Religious Freedom

In America we have freedom of religion. That allows each citizen to decide for themselves what they believe theologically, if anything, and how spirituality figures in their lives. They may pursue religious studies, adopt strict rituals and observances, or do absolutely nothing. They are free to do whatever agrees with their thoughts and feelings along these lines.

Of course, we are not free to infringe on others as they exercise their religious freedom, but they cannot infringe on ours either.

Somewhere along the line the Supreme Court has allowed religious freedom to be included in laws that press others to conform to the values espoused by others. An example is abortion. Many religions abhor abortion and legislatures and Congress seem to think abortion should be banned or strictly regulated. Why? This is a value stemming from religious conviction and gets further muddied when science and inception of life arguments are added to the mix.

You don’t want abortion, then don’t give cause to the fetus’ existence in the first place, or the baby delivered at full term. Don’t like others having abortions? Then mind your own business and ensure your life is abortion free; not in other families, mind you, but your own.

Well, abortion is not the point of this blog posting. Religious expression and personal exploration of religion is the point. In America we have the right to explore as much as we want. We can read, study, discuss and exercise our religious values freely. Finding a church or fellowship to support my thinking is another matter.

In the time of COVID most churchgoers have encountered live streaming or Zoom sessions over their computer. Music is prerecorded and mixed in clips with the rest of the streaming content. The rituals of worship are mostly there, but adaptations are made to conform to most of the worshipers.

Electronic church attendance is different from in-person. Sharing time and space with another human being, especially long-time friends and colleagues, is much more pleasant. We have learned this in the COVID era. We will learn much more as well as COVID forces us to examine norms and core issues we long took for granted.

Fifty-two years ago, I studied issues of church attendance and denomination identity in seminary. What was the future of the church? Who were now attending regularly as opposed to those in the past? What trends would likely drive church membership and religious structures in the future? Was church an important social institution that would survive major social upheaval? Kindly remember, this was 1968 and we had survived political assassinations, protests, riots and the flower power hippie movement. The Vietnam War was a thing that drove people apart. Political norms were tested, and new social alignments were in constant motion.

Now in 2020 we are asking the same question: is church relevant to our quality of life and social peace of mind?

The statistics are clear: church attendance is down. Church membership is down. Church size is either small or mega. Worship services are either small, personal experiences or large entertainment extravaganzas. The happy medium is nowhere in sight.

Questioning our moral compass, or value structure, and our religious beliefs is a good thing. It is healthy to take measure of these things from time to time. Me? I’m thinking religion is very personal and must remain in my personal domain. I don’t need an organization to inform me what to think or do in fealty to that belief. I’m not alone in this realization. Most of us – you – believe similarly. That’s what the statistics show.

Whether organized religion will ever catch up with its people is an unknown. What is clear are the divides among those who think they know what each of us needs. The easier course of action is to go it alone, or maybe find a few people with whom you feel comfortable discussing such matters. The temple in my mind is more comfortable than the construct of others in brick and mortar institutions.

Time to own my own theology? Yes. Most likely.

October 16, 2020