Religious Bribery

I came across an ad in the newspaper the other day that gave me cause to pause and reflect.

The boxed advertisement indicated that a church function was being held and that everyone was invited to register to attend and also to register for fabulous prizes to be given away for those who attended.

Hmmm.

Not to put to fine a point on it, but I was a bit disturbed. The ad indicated that a wide variety of electronic "me time" devices were to be awarded and that the requisite for participation in the drawing was to sign up and attend whatever religious services or classes were being held.

Isn't that a lot like bait and switch? I sign up for loot and instead get a sermon from a long-winded but sincere teacher?

By default, not everyone will win one of the prizes and won't that sort of sour them on the whole idea of a religious experience when they see their friend shrieking in what could be misconstrued as speaking in tongues when they discover that they are the winner of a brand new iPod?

I don't think that is the medium of communication for our Father in Heaven.

I have no right to judge, I'm not trying to, I'm making an observation here. When we mix the sacred with the profane, we run the risk of making that which is sacred commonplace and therefore useless to us as individual children of God.

And if we have made something holy useless, we have profaned the purpose for that which is sacred in our lives.

There was a comment recently about NOT texting our friends during Church and instead actually listening to the speakers. No problem there for me. I can't spell worth a darn any time I have tried to do so on those miniscule cell phone keys that have multiple letters and numbers on them. And I don't want a phone that is also a computer. I already have a computer on my desk, thank you very much.

So I have to ask, is the promotional agenda a way to, as Whoopie Goldberg's character in "Sister Act" so profanely suggests "get some butts in the seats"? And if the sensational is the medium in which we try to get people into church at all, it begs the question - what happens when gifts and premiums are no longer being offered?

Is an iPod equated to conversion? Can you truly be dedicated to the Lord if you are simply there for the snack tray?

I know there are times we offer 'encentives' or BRIBES to help children in particular to become accustomed to the routine of attending church. We bring toys and coloring books in an attempt to have them be semi-quiet in the chapel. We offer fruit, Cheerios and sippy cups so they will at least be quiet during the sacrament.

But eventually, we hope they will graduate from this infantile expectance of temporal and temporary reward to a personal seeking of something everlasting and eternal.

And frankly, I don't think you can get there from here with an iPod, cell phone, GameCube or other worldly prize. Those items have their place in life, but I don't believe that they can offer conversion to anything holy or eternal.

I'm sure there will be people who disagree with me. And that's just fine. The road is broad enough for all interpretations to weather the storms of life and see who is right in the final judgement.

I'm just real grateful that I'm not the judge...I fear my own shallowness and imperfections might have me blind to what might be a good idea. Or that my self-interest might blind me to what should be avoided because I fear man more than God.

In any event, it's something to think upon today while I get up and about my chores.