RELIGION: We must do better practicing what we preach

Re: “Pope visiting an increasingly less religious US” (Your Voice, 9-21).

I appreciated the Rev. Dave Brown’s candor in recognizing the role of the religious community in the decline in religiosity in the country and the region. Those of us in the church have “cast a dark shadow over human history ... with (our) intolerance, violence and anti-science viewpoints.”

We need to accept a large measure of responsibility for our declining numbers. Yes, the church teaches the core values of “love, compassion and unity,” but we do a poor job of practicing what we preach.

Brown is also right that society loses out when churches decline, simply because the unaffiliated lack the advantages of institutional organization. But I hope his message is heard most by those of us in the church. It is hardly reasonable to expect anyone to want to join a bunch of hypocrites unless we acknowledge our hypocrisy.

To answer one of Brown’s questions, whether or not the religious community becomes more welcoming or not, the values of love, compassion and unity have the power of truth and will not go away. It just may be that some other (new?) institutions may do a better job of expressing them.

This story was originally published September 22, 2015 at 2:38 PM with the headline "RELIGION: We must do better practicing what we preach."