The Good News?

Alternate title: A rambling semi-ranting, partially coherent post about church in the media here in Quebec.

More than 100 churches in central Nebraska canceled Christmas services, CNN affiliate KHGI-TV reported.

The decision for safety's sake could put a serious dent in some churches' finances.

"The Christmas collection in a parish typically is very important," the Rev. William Dendinger, the Roman Catholic bishop of Grand Island, Nebraska, told KHGI. "We hope those people who don't make it that day will be there New Year's Eve or New Year's Day and make those kinds of contributions."

Although that particular quote is from CNN (here), that's the only kind of story we hear of church and religion up here. We get similar stories, where above the importance of people actually going to church on Christmas to worship God, show appreciation and be in community on the day which represents the incarnation is money and church greed. It's partly the media's spinning and it's partly what we see with our own eyes if we ever do set foot into lavish, wasteful, usually empty churches here.

We also get stories like this, where four priests are complaining that there is too much English in services here. In a place where pews are empty, where churches are being turned into condos and where the overwhelming majority has been burned by the church in some way, it is just incredible that four priests would be so openly apart from the cause they are supposed to be for. Instead of bringing the good news, they're bringing bad news, badness and even more resentment for an already poorly viewed church. It's horrible and the media loves it.

If there was any accountability at all, these four would be sent to a gospel bootcamp to learn what it is they should be fighting for. But alas, as the people here have seen clearly over the years, there is no accountability. Molesting priests are given funding by the church to attend university, an opportunity for education most people here can't afford, and one which the priest in question obviously did not deserve according to the informed public (sorry, I can't seem to find a direct link to that story online at the moment).

Stories like these are the ones we hear about. They're all we hear about when it comes to anything religion. Four preachers from all across Canada abusing and destroying the people they are supposed to be serving. And that's just in one week.

Even more positive stories, like this one, in which they interviewed a priest who has a reputation for giving great sermons discourages me, albeit in a far more subtle way. The Montreal newspaper journalist had to leave the city of Montreal, cross a bridge and drive a good fifteen to twenty minutes (without traffic) to another city to find a preacher worth publishing a story about? What does that say about the situation here?

I just want to grab somebody in some sort of position of authority and shake them and say, "What the hey are you doing?" But there is no person of authority. Well, unless you count the pope, and it seems somebody already tried to shake him this week.

How are people supposed to hear the good news when all they hear is bad news? Overwhelmingly horrible bad news at that.

The sad thing is if there ever was some sort of governing body that could and would go defrock the baddies, it's likely that eventually it'd become a boys' club, and would start to select for the wrong reasons.

So this is how it's going to be? False prophets abound, pain and hurt rampant, separation from God instead of reconciliation? This is all there is?

Why did God let Noah live? So Jesus could be born? So that we, the descendants, could tarnish His image, lead His beloved sheep astray and slaughter them? Why? Why would God create us to begin with? Why would He allow such horrible, selfish, ungrateful beings to exist?

I can't answer why he created us to begin with, but I'm guessing the reason He hasn't gotten rid of us is due to the incomprehensible grace, mercy and patience He has for us.

Sometimes, I kinda wish He didn't.

Then we would cease to exist and finally stop hurting each other so much.

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (John 3)

No matter what we do, we just can't fix ourselves. Not as individuals nor as a collective.

34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” (Luke 2)

Merry Christmas.