Cut to the chase. Two years ago the majority of members of the congregation of St. Marks-on-the-Mesa of the Diocese of the Rio
Grande voted to leave the Episcopal Church to join the Anglican Church
in North America. Unlike some, this two thirds majority did not lay claim to the building, its contents, the bank accounts -- nothing at all was taken. They left and built a new church from scratch. That was two years ago. Now, it seems, the people who remained with the Episcopal Church and got the building and all its contents and the bank accounts and all the money are complaining that they think the folks who left owe them at least $20K more to cover their losses. WHAT? Yeah, you heard me right. Two years down the road they have sent a letter to the new church asking for more cash. This is just crazy talk and I cannot believe what I am reading. If you peruse the comments section you can find folks defending and even offering legal justification for this outlandish request.
Read it and weep.
It represents a new low in the victimization mentality that has infected individuals and institutions of our country. We are never at fault and the problem always belongs to someone else. You hear it all the time in churches from individuals but I think this is the first time a congregation said it to the folks who left (and left everything -- even the paperclips) behind. Is it no wonder we have trouble preaching repentance in this day and age? If nothing is ever my fault and someone else can be blamed, I do not need to repent. And I learned it at church!
I would add entitlement mentality to the victimization mentality. Actually, maybe it is a lack of mentality.....
ReplyDeleteI'll take the "lack of mentality" category for $500, Alex.
ReplyDeleteAnd as for the letter from Bishop Vono sent to Rev. Roger Weber and Christ the King Anglican Church, strongly implying their obligation to contribute to their former church, I would not be surprised if the bishop got some suggestions as to what he might do with his crozier.
In our culture we are taught that if
ReplyDeleteyou want to get ahead in life, then
you must demand your rights. This of
course is encouraged by bottom
feeder lawyers who are now able to
advertise on television. They will
tell you to sue anybody that denies
you what rightly belongs to you.
People are now victims of everything
from bad medicine to bad car accidents and the solution is to sue. This has carried over to
church parking lots when people
fall on the ice and want to sue
their own parish.
Or as we used to call it, greed. This is 21st C. America; where if you say to someone 'good morning' and its 12:01PM they'll sue for emotional distress.
ReplyDelete