THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, March 9, 1996 TAG: 9603080105
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E5 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Issues of Faith
SOURCE: Betsy Wright
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
Last Week's Issue of Faith: Denominational disloyalty. Many Christians have found that their spiritual journeys have lead them from one denomination to another. Switching denominations used to be more complicated. Today it has become commonplace, and denominational loyalty is at an all-time low.
This Week's Reader Responses:
From Sarah Davis of Murfreesboro, N.C.: ``As you, I have changed denominations from time to time, but I prefer to consider the act one of ecumenicism rather than denominational disloyalty.
``From a United Presbyterian family, I attended a Southern Presbyterian college and married a Methodist; first we were Southern Presbyterians, then - before the reunification of the Presbyterians - confirmed as Episcopalians, and now we are members of a Southern Baptist congregation. Our ecclesiastical journey has been largely determined by geography: Where we lived and the opportunities for worship for our family have deemed it necessary to allow ourselves to be `called' by different names at different times.
``When we were about to align ourselves with our current denomination, I jokingly told the pastor, the Rev. Tom Caulkins, that it was my plan when greeted by St. Peter, to inquire of the keeper of the gate, which `group plan' was being accepted that day. Rev. Caulkins rather seriously replied to me that he did not think St. Peter had any interest in any of the group plans and, in fact, would probably be more interested in the actions that demonstrated beliefs than any label placed on them. Similarly, a Roman Catholic priest with whom my husband was sharing our `saga' commented to him that `God will punch any ticket.'
``Our children have learned from us that where they are may make a difference in what they are called, but not what they are. . . . I am not rejecting denominationalism; it is important, and part of them remains part of me. What is more important is to be able to say, `For me and my family, we will serve the Lord.' ''
From Renie M. Russell of Chesapeake: ``I was born and raised a Roman Catholic. By living in many states as a child, I got used to changing churches when we changed residences. But never did we change religions. Mobility didn't get in the way then and it doesn't color my thinking now.
``I'm actually surprised that you, having ventured into Catholicism, would lump it into the same pot as the other Christian denominations. Maybe it's OK to say that other denominations are ecumenically similar. That would forgive people's wishy-washy commitments to how they choose to practice. Maybe other Christian denominations are more subjective in controlling their congregations, which justifies people's distrust for authority. Maybe it is easier than in Colonial times for people to pick a church to join. Maybe people feel as committed to dogma as they do to choices of clothing, excusing their me-first approach to looking for a denomination that suits them. Maybe some main-line denominations are stale, leaving the door open for people to place less importance on which denomination they belong to.
``None of these arguments hold water in Roman Catholicism. Please reread the Profession of Faith from the liturgy of the Mass and recall to mind God's message in the Scriptures that is summarized there. This creed has been handed down from the early church and has only been modified slightly in the intervening millennia.''
From Michael Nixon of Virginia Beach: ``God is like a multi-faceted diamond. Each religion/belief/creed is a facet of the whole, for in essence God is unity or all. Each religion offers a path to God, so therefore, there is no `right' religion or `wrong' one either, only different expressions of God. . . . They all have a common theme of love, kindness and peace running through them.''
From Joyce Carroll of Norfolk: ``As a practicing Roman Catholic, I believe God holds me responsible for remaining in the faith and adhering to both the Ten Commandments and the precepts of the church. People of other religions can get to heaven because God loves us all and holds us accountable only for what we have an opportunity to gain. We who through the grace of God are blessed with the true faith, have more to loose or more to gain depending on whether we choose to ignore or nurture this precious gift. . . . Our religion is Divinely Inspired. It is precious and incomparable!''
From Harold Eason of Virginia Beach: ``To switch churches is not a sin, as long as our motives are right. We need to determine God's will and be willing to wait upon God for his direction before we move to another church. . . . What we believe and what we believe in and how we apply our beliefs in our life determines what kind of Christians we are. . . . I believe God is concerned less about our denominational tag than in the doctrinal purity and the love and caring of the church's fellowship and membership.'' by CNB