their flock, if they have a flock.  One would think clergy without a flock seems a bit impotent, not to be confused with celibate.  Impotent being incapable of do a thing and celibate being a vow not to do that thing.  But, someone has to do the business of the church and we will find many clergy involved in administrative, medical, and scholarly pursuits, not to mention those involved with seminary and monastic institutions.  Most of these have a hierarchy of clerical standing.  Clerical - having to do with clergy or clerks.  So, there are shoe clerks, grocery clerks, and God clerks.  I would have thought "teller" would have been better suited for people of God.  Like bank tellers, clergy deal in the deposits and withdrawals of sin and righteousness from one's salvation account.  They'd probably be referred to as "tellergy" but, then, what do I know?  

When I decided to purchase an ordination, I didn't do so as a joke.  There were several solid reasons, at the time.  One, you can actually purchase an ordination.  Two, one is "required" to have some title in order to be taken seriously by hypocrites, though if they were never going to take you seriously anyway, the title is moot.  Three, I was fighting the ignorance of the common man concerning Islam, and this was the reason for my founding the Congregation for Religious Tolerance, as well as this blog, The Path, as a communication vehicle for the Congregation as well as my humble viewpoint.  The title of "Pastor" has served me well in these respects.  With full disclosure and transparency, my work on the blog garnered me the current position of lead Chaplain and title of Chaplain Program Liaison for the local medical center.  

So what is the difference of purchasing an ordination or going through formal training, other than the obvious?  It comes down to the short conversation I have had, numerous times with clergy.  We talk for a while and they inevitably get to what I am.  I tell them what I am, and then I explain to them why I am.  The conversation does not deviate much from this: 

"You purchased your ordination?" "Yes." "Well, what formal training do you have to be doing this?" "None whatsoever." "Then, why are you here?" "Because... you aren't." 

That last answer is never intended as a condemnation so much as it is a statement of reasonable fact.  Historically, most clergy, for better or worse, have had to run a business.  Anyone who has been involved with business knows it leaves little time for other responsibilities, like volunteering at a chaplaincy, unless, of course, it is assigned by their hierarchy of the business.  If anyone ever asks of me why I have issues with organized religion, this is a big reason.  Clergy puts too much time into running the business and wanders from the path of why they started the business to begin with.  Doctors suffer from the same failing, and example being late term abortions when they have vowed to "do no harm."  I would think that, if doctors were more concerned about "doing no harm" than they were about their own bottom line, the money, any abortion would be a moral issue for them.  I'm sorry, but, in my humble opinion, a doctor that buys into redefining when life starts is complicit in a sad attempt at excusing murder.  

"During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What have been its fruits? More or less in all places, pride and indolence in the Clergy, ignorance and servility in the laity, in both, superstition, bigotry and persecution."

-- James Madison (1751-1836), Founding Father, 4th U.S. President

It would seem, people in true need of healing have some priority in the medical and clergy programs, but usually below the wealthy, or the parishioner tithing for their salvation.  Is this always the case?  No.  But how often do you see a doctor working for free in order to heal the sick, or clergy interacting with panhandlers and the homeless on the streets in an attempt to change their circumstances?  I don't mean having a "program" for them, I mean going onto their turf and sitting down with them, or living among them?  Okay, I'll give you Mother Teresa, "Saint" Teresa, as a good, recent, example of giving one's all for the greater good of mankind.  You don't find it as often as you should.   

I helped feed the homeless, a few times, in Olympia.  I usually brought with me $100 in groceries which would fund the entire breakfast for more people than I could count.  These hungry folks never complained about quality and always thanked us for our trouble, of which it was not. I would pitch in when requested, and usually found time to meet them and hear their stories.  I never saw clergy there, not once.  The volunteers were truly blessed, however, as they worked tirelessly to put together enough food, drink, utensils, plates and such, for the next parking lot breakfast.  This seeming lack of clergy involvement can change a volunteer's opinion of their own religion.

I don't have a church; I don't hold with them as necessary for worship, as stated in Matthew 6:5.  And in Matthew 18:20 Jesus also emphasized, "For where two or three gather together in My name, there am I with them."  So, it would seem a church should be viewed as simply a place for fellowship.  I minister when someone asks it of me, or when I get into discussions with folks concerning life, and death.  I don't preach, and I don't speak at them.  I voice my opinion, my beliefs, and my faith as it relates to the discussion, and it doesn't have to be theirs.  We, all of us, must walk our own path on earth, through this life and into whatever adventures the next life has to offer.  All we can bring with us is our unyielding faith and what we learn.

I leave you with the following thought from Fr. J.M. Nouwen:

"The Christian leader of the future is called to be completely irrelevant and to stand in this world with nothing to offer but his or her own vulnerable self. That is the way Jesus came to reveal God's love. The great message that we have to carry, as ministers of God's Word and followers of Jesus, is that God loves us not because of what we do or accomplish, but because God has created and redeemed us in love and has chosen us to proclaim that love as the true source of all human life."

-- Henri J.M. Nouwen (1932-1996), Catholic priest, professor, theologian

My unyielding faith patiently awaits the inevitable "proof" of science to catch up.

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. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, 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 learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 23 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with an Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects in pharmaceutical research. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, to wage his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as Chaplain Program Liaison, at a regional medical center.