Transparency

There is within people the need to belong. There is also a need to be known completely. Many people join religious organizations so they "belong". Religious organizations would seem like a safe place to not only belong but also to be known. But they aren't always.

Lately I've been spending time in groups where one can belong AND be transparent without fear of reprisals. What is said or done in those groups is kept private. Everyone involved knows that it is safe to voice their issues without worrying about being judged or condemned. To me, that is what church should be like.

Unfortunately I grew up in churches and learned very early on that there was no privacy and a LOT of judgement if anyone broke down and confessed who and what they really were. I listened to the snipping and snipe-ing that went on. The "prayer requests" that were obviously a way to righteously gossip about someone else's ills. I learned not to be real at church but to put on a pretty face, proper behavior, and get along with other people's facades.

I wonder sometimes what Jesus would do in those kinds of churches. He obviously already knew each person's foibles and weaknesses yet accepted each person as a valued child of God. Jesus tended to get angry at those would would make being accepted, known, and belong difficult for people who were honest about their need. So, it makes me wonder how Jesus would act toward the pew people in churches and the leadership in those churches. It's scary to consider.