The Parable of Sheep (A Church Story)

[IdaBriggs]

I'm not going to argue with anyone about which religion (or lack thereof) is right or wrong; we all have our own opinions, and I believe in that. This is about my weekend, and how I've been thinking about it ever since.

One of the things I'm doing is taking my babies to a variety of worship services, both Christian and Non. I realize they are too young to appreciate what they are hearing, but I'm going now (when they are 9 months old) so I can become "better educated" myself and speak with some reasonable authority about what they are learning. We've got "godparents" for most of the different faiths (so my children can speak with someone who isn't me who they will hopefully have a life long relationship with), and my goal includes such things as "respect" for the different ways people find to worship a higher power. I do my best to find "something good" in each experience, even though I obviously *don't* agree with everything that is said every single time we go.

This weekend we went to the Mormon Church. My "favorite" thing about them is their absolute commitment to family in a very practical way. Part of their belief structure is that "family relationships are eternal", along with a realistic awareness that "while family can bring us our greatest joy, they can also be our greatest challenge." On a personal note, getting to spend eternity with some of my various family members has on more than one occasion sounded like the exact OPPOSITE of heaven, if you know what I mean, and so the discussion this last Sunday was very positive and enjoyable, especially as there was a "practical" view of the way everyone tries to live the ideal of being "good family" during the holiday season.

For me, who has not been on good terms for the last three years with the brother who is hosting Family Christmas, this was an amazing, positive, and perfectly timed discussion of what family means, the role that Pride plays in our relationships, and how to cope when people (including me) aren't Perfect. I'm still chewing on a lot of what was said; it was exactly what I think of when I want to go to services -- a time to reflect on the person I want to be, and how I can better achieve that goal.

And then we hit the Shepherd/Sheep parable, and my brain balked.

Sheep are stupid. I am *not* a Sheep.

Shepherds watch over their Sheep because Sheep provide food (mutton) and clothing (wool) and wealth. Sheep trust their Shepherds to take care of them, and a Shepherd will be "friends" with them right up until the Sheep becomes dinner.

"The Lord is My Shepherd" is a very famous source of comfort, but when your brain goes "practical" on you, it suddenly does not seem as "comforting" as it probably was when this was an agrarian society.

I do not find this comforting, and its probably pretty obvious I am missing the point (that the Sheep are treasured, and Shepherds take care of them). I don't really trust Shepherds, and yet, the lesson of "have faith in those who are called to Shepherd us, because even if they aren't perfect, they are called by God" is one of the oldest that Religious Authorities of all denominations have been preaching for thousands of years.

Trust them. Pray for them. Trust that God has a reason for everything, including their mistakes, because with Him, all things are possible. Its a tenet at some level of all faiths from Christian to Hindu; at some level, its comforting to "let go and let God" when you are blatantly NOT in control of other people.

And I understood why these very kind, very decent, very good people are still supporting the Leadership of this country. They don't think of the President as a messiah figure; they think of him as the Leader who, by virtue of the fact he is the current Leader, has been selected by God to take care of this country. They know that this country will have Good leaders and Bad leaders, but they trust that all things are working for a greater purpose, even if they don't understand it right now.

Honestly, the Baptists seem to believe the same thing now that I think about it. The Jehovah's will not participate in politics, while the Methodists seem to believe in a more "practical" Judge Them By Their Deeds thing.

I'm a liberal, so I guess I'm more of the School of Herding Cats. I will continue to attend worship services in the faiths I've selected, and I will do my best to help my children respect and understand others.

But I still don't like the Sheep thing, even if I am missing the point.

[YOY]

1. That one gets under the skin of many folks

and you are right. You're not missing the point.

[Angela Shelley]

2. But the "eternal family" status

has its price. 10% of your gross income, no questions asked, every month for the rest of your earthly life.

They are taught that "questioning" is not necessary, because they have a prophet who does the thinking for them.

I can assure you that you are better off to not even get started.

[mike_c]

3. it is all just myth and superstition anyway....

I have several friends who are agnostics or atheists but who are either doing something similar to what you're doing-- exposing their children to a bunch of different mass delusions-- or who are raising their children in the "faith" culture that they were raised in, despite their professed rejection of the superstitions it comprises. We've tried to discuss this on occasion because I truly don't understand it, but they seem trapped by the contradictions and become defensive about it pretty quickly.

I realize this is a little off topic-- I have nothing to say about the parable of the shepherd except to agree with you that our role in that parable is pretty grim, yet it is a compelling story for christians. Perhaps they long to be used by their sky demons and then slaughtered?

[Angela Shelley]

4. Humans are "simple creatures"

and they enjoy hearing that someone else is calling the shots (or watching over them).

[eleny]

5. Two "Mormon" stories

A Lutheran friend of mine lived in Salt Lake City for several years. When they moved back here I asked her if there were any memories of everyday life that stood out for her during her time there. She related that she and her hubby thought it so odd that the restaurants were always so quiet. That families, even large ones, were not talking and just plain visiting over meals. So my friend asked around and learned that the Mormons would sort of spy on each other and if they overheard something interesting, they'd go tattle to their bishop. So speaking at meals in crowded restaurants was uncommon.

