THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 12, 1996 TAG: 9610110036
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E7 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Issues of Faith
SOURCE: Betsy Wright
LENGTH: 92 lines
IN WRITING RECENTLY about the High Holy Days of Judaism, I made a flip comment about my cafeteria-style approach to religion. I said that Christianity is my main entree, but that often I take ``side dishes'' from other faiths.
Well, it seems I've once again shot off my mouth and ended up with a hole in my foot. That simple comment made some folks madder than a wet hen. One called me and my approach an ``anathema.'' Someone else branded it an un-workable ``hodge-podge.''
Most who took issue, however, were simply perplexed.
``I beg you, please explain,'' wrote Tommy Steele of Virginia Beach, ``and tell why any true born-again child of God, a Christian, would ever need or benefit from any `side dish' offered by Judaism, Islam, Buddhism or Shinto. I read your commentary every week and this one (has left) me breathless.''
Not everyone, however, was bothered by the remark. There were many who delighted in it. Fay Putman of Virginia Beach wrote this:
``I am a member of Eastern Shore Chapel, Virginia Beach, but as a professional singer, have sung in the choir for the High Holy Day services at Ohef Sholom Temple in Norfolk for the past five or six years. The services at Ohef Sholom certainly complement my worship at Eastern Shore Chapel. . . . Your statement about taking the `cafeteria approach' to religion made me smile. My son, who is 23, and I have talked about this aspect of faith quite often. . . . When I shared some of (that column) with him, his comment was one of complete agreement. . . . Indeed, the study of different religious beliefs is fascinating and, in my opinion, enriching. For sure, my life has been enriched for being allowed to participate in services at Ohef Sholom.''
And then there was my very favorite letter, from Dorothy Todd of Chesapeake:
``My younger brother and I have long talked about how we should relate to those whose religions and faiths are not Christ-centered as is ours.
``I keep asking myself: `If Jesus were living in my day and serving God and praying the prayer he taught his disciples to pray, how would he relate (to those of other faiths)?'
``I serve a God of love and do feel that Jesus would still try to bring peace and not a sword to our world of today. My younger brother, Oliver, is now 79 and I'm nearing 86. I plan to mail your column to him in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Thanks again for helping us with our faith journeys.''
Why would anyone choose a ``cafeteria-style'' approach to their faith? I can't speak for others, but for me it is the only way I am totally able to relate to a God I believe is bigger than anything any single human or any single faith can imagine. While I cherish the insight to God that my relationship with Jesus Christ has given me, I must truthfully admit that it doesn't always answer all my questions or meet all my spiritual needs.
Maybe the fault is inside me. Maybe some folks are right, and I simply don't know Jesus the way they do.
I do know this, however: Whenever I have faced an issue or situation that seems to stymie my Christian walk - after prayer to Jesus, after reading and re-reading Christian Testament concerning the issue or situation, after soul-searching and seeking the guidance of other Christians - I have asked God to lead me to something that will give me peace.
In every single case, God (I believe) has led me to those ``side dishes'' I spoke of in the infamous comment of yester-week. And those ``side dishes'' have given me peace.
You can call it ``anathema'' or ``hodgepodge'' or even the devil.
I call it the work of God's Holy Spirit.
Now, for something fun. In reader Fay Putman's above-mentioned letter, she wrote that her son ``suggested it would be a great idea to have a group in which people who share such ideas could dialogue.''
I, likewise, think it's a great idea. I'm game, if others are!
There's only one problem. With a new baby coming in just a few weeks (not to mention Christmas around the corner), I can't see pulling anything like this together until the middle of January. Let's shoot for that.
Readers interested in forming such a group can contact me at the Reader Response address below. Please write (don't call!), sending me your name and address. I will get back to you in mid-January with a meeting place, date and time.
I propose that the first dialogue be about the cafeteria-style approach to faith. What are the dangers of it? What are the spiritual benefits of it?
After the first meeting, we'll decide whether or not we want to meet again, when, where and what to discuss in the future.
And one more thing: This group will need a place to meet. Anybody with an available church, synagogue or other open space is welcome to donate it! Just write and let me know. MEMO: Every other week, Betsy Mathews Wright publishes responses to her
opinion column. Send responses to Issues of Faith, The Virginian-Pilot,
150 W. Brambleton Ave., Norfolk, Va. 23510; call (804) 446-2273; FAX
(804) 436-2798; or send computer message via bmw(AT)infi.net. Deadline
is Tuesday before publication. You must include your name, city and
phone number. by CNB