Chat
01-15-2016, 06:14 AM
(This post was last modified: 01-15-2016, 06:28 AM by NH watcher.)
Don't have much time this morning, so will try to be brief. No, Goldengirl, I am not leaving. My "retreat" was only to say to anyone reading that response of mine ... geez, is he over enough now? Can we talk? Yes, I wanted to wrap things up in my response, and let others contribute.
Nanny, unless you yourself have actually been a minister in charge of a congregation, honestly, step back and ask yourself what you would really say to someone who is looking to you as an authority figure, a minister, someone who presumably has more insight into the beyond then said person. I know, I know, Paul's reference to we are all ministers, yadda, yadda, yadda. Tell me one church where that plays out perfectly. I will tell you, there are none!
True enough, though, for anyone else, NOT a minister, replying to someone else in conjunction with their loved one's death ... true, the only wise thing to say is "I don't know." But, would you not admit that if you went to a church where the minister was constantly saying, "I don't know ... it depends ... well, maybe," wouldn't you be looking for another church soon? Of course, all churches have varying beliefs, both due to the congregation and the denomination it is a part of ... but, I conclude, when someone suffering in church goes to their minister to ask point blank ... they are looking for a yes or no response, not some wishy-washy "I don't know."
If you find some church which operates perfectly in the grey "I don't know" realm, let me know. We all know how many churches are NOT perfect, operating in the "this way only" realm, but I was focusing on a person-to-person experience, between said minister and said congregant. It all depends on said minister and said congregant, but the response itself is never "it depends." Yes, God is fair, holy, and just, but as a minister, you are God's representative to that congregation. Paul may have instructed ministers simply to be teachers, but where does that play out in reality? Teachers in school seem to be able to say "yes and no" a heck of lot easier than any minister. As a minister, you comfort the grieving heart, and gauge what they need to know to heal. Do you lie? Heavens no ... you speak the truth as you know it, based on what you know at the time. Otherwise, quit now.
Yet, I digress, and am now making this response more about my life experiences, then the intention of the thread. Should swallow my own pill and know when to shut up. So, for now, I will, but no, I am not leaving the forum ... unless I am kicked out ... I'd always lurk though, as long as the Internet stays online.
Nanny, unless you yourself have actually been a minister in charge of a congregation, honestly, step back and ask yourself what you would really say to someone who is looking to you as an authority figure, a minister, someone who presumably has more insight into the beyond then said person. I know, I know, Paul's reference to we are all ministers, yadda, yadda, yadda. Tell me one church where that plays out perfectly. I will tell you, there are none!
True enough, though, for anyone else, NOT a minister, replying to someone else in conjunction with their loved one's death ... true, the only wise thing to say is "I don't know." But, would you not admit that if you went to a church where the minister was constantly saying, "I don't know ... it depends ... well, maybe," wouldn't you be looking for another church soon? Of course, all churches have varying beliefs, both due to the congregation and the denomination it is a part of ... but, I conclude, when someone suffering in church goes to their minister to ask point blank ... they are looking for a yes or no response, not some wishy-washy "I don't know."
If you find some church which operates perfectly in the grey "I don't know" realm, let me know. We all know how many churches are NOT perfect, operating in the "this way only" realm, but I was focusing on a person-to-person experience, between said minister and said congregant. It all depends on said minister and said congregant, but the response itself is never "it depends." Yes, God is fair, holy, and just, but as a minister, you are God's representative to that congregation. Paul may have instructed ministers simply to be teachers, but where does that play out in reality? Teachers in school seem to be able to say "yes and no" a heck of lot easier than any minister. As a minister, you comfort the grieving heart, and gauge what they need to know to heal. Do you lie? Heavens no ... you speak the truth as you know it, based on what you know at the time. Otherwise, quit now.
Yet, I digress, and am now making this response more about my life experiences, then the intention of the thread. Should swallow my own pill and know when to shut up. So, for now, I will, but no, I am not leaving the forum ... unless I am kicked out ... I'd always lurk though, as long as the Internet stays online.