Pews Out

Stepping out of my own beliefs or not, I think it is sad that churches are, one by one, disappearing. They are having to give up their struggles to maintain buildings that were built for hundreds and now barely fill a few rows of pews. They are having to take their followers to smaller venues or shared ones. The days of socials, prayer meetings and child religious education are being replaced by church use, as rental concert space, grandiose wedding parties and lecture hall seating. Some churches  are sold and become restaurants and bars with many of their accouterments intact and used in ways they were not made and intended for. There is a new order in this world of scientific advancement with electronic activity that not only controls our lives, but also allows us little free time for contemplation and other forms of prayer or meditation. And while this big change is happening, there proves a huge need for human peace and relaxation among the "machines" that dominate our lives.  Yoga, massage, retreats and environmental sites that people flock to do, indicate this. And it's not really a bad thing. You don't need a big, classy looking building to enter your inner space. While you may need to seek a mentor of some kind: a friend, a counselor, a group session, your family, your spiritual adviser,  the help can be found with  solutions such as: in the forest, a park, a house, a gym, a small room. It's more what's going on and not about how it looks. The matter of science versus soul, is not for me to argue because we all have our own thoughts, and they are deep and difficult, and often in the process of being searched and sorted out. Then again, there are others who are firm and solid in their concepts of the spirit, and they find their locations to practice them in, no matter how much it costs. A very long time in the past, the great stone places of worship, were built to shelter all the people in surrounding areas. They were built by the upper echelons to offer their supporting people, protection from their enemies. The buildings were strong; they were fortresses. They were places to store life giving goods if there were a seige. They are now tourist attractions. We humans are constantly changing, but the changes in our century lives, forgets that this is so. We want it all done during our relatively brief times on earth. We rail and rant against changes and in fighting them, often cause our own grief. Patience and understanding of what happened in the past, and that major change to occur, is always but a step, not a trek, in time. It takes the patience of more than a lifetime to accept that kind of change and a willingness to apply calm thought rather than anger and violence. If our lives are too much for us to find peace, perhaps we ought to slow down and give some deep consideration before running out with cardboard signs and yelling in public places. The media loves it, of course, because it sells, but a pile of letters written by individuals, not so-called general surveys and polls, unless every single member of the public is polled, is what really matters, and counts, in making changes. But moreover, it is individual patience, and a search for knowledge in the truths, that makes for the right and lasting, changes. As the spires go down and the cathedrals bow, perhaps it's time to think about what it is, we really need.