Criteria for a Church

Several years ago I was inspired by Dr. King's sermon "Guidelines for a Constructive Church".  I gave a message at my church called "Criteria for a Church".  I have misplaced that sermon.  It is in my papers somewhere.  As I recall I had either five or seven criteria.  At this point I can only recall four.  Which is my outline for this blog.  1. Does the Church discriminate against people? 2. Does it discriminate against ideas?  3. Does it help people? And 4. Is it there for you?
  Are people welcomed in the church?  Stupid question.  People are always welcomed in church.  But are they?  Who leads? Who preaches?  Who can sit in the pews without being judged? Judgement is a form of discrimination. Churches as private institutions have the legal right to discriminate.  But they don't have the right to my support for doing so. 
   I also don't support the discrimination of ideas.  This comes down to something we could call openess of canon.  What is Scripture?  How many psalms in your Bible?  My Scripture is still being written for I believe that God is still speaking to us.  My Canon is totally open.  And growing.  I honor the Bible and "Illusions" as being Holy.  And alot of other writings.
   The acid test of any religion should be whether or not it helps people.  Most churches do.  Some churches are entertainment centers and social clubs as Dr. King preached.  And I am not against forming friendships in church or having gamenight.  But the primary thing should be helping people.  The third book of John gives us three ways of helping people.  To heal, to prosper, and to grow spiritually.  If the church isn't doing that, then why is it called church?
   And if it isn't there for you, why call it church?  This has to do with accessibility and availiblity.  My mother died in the last days of July.  We buried her in the first days of August.  The church I was considering joining took August off.  They couldn't support me in my time of loss.  I didn't join that church.  Some churches take off the whole summer.  I recall several years ago when Christmas fell on Sunday.  Churches took that day off, including mine.  The anniversary of the Church and the doors are locked.  Holiday number one and the sanctuary is dark.  Some depressed guy showed up and found no one. He went home to  his whiskey, passed out drunk in his bathtub. That's my sick imagination.  Church has to be open for business every Sunday. Or call it a Center.  Don't defame the name Church.
    So those are some of my  critera for a church.  You can see that 99 % of churches don't cut it with me.  I am a friend of churches to the degree that they meet my criteria.  I support most of what they do.  There is only one church that I am a member of, and one organisation that I belong to that meet my criteria. Astara is the organisation and the Church of the Larger Fellowship, Unitarian-Universalist.  There are others.  But those two have earned my trust.  The best church is the church you carry within yourself.  Meditation and study are things you can do most anywhere, most anytime.  I had those before I started going to church and I will have those when church is not there for me. So I invite the reader to develop your own criteria for a church.  Then support the church of your choice. And always build the church within.

In Peace, Love and Light,
Enoch