Monday, August 20, 2007
Speak up
I do not agree with people trying to shut people up on the internet. Recently one of my friends was attempted to be censored because of comments he made about what he thought of the state of his church. He was asked to post a statement written by the elders of the church. It really sounded and looked like something that would be written for a celebrity apologizing to their younger fans after they got caught with drugs or something of that nature. Very unnatural and forced. I struggle with the one line that said "As church leaders we feel it is unfortunate that Raymond felt the need to express his opinions in this public forum. However, we do recognize his right to do so." Would they rather he keep this inside? I do not think that he was the only one with these feelings. I think that it was that fact that scared the leadership the most. People were agreeing with him. Maybe if we stop him from writing about this those thoughts will leave most peoples minds. I think it is really too bad that critical thinking and challenging thoughts are trying to be snuffed out in this situation. Without thinkers such as this, even when the church seems to be doing well, the church would get stuck. They help the church get out of ruts by pointing out different points of view that would not always be seen. Growth never occurs because people are happy with the way things are going. Growth happens because people aren't happy with how things are. If ever we get to a point where people are not challenging the way things are being done in the church, I think we are in big trouble.i really hope that people continue to share their true feelings about things. I am happy that the elders board took the time to meet with this guy, as it does show that they are listen to some of his thoughts and recognizing that things aren't perfect. Thats a good sign.Labels: church
