Re: "Theatre of God"

"Diana" wrote:

I find it ironic that the very people who criticize me for thinking that
a "burning in the bosom" is important while quietly reading scripture or
in prayer as a confirmation of truth are quite approving of the sort of
emotional high one gets from exciting theater, special effects and loud,
fast music.

There's a difference between thinking that such an emotional high
is harmless or even beneficial, and thinking that it's good evidence
of the truth of what one's reading or thinking about.

I'm all in favour of the pleasure that comes from beautiful music,
too (not the same thing as the excitement that comes from loud music),
but that's not a guarantee of truth either: one can combine great music
with words that are stupid or evil or just plain wrong.

Well, that's my point exactly.

Then I regret that I'm confused :-).

I don't see any inconsistency if someone (1) utterly disagrees
that a "burning in the bosom" is any *evidence of truth*, but
(2) thoroughly approves of making church exciting by having loud
music, even though that excitement won't in itself be evidence
of anything other than the loud music.

Nor if someone (1) is convinced that a "burning in the bosom"
is evidence of truth, but (2) thinks that trying to make church
exciting with loud music is liable to do more harm than good
by distracting people from the feelings they ought to be paying
attention to and confusing excitement with conviction.

However, these "Theater churches" capitalize
on just that entertainment value to lure in, capture and keep an audience.
It is my opinion (and I'm pretty curmudgeonly about this, admittedly) that
an audience is not a congregation.

An audience may or may not be a congregation. I don't
see why a given group of people can't be both at roughly
the same time.

Being an audience is about what you're doing. Being a
congregation is more about why you're doing it. If praying,
listening to sermons, singing, meditation, reading the
scriptures, and enacting various rites can all be part
of what a congregation does, I'm at a loss to see why
being-an-audience shouldn't be too.

--
Gareth McCaughan
..sig under construc
.

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