I wonder what Andy would say

A lady asked me why so many young people seemed disinterested in attending church these days. That got me thinking back to my childhood . . .

When I was a kid, one of my pals -- let's call him Andy -- had an imaginary friend named Fred. Maybe it was a really good act, but it seemed like Andy really believed in Fred. If anyone tried to say that Fred was imaginary, he would become agitated and go into some long defense of Fred, explaining how Fred helped him in various ways and that Fred only showed himself to those who really believed. I tried my best to really believe, but Fred never appeared to me.

My mother told me that all of this was harmless, that Andy would outgrow his fantasy, and that the rest of us kids could just play along. I guess she was right -- sort of. We all learned to accept Andy and Fred. We had lots of fun playing together.

Andy was one of those highly imaginative individuals. He did his undergraduate work in English Literature and then declared he was going to enter the Lutheran seminary. I happened to be there, as Andy puffed on his pipe with some arrogance:

"I've decided to enter the seminary. I really don't want to work."

His father, a nose-to-the-grindstone business owner, asked, "So how are you going to pay for this?"

"The Lord will provide." said Andy.

His father responded, "I hope you don't think I'm the Lord' because I'm not providing. You need to get a real job."

Always the optimist, Andy explained that lowly sparrows neither sow nor reap yet the Lord keeps them fed. He always had the right come-back.

I haven't seen Andy in many, many years. Last I heard, he was doing well and was still able to make a living by spreading The Gospel

I wonder what Andy's views might be in these times. We have lots of problems to deal with. We are still in the throes of global recession, governments around the world have over-promised and can't deliver. Over-population, waste and unwise energy choices are taking their toll on environmental quality. Intolerance, hatred and war create misery and hardship for many. Shouldn't we be worried?

But it seems that fewer people are turning to religion these days for comfort from the world's problems. One explanation is the promotion of science and analytical thinking. As far as science is concerned, one un-testable claim seems as good as any other. An angel appeared to someone? How do you test that claim for truth?

And no matter what is now being said from the pulpits, many people just cannot accept the shameful histories of some churches -- demeaning roles for women, support for human slavery, support for racial segregation, involvement in the eradication of Native Americans, support for immoral wars. After mentioning these things to an elderly religionist, I could tell that he was upset: "Damn those college history professors!" He said. "Don't they know that churches have gone to great lengths to amend for sinful practices of the past?"
The decades-long, appalling fiasco of the Catholic Church in dealing with its childmolesting priests certainly diminished its numbers: Ex-Catholics are now described as one of the largest denominations in the world. Can anyone blame them for leaving?

I recently asked a young Mormon missionary if he felt that Mitt Romney should come to Harrison, Arkansas and renounce his church's involvement in the Mountain Meadows Massacre. He didn't have an opinion on that matter. Obama openly renounced Rev. Wright. Wouldn't Romney and Ryan do well to openly renounce the sins of their churches?

Another factor cited for diminished interest in religion is that too much of it has become unreasonably politicized. In many cases we find that those involved with making a living from religion are dependent on wealthy benefactors to keep going. Of course, as we've seen with politicians, this can very well influence what is being preached. Perhaps New Testament terms of throwing out the money-changers are appropriate here. In times when many Republicans are fighting hard for greater tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy and to slash budgets for the poor and elderly, should The Gospel be "adjusted" or "watered down" to satisfy the political leanings of those contributors? I wonder what Andy would say.

I'm pretty sure most Americans still respect the desire to worship or otherwise practice religion in a sincere, non-politicized way. And that people should be free to do so without being harassed or threatened by those who hold different religious views. America's Sikhs, Mormons, Muslims, Buddhists, and Whatevers must be free to practice just as traditional Christian faiths have been free to practice here in America. Those who are too shallow to understand all of that endanger us with the sort of sectarian conflict that we see in places such as Ireland, Syria, and Iraq. It is important to ask: How good is any religion that in any way or form sanctions hatred, harassment, violence or abuse of other people simply because of religious differences?
If more and more young people are disinterested in religion, then that's all part of the religious freedom that hopefully remains strong here in America. Maybe more of the Andys in this world will have to get out and get real jobs.

(Brad Pfeiffer of Heber Springs is one of two local contributors to Progressive Voice, a “progressive viewpoint” column)