"What's with all the religion?"
That's a favorite quote by a friend of mine, in response to the increasing religiosity in our society of late.
Tomorrow is the National Day of Prayer, something that takes place on the first Thursday of every May, as it apparently has for the past 55 years. The self-declared official website of the NDOP actually mandates, "America, Honor God," then offers up a paragraph explaining that they are only talking about the Judeo-Christian observation of the holiday, although others can "celebrate in their own tradition," if they choose to do so.
Locally, a group of people will observe the occasion by hanging around on the courthouse lawn at noon and again at 5 p.m. to pray en masse, depending on how many masse show up. They're aiming for 500 people. That will be an amazing feat, should they manage to pull it off, considering Oregon is the second least religious state in the country and Corvallis specifically is one of the least religious cities in the country. In the past few years, the local group hasn't broken into triple digits, so this is a rather lofty goal. At least here in town, the group is more inclusive, and welcomes people of non-Judeo-Christian faiths to join in the prayerful fun.
And why? I know and admire people who hold their religions close and I would argue that they undoubtedly pray on a daily basis. They don't feel the need to climb up on a pulpit and demonstrate to the world what good faithful people they are. There was a time when I would've believed that this gathering was intended to strengthen community bonds, but now, in the era of rabid Us vs. Them mentality, it seems more sinister.
I tend to despair at religion in general, especially since it seems to be directly related to the closing of the American mind. So I'm debating showing up tomorrow with a giant poster of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or maybe a sign asking, "What's with all the religion?"
Tomorrow is the National Day of Prayer, something that takes place on the first Thursday of every May, as it apparently has for the past 55 years. The self-declared official website of the NDOP actually mandates, "America, Honor God," then offers up a paragraph explaining that they are only talking about the Judeo-Christian observation of the holiday, although others can "celebrate in their own tradition," if they choose to do so.
Locally, a group of people will observe the occasion by hanging around on the courthouse lawn at noon and again at 5 p.m. to pray en masse, depending on how many masse show up. They're aiming for 500 people. That will be an amazing feat, should they manage to pull it off, considering Oregon is the second least religious state in the country and Corvallis specifically is one of the least religious cities in the country. In the past few years, the local group hasn't broken into triple digits, so this is a rather lofty goal. At least here in town, the group is more inclusive, and welcomes people of non-Judeo-Christian faiths to join in the prayerful fun.
And why? I know and admire people who hold their religions close and I would argue that they undoubtedly pray on a daily basis. They don't feel the need to climb up on a pulpit and demonstrate to the world what good faithful people they are. There was a time when I would've believed that this gathering was intended to strengthen community bonds, but now, in the era of rabid Us vs. Them mentality, it seems more sinister.
I tend to despair at religion in general, especially since it seems to be directly related to the closing of the American mind. So I'm debating showing up tomorrow with a giant poster of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or maybe a sign asking, "What's with all the religion?"
posted by Corvallist at
10:09 AM
3 Comments:
considering JC advocated "pray not out in public where everybody can see you, but in secret", I agree with you about thinking that praying in public is strange and not something I would do.
By
Christopher Farrell, at 1:22 AM
At a ministers' conference recently, a speaker expressed the hope that religions would trend away from evangelizing. He noted that Hindus and Buddhists, for example, are not known for tromping into other peoples' space and trying to change their beliefs. Can't see things ever changing, but it would be nice.
By
Anonymous, at 12:09 PM
I’d consider showing up to celebrate logic. Perhaps a sign: “A = B, B = C, therefore A = C”. Or maybe science? E=mc2? How about math? A serious of prime numbers or perhaps pi?
I’m intrigued by thoughtful, reasoned faith, but have seldom encountered it. Most often, religion is rooted in superstition, myth, or a simple desire to “belong”. Considering all the injustice, intolerance, and general injury caused by religion, I’ll just respect their right to practice by keeping my opinion at home.
By
Michael Smith, at 4:37 PM
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