If you reject Christianity, don’t join the church

Ah, now this I find refreshing. From the Ottawa Citizen: If you reject Christianity, don’t join the church.

It’s Easter and time for the annual journalistic display of baffled hostility to Christianity. On cue the Roman Catholic archbishop of Ottawa, Terrence Prendergast, pops up with the suggestion that adherents to his church who don’t actually observe its rules should not expect to enjoy all the benefits of membership. A predictable chorus of howls erupted.

The archbishop might be forgiven for wondering why. No one would think themselves entitled to join a chess club but refuse to move bits of plastic around an 8×8 square board. If they insisted on denouncing the game as a colossal waste of time for losers who couldn’t get a date using the Benoni counter-gambit (purely hypothetically, you understand), or showed up and played trumpet instead of chess, club officials would try to reason with them but, if that failed, would insist that they depart. And no one would think it odd. What, then, is so hard to grasp about the Catholic Church being a voluntary organization with rules that are meant to be enforced?

Remember, people who say they are Roman Catholics necessarily claim to believe the Pope is the heir of St. Peter to whom Christ gave the keys of the kingdom. This belief may be false or even foolish. But it’s no secret. And Canada is a free country so you are free to reject it. The one thing you can’t do is reject the authority of the Bishop of Rome yet remain in his Church, any more than you can go to a chess club and deny that its bishops move diagonally. [continue]

One thought on “If you reject Christianity, don’t join the church

  1. I find an analogous situation at work The rules are plainly stated: 8 hours a day, we pay you, here is your job description.

    If you don’t want to do this stuff, or think it’s a waste of your time, or have other things to do and can’t come to work on time (or back after lunch), then feel free to quit.

    But if you take the money, you agree to the rules. What is so difficult about that? You’d be surprised at the number of employees who react with disbelief and even hostility to the concept. And are infuriated when held to the job description. What part of ‘contract’ don’t they understand?

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