{"id":215,"date":"2009-07-07T16:23:10","date_gmt":"2009-07-07T20:23:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/christianpiatt.org\/?p=215"},"modified":"2009-07-07T16:23:10","modified_gmt":"2009-07-07T20:23:10","slug":"when-left-behind-takes-on-new-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/christianpiatt.org\/?p=215","title":{"rendered":"When &#8220;Left Behind&#8221; takes on new meaning"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><meta http-equiv=\"Content-Type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" \/><meta name=\"ProgId\" content=\"Word.Document\" \/><meta name=\"Generator\" content=\"Microsoft Word 11\" \/><meta name=\"Originator\" content=\"Microsoft Word 11\" \/>\n<link href=\"file:\/\/\/C:%5CUsers%5CCHRIST%7E1%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml\" rel=\"File-List\" \/><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>  <w:WordDocument>   <w:View>Normal<\/w:View>   <w:Zoom>0<\/w:Zoom>   <w:PunctuationKerning\/>   <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas\/>   <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false<\/w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>   <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false<\/w:IgnoreMixedContent>   <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false<\/w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>   <w:Compatibility>    <w:BreakWrappedTables\/>    <w:SnapToGridInCell\/>    <w:WrapTextWithPunct\/>    <w:UseAsianBreakRules\/>    <w:DontGrowAutofit\/>   <\/w:Compatibility>   <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4<\/w:BrowserLevel>  <\/w:WordDocument> <\/xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>  <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState=\"false\" LatentStyleCount=\"156\">  <\/w:LatentStyles> <\/xml><![endif]--><\/p>\n<style> <!--  \/* Style Definitions *\/  p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal \t{mso-style-parent:\"\"; \tmargin:0in; \tmargin-bottom:.0001pt; \tmso-pagination:widow-orphan; \tfont-size:12.0pt; \tfont-family:\"Times New Roman\"; \tmso-fareast-font-family:\"Times New Roman\";} @page Section1 \t{size:8.5in 11.0in; \tmargin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; \tmso-header-margin:.5in; \tmso-footer-margin:.5in; \tmso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 \t{page:Section1;} --> <\/style>\n<p><!--[if gte mso 10]> \n\n<style>  \/* Style Definitions *\/  table.MsoNormalTable \t{mso-style-name:\"Table Normal\"; \tmso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; \tmso-tstyle-colband-size:0; \tmso-style-noshow:yes; \tmso-style-parent:\"\"; \tmso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; \tmso-para-margin:0in; \tmso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; \tmso-pagination:widow-orphan; \tfont-size:10.0pt; \tfont-family:\"Times New Roman\"; \tmso-ansi-language:#0400; \tmso-fareast-language:#0400; \tmso-bidi-language:#0400;} <\/style>\n\n <![endif]--><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><strong>When \u0093left behind\u0094 takes on new meaning<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.christianpiatt.com\">Christian Piatt<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><em>(Originally published in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pueblopulp.com\">PULP<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">The phrase \u0093left behind\u0094 brings to mind for most people the apocalyptic religious fiction series, apparently scaring people into adhering to Christian doctrine \u0093or else.\u0094 But for me, it raises strong feelings about what sucks the most about being a part of organized religion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">If there\u0092s one word that defines the relevance of a community of faith, it\u0092s just that: community. Sure, we can practice faith alone on a mountaintop or study it in a book, but as my wife, Amy says, a book can\u0092t visit you in the hospital, and a mountain can\u0092t hug you back.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">There\u0092s a basic human need for community that started in primitive times when we, not being the fastest, fiercest or strongest species, had to depend on one another for survival. Since then, community has remained an essential part of our social fabric, and certainly not just in religion. But in that context, community not only provides love and support, but at its best, it also stretches and challenges us to become more as part of the whole than we are on our own.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">The hard part, especially when you commit to the community over the long term, is that you set yourself up to be left, over and again. For some, communities of faith \u0096 and, I expect, other communities too \u0096 are there simply to serve them, to accommodate them like a pair of shoes. If the fit becomes less than ideal, or if something new and exciting comes along, they split.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">For some, dealing with the inevitable conflict that comes from being a tightly-knit, interdependent group is worse than starting fresh. So again, they walk. It\u0092s kind of like being committed to a relationship where you\u0092re always the one getting dumped, and never the other way around.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Of course, this sort of vulnerability is a part of any relationship. It\u0092s just that the traditional values of sticking with one particular group, simply because or out of a sense of moral obligation, has changed with the increasingly dynamic nature of our culture.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">We see it everywhere; people stay in jobs for less time than in the past, but we also get laid off more suddenly. So why do we owe a company our lifelong fidelity if they will turn on us at the next economic downturn? And sure, marriage is a nice idea, but we\u0092ve seen enough divorce and infidelity to compromise any sense of permanence the institution held before. So it may work for us right now, but there\u0092s always an exit clause, right?<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">In a perfect world, communities of faith would be the welcome exception to this cultural norm. When we made a covenant to one another and to the Divine to stick it out, that\u0092s what we mean \u0096 for better or worse. But I think before we can expect others to follow in this spirit, the institutions themselves have much healing and re-creation to do from within.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">It\u0092s not religion\u0092s job to accommodate, and to ensure comfort and \u0093customer satisfaction\u0094 for all comers.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>However, it is incumbent upon all who call themselves sanctuaries to offer the hope, healing, nurturing and love that allows each of us to feel we\u0092re a part of something bigger than ourselves.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p>\u00a0<\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Over time, this mantra may become practice so that it\u0092s something in which we can trust again. Until then, we may just have to stick together, behaving as if we get what we need from one another. Hopefully, by committing to one another, we can live into the community we imagine we might someday be.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When \u0093left behind\u0094 takes on new meaning by Christian Piatt (Originally published in PULP) &nbsp; The phrase \u0093left behind\u0094 brings to mind for most people the apocalyptic religious fiction series, apparently scaring people into adhering to Christian doctrine \u0093or else.\u0094 But for me, it raises strong feelings about what sucks the most about being a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,11,39,19,2,13,17,10,33,36,37,1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/christianpiatt.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/christianpiatt.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/christianpiatt.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/christianpiatt.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/christianpiatt.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=215"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/christianpiatt.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/christianpiatt.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/christianpiatt.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/christianpiatt.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}