Now, that may or may not be fact. I can't speak from personal experience with this but only relate what I was told by a person I know to be truthful over our friendship of 25 years. So take it for what it is - a second hand story.

But I can say from personal experience that a Mormon family helped hubby and me out during a bad time. We were traveling through Utah when a leaf spring broke on the underside of our camper. We were just outside a small town. We limped back to town and someone pointed us to a welding business. The guy agreed to do the work the next day putting off other work he had to do. And they let us camp out on the business property. We went out to dinner and came back by the time they requested. They closed the giant chain link fence locking us in for the night. Next morning the guy and his wife were back early and he worked on mending the leaf spring. We were on our way by noon having paid him what my hubby thought a very reasonable fee. The whole time, the guy acted like this was just business as usual. His humility struck me and will always be remembered.

Your essay brought both of these things back to mind so I figured to share them.

[Angela Shelley]

7. There´s no question that there are "good people"

in every religious organization.

"Good people" would be the same "good people" even if they didn´t go to church services.

The problem is that people who "go to church" tend to forget that there are "good people" who have no religious affiliation.

Alot of "good people" who go to church are afraid that if they stop going to church, they will automatically turn into "bad people".

[eleny]

15. I agree with you completely

[NMMNG]

6. The term "sheeple" arose for a reason

While there are many religious people who use their minds, there are those who simply don't and blindly do as they're told. And the results have been devastating.

[JuniperLea]

8. I was raised in a Fundy church... but had Jewish God Parents...

I can totally relate to your quest for knowledge, but don't expect logic to enter into scriptural discussions with most Christianity-based churches. I was chastised severely for suggesting that we ought to take the Bible, Christ's teachings specifically, to heart and love everyone... even evil-doers, for they are also children of God, and since Jesus and God love us all, they are loved as well. Jesus never taught hate, and he never taught us to treat our brothers badly in any way. Far from it. He told us that however we treat the lesser of our brothers is how we are treating Jesus himself.

[madinmaryland]

9. You can get scratched up pretty bad doing that...

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/66347/cat_herding/

:hi:

[knitter4democracy]

10. You're right: sheep are stupid.

You're not missing the point there.

Most Christians interpret it this way: in the Bible, those who choose to be bad are often depicted as goats, and those who are faithful are depicted as sheep. Goats test everything and can be quite stubborn and willful. Sheep aren't as willful as they are scared and so depend on a leader and a shepherd to know that they're safe and can eat and drink and play. The sheep metaphor is how God looks at us--scared and needing to be safe, which God provides through love and grace. Not everyone agrees with that interpretation, but that's the one I've heard the most frequently.

A fun place to visit with the kids would be an Orthodox church--very, very different. See if you can find a Russian, OCA, or Antiochian one nearby, since most Greek churches do at least half of the liturgy in Greek. The others will use other mother languages from time to time but not as much. It's a very different service and place to worship. We're the eastern, usually forgotten, side of the Christian faith.

[Javaman]

11. So me and the other sheep are out grazing the other day...

I asked Bob sheep if he has seen the shepard lately.

Bob replied, "you mean other than the on again off again relationship he has with Shirley sheep? nope haven't seen him".

I got a little worried. Dave sheep and Steve sheep haven't been around either. We used to love to crack sheep jokes together, but I have seen them all day.

But the shepard is a good guy, he's always looking out for us.

That was a few days ago. Now Bob is gone! what is going on here. So I went and asked Shirley, "so Shirl, have you seen Bob?"

She paused between long drags on her cigarette, pausing now and then to sort of let her thoughts wonder as she gazed off into the distance, Bob is...gone". "Gone?", I replied.

"Gone", she let if waft from her mouth.

"where? he was my bud!", I implored.

"just...gone", she took an extra long drag. Her eyes settled on me in the most unnerving way. "you will be...gone, one day too". With that, she wandered off, leaving the haze of spent smoke lingering in the air.

I was worried. What does gone mean?

The next day, the Shepard returned. I was happy and a bit relieved. I quickly ran to him and he gave me a good scratch behind the ear. The shepard will keep us safe, he always has. Life is good and I will see Bob again.

The Shepard wandered out into the field doing his normal Shepard thing. A bit calmer now, I thought to take a bit of a nap. As I settled down. I heard awful screaming coming from behind me. There was Shirley, getting tied up by the Shepard!! She keeps yelling, "this is the thanks I get? You pig, you filthy pig!!"

I'm frozen in place, I don't know what to do. The Shepard roughly throws Shirley into the back of his truck. Shirley begins to cry. I walk over to the tail gate, "Shirley, what's going on? What's happening????"

Between tears, Shirley moans out, "Gone. gone. gone", as the truck drives off.

[Angela Shelley]

12. Good story, but modern day shepards want you to stay alive

because they need you to work and give them your money!

[Javaman]

13. Until they don't need you anymore. ;) nt

[Angela Shelley]

14. They will always need you as long as you pay!

[Javaman]

16. and there you go, as long as you pay. ;) lol

my grandfather left Italy because he hated the church. Why? because he was dirt poor and couldn't contribute to the collection plate. So the poor were shunned from the church.

Sorry, no ticky no shirty.