THE EMMANUEL CHURCH SERVICE - GODISM, RELIGION AND THE END OF RATIONALITY?

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All or many things are indeed 'bright and beautiful', but did the lord god really made them all? And what about the things which are not 'bright and beautiful'?

So, there I was on this dour but still refreshing Sunday, with the heavens or sky enveloped in grey clouds, as far as the seeing eye could see, as the saying goes, when the BBC's Radio 4 Morning Service came on. As much as I am an evolutionist, I still could not help but being spiritually stirred by the stirring force of the 'religious' song which the congregation - from The Emmanuel Church, in Manchester, United Kingdom - began to sing. 

 You might imagine, wrongly, that this was a case of god getting through to a non-believer, but that is not really the case. It was really more a matter of a person who had a background of having to go to Church and had been indoctrinated throughout early childhood. A person in whom the 'fear of god and fear of hell' had been instilled during the same period, and in an age when, humans, like their Old Testament god, thought nothing untoward about inflicting pain and other punishment on their fellow humans, of whatever ages and gender, for not conforming to the extant authorities, be they the family, the Church or the state.


But, be it as it may, that some of such influences might have been a factor in why I found this 'religious song' so stirring. Of more significance, was the fact that the song was intrinsically stirring, especially to anybody who is given being touched by beautiful songs, much as one might find ones 'body and spirit' responding to a beautiful 'gospel song', soul song, or, a song by the renown Welsh Choir.'  In other words, it was not any 'god' or anything 'religious' which connected with me. It was my capacity to relate on a human emotional and 'spiritual' level, to something beautiful.

 As enjoyable as this experience was being for me, as the service from The Emmanuel Church, apparently being conducted by a young man who is clearly fascinated by the subject matter of his service, I began to become perplexed by some of what he was saying. My discomfort came from references such as the people of Israel making and worshipping 'graven images', contrary to god forbidding them to do so. 


It included the pastor referring to 'the people of god', or 'god's people', raising the question of, whose people were the other people who were not 'god's people'? And also to 'the people of Israel', which suggest that they were the 'chosen people of god', of this god, which, it would appear, could only have been the god of the people of Israel, and that all other people must also have had their own god.

 To be continued.

Enjoy the beauty of the flora and give thanks to nature,evolution and, in this case, to the diligence and skills of the gardeners.




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