Twelve stumbling blocks, part six: religious behavior and rituals
Number eight is religious behavior — too many protocols and rituals scare newcomers into thinking they must become religious robots. The hosts push back on 'it's a relationship not a religion,' citing James's definition of true religion as serving the poor. Prayer itself is the weirdest thing a church does to an outsider, they admit, but you don't stop praying — you show them. A Christmas mass anecdote about a sword-carrying 'knight of the sacrament' guarding communion illustrates the rule: explain your rituals (like the Kentucky Catholic funeral program did) or stop doing them.
More on Prayer
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'When God is silent': what counts as hearing from the Lord?
- What does it mean to 'hear from the Lord,' and how often should we expect it?
Mike brings a question from his Bible study, whose paragraph heading was 'when God is silent': the author wrote that he experienced God's silence for a couple of weeks and freaked out, and Ben expected a relatable years-long drought story — 'Oh, two weeks.
From No. 603 · Found Out
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'What would I fight God on?': buildings, pews, and the zero-fruit youth group
- What would I fight God on — and would my heart go along with following him?
Ben shares what he ran into in the last couple weeks: 'what would I fight God on even if I knew it was him?'
From No. 603 · Found Out
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Is modern Christianity biased toward a personality type?
- Is modern Christianity (its sermons and worship music) biased toward a certain personality type?
A host asks whether what churches teach, focus on, and sing is biased toward a certain personality type — prompted by emotive worship lyrics (the 'sloppy wet kiss' line in a…
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Should following Jesus feel more comfortable as time goes on?
- Should following Jesus feel more comfortable as time goes on?
A host asks whether following Jesus should feel more comfortable as time goes on — noting the low-level tension many feel around am-I-doing-enough and the stigma that contentment equals laziness.