A nice column by Norman Lear on religious faith appeared on the "On Faith" web site recently.
A lot of people may associate Norman Lear with certain edgy and politically charged 1970s sitcoms such as "All in the Family" or "Maude". He is probably less well known for his religious faith, but in fact he was the producer of a very short lived 1991 sitcom with a religious element called "Sunday Dinner" (unfortunately, the reason for its short duration is that it actually wasn't very funny). One feature of "Sunday Dinner" was that one of the main characters sometimes held conversations with God.
In the "On Faith" column, Lear says:
I like the metaphor of the thousand-mile river. It passes through time zones and climate changes occur along its path. Responding to the changing climate, the trees, shrubbery and vegetation along the riverbank changes also. But it is the same water responsible for nourishing every bit of growth. There are spiritual waters, call it the River of Reverence, that nourishes all of us who grope for understanding on a journey that will last all our lives and beyond.I agree with that sentiment, although, alas, I have come to the conclusion that there is no church for People Like Me.
There should be a Church For People Like Us.
7 comments:
Have you tried any churches?
Sometimes I miss the community aspect of church, but with my current views I doubt I would be too welcome at many, except maybe UU churches. We have one in our area, but I haven't been curious enough to investigate it yet.
Mike,
I've visited several churches, including some that defined themselves as progressive, but for one reason or another none of them really worked for me. There are some pretty progressive UCC churches about a 35-40 minute drive away that I have considered visiting but my car isn't really up to the commute and I'm not sure I want to drive that far to church.
You might like the UU church in your area. My personal experience with UU churches is that felt that they were pretty intellectual and eclectic and I guess I was looking for something more spiritual and more rooted in the Christian tradition. But each UU churches can be different in its own way so you never know about the one in your area.
Interesting. Thanks for the info!
Do It Mike !!!! And tell us how you go.
CT
(Church of the Mystical)
Wonderful column and quote. Thank you.
Didn't Norman Lear's company Lorimar produce "The Waltons" as well? There was a strong faith element in that show.
Cynthia, I didn't know that he had a connection to "The Waltons". I actually never watched that show, to be honest. :)
It's too bad there isn't a 12-step group for folks recovering from religious dogma. That could be "church for people like us".
Post a Comment