Don’t ask me why, this is just how it is

A recent post by John Dobbs on the arbitrary rules that churches enforce got me thinking about some of the imposed, man-made, and mostly unwritten standards and opinions that I have encountered in my experience.  Most ideas and opinions are harmless until we act as though they are fact and attempt to enforce them as such.  I have listed below some of the more odious ideas and unspoken-yet-commonly-held beliefs that I run into over and over again. Some of these are adhered to by individuals, some by entire congregations, and some by Christian colleges. Note to readers: I am openly soliciting any and all feedback on the extra-biblical traditions and viewpoints that you may have encountered, from the sublime to the ridiculous.  Many of these items will reflect the religious tradition that I grew up in (churches of Christ), but comments on any tradition are welcome.

• “Our God He is Alive” must be sung while standing.
• “Passing the plate” is a leadership role.
• “Command, example, and necessary inference” is a divinely-inspired method for interpreting and applying scripture.
• It is alright to be vicious and thoughtless when “correcting” a brother who is “wrong.”
• Believers should not listen to any music other than church music or contemporary Christian music.
• Contemporary Christian music is wrong.
• The Grace Game: “God’s grace extends far enough to cover me but not you.”
• God will forgive overt sinners but not sincere believers who make an honest mistake.
• Dancing is a sin unless it is for a Christian college’s spring recruitment extravaganza.
• Even though church buildings are never mentioned in the New Testament, what we do with them is still important enough for congregations to divide over it.
• Sending your children to public school (or a state college) guarantees that they will eventually lose their faith.
• Every chain e-mail that I receive about various churches, prominent preachers, or political candidates that I do not like must be true and it is my duty to forward it.
• Everything Jesus taught about money and how we treat others was really just a suggestion.
• Emotional manipulation of teenagers and children at summer camp, retreats, and youth rallies is okay if it “gets them in the water.”
• If it makes me uncomfortable, it must be wrong.
• The sin that you struggle with is worse than the sin that I struggle with.

Filed under: Faith and Religion