I struggle sometimes with how much of my personal thoughts and feelings I should share with you my readers. This is afterall a crafting blog, but I firmly believe in getting to know the person behind the keyboard and computer screen and today I just have some thoughts that need to be spilled. So bear with me please, and I promise to make it short and sweet!
But more and more often I am starting to get disillusioned by organized religion. Especially the religion I was born into. I believe many of the principles of this church are true. I just get so frustrated with the people in it sometimes that it makes it hard for me to go.
The ecclesiastical leader in our church is someone that I don't get along with. I've tried, I really have. I've gone outside of my comfort zone to try and get along with him, but its become very apparent to me this last week that will just never happen.
I view this person as a controlling totalitarian anal retentive jerk. But I'm supposed to respect him and look to him for guidance in my life. Well I'm sorry I just cannot. I don't trust him, I don't admire him, I don't like him! As much as it pains me to admit that, because I've never had a bad relationship with a leader in our church before, so this is a new experience for me. And as such it's a new experience trying to figure out how to handle the situation maturely.
After facing several struggles with this person over the course of the last year and a half, two days ago I sent an email expressing those concerns to him. (I'm much more clear and articulate in writing than in person. Also in writing you can't see me sobbing like an idiot and choking on tissues, so I retain some dignity...not much...but some.)
I laid out all of my concerns with him. I was as honest and respectful as I could possibly be. I was not upset when I wrote this email to him, I was just trying to be honest. And I got in response:
Amber,
Just returning from an out-of-state business trip this week. I have multiple comments on your strongly-worded e-mail. If you want to discuss your concerns, I’m happy to do so in person. Please contact "Soandso" if you would like to schedule a time to meet with me at the church. Thanks.
(In our church we contact the leader's secretary to set up apointments, and he asked me to do that, I just removed this person's name and replaced it with "Soandso")
I got the brush off. Of course I'd like to discuss my concerns! Why do you think I emailed you in the first place? And if you have "multiple comments" on my "strongly worded" email then why could you have not replied in print?
This response from this leader is the last straw. I wrote him and let him know that my husband and I are finding a different church group with which to associate. (It's a different group of members of our church, we call them "wards" We're not leaving our church, just this particular grouping of members to find a different one)
I'm so frustrated that it's taking a toll on my spirit and even my desire to participate and worship. Tell me, what do you do when you get so beaten down that even religion is beating you down? Maybe I'm just looking for some advice. So bring it on, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
