The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1952-06-26
THIS ROCK
OF OURS
sy BILL CiBB

"What's the use OF belonging to
a church, I can be just as good a
man at home as a lot Of those hv-
pocrites who attend every service
the church offers"
| You hear those words or some
thing similar quite often. Let 5
think about the question for a mo-
/ ment.
What IS the use of going to
! church?
/ 1t is true that in all probability,
there have been a few men. (Or
women, in history who managed
to live good lives without the help
of organized religion And it must
be admitted that any and all chur-
cheS number among their mem
bership few people who might be
considered hypocriteS.
But.
It is also true that there is an
excellent chance these hypