RELIGIOUS RAMBLINGS

While today I am truly a “lapsed” Protestant, I grew up as a Methodist in northern New Jersey.  Most of my family’s social life revolved around our local church.

While I have always believed that in the history of mankind more evil than good has been done in the name of a god or God or religion (sadly more true today than at any other time in my life), I credit my local church and my family’s involvement in it with shaping me into the person I am today – not because of the worshipping of a God but because of the sense of community and social activities of the congregation, the humanistic (“a strong interest in or concern for human welfare, values, and dignity”) teachings of love, acceptance, social responsibility, and “Christian” charity (these teachings are apparently no longer part of so-called “Christianity” today) and the “good works” it did in and for the larger community.

I have always thought it would be good as an alternative to actual “religion” and “worship” to be a part of a church-like organization without God that had the same sense of “community”, taught, promoted and celebrated humanistic values in a “Sunday School” and “Bible School" (without the Bible) setting and through regular weekly meetings, and engaged in social and cultural activities and “good works” – a “Summit Avenue Humanistic Fellowship” instead of a “Summit Avenue Methodist Church”.

Does this make sense?  

TAFN