Artist: William TurnerHere's one wonderful sentence from a preacher I've long admired:
This is something I've never really understood about the religious fundamentalists. Why would they prefer that the world, the universe, be small enough (that is, simplistic enough) to be comprehended by the human mind?I would rather live in a world where my life is surrounded by mystery than live in a world so small that my mind could comprehend it.
I experienced a funeral today and was witness to the planning of it this week in which the fundamentalists of the family requested a "hell's fire and damnation" sermon to be prayed over their loved one's ashes. They have no room in their hearts to even grant their brother the possibility of life eternal with a loving God.
ReplyDeleteNeedless to say, the good Episcopal priest, (the WHOLE family's not fundamentalist) quietly declined their direction and told them he would be preaching a homily of God's love, redeeming grace, and eternal life. As I sat in the pew before I was to read, I prayed for even one of the family to hear the words of comfort that the sermon was offering them. How could they be so sure of their narrow damning doctrine?
HEmerson Fosdick had it right!