I Grieve for My Chruch

[Gregory Matthews]

See:

https://spectrummagazine.org/article/2017/09/29/lament-my-church-and-me

[aka]

That was a very moving sermon in prose form. I really felt the pain of the author Carmen Lau.

The whole was well thought out.

[B/W Photodude]

I was not impressed. I think a lot of SDA beliefs are being sacrificed on the alter of emotionalism (we sure don't want anyone's feelings hurt). Seems even many strong Bible characters would be indicted by the grieving of this article.

[debbym]

The lament structure is an interesting form for making a critique of "My Church".  i don't see this as an authentic spiritual dialogue.  . It still seems to polarize, and create an us them paradigm.  I read a very contemporary and affirming  dialogue for those who resonate with these concerns.  

It is more challenging to own the humanity and foibles and errors, and deficiencies of those around us, and repent of them as one's own.  Does defining them and naming them, giving them labels, help in the personal devotion?  Does it empower transforming dialogue?  It lends another quality that does not seem intended.  Is it merely preaching to the choir?

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

I didn't like it.  It came across to me as a passive aggressive stance against Church administration, its teachings, and its members with whom they don't agree.

The fact that the author has tried to shroud her stance with pious-sounding "laments" to God makes me want to gag.

[CoAspen]

From Wiki....

Quote

Grief is a multifaceted response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone or something that has died, to which a bond or affection was formed. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, it also has physical, cognitive, behavioral, social, cultural, and philosophical dimensions. While the terms are often used interchangeably, bereavement refers to the state of loss, and grief is the reaction to that loss.

Grief is a natural response to loss. It is the emotional suffering one feels when something or someone the individual loves is taken away.^[1] The grief associated with death is familiar to most people, but individuals grieve in connection with a variety of losses throughout their lives, such as unemployment, ill health or the end of a relationship.^[2] Loss can be categorized as either physical or abstract,^[3] the physical loss being related to something that the individual can touch or measure, such as losing a spouse through death, while other types of loss are abstract, and relate to aspects of a person’s social interactions.^[4]

 

[phkrause]

5 hours ago, debbym said:

The lament structure is an interesting form for making a critique of "My Church".  i don't see this as an authentic spiritual dialogue.  . It still seems to polarize, and create an us them paradigm.  I read a very contemporary and affirming  dialogue for those who resonate with these concerns.  

It is more challenging to own the humanity and foibles and errors, and deficiencies of those around us, and repent of them as one's own.  Does defining them and naming them, giving them labels, help in the personal devotion?  Does it empower transforming dialogue?  It lends another quality that does not seem intended.  Is it merely preaching to the choir?

Exactly, it seems to me that labeling is just another form of name calling!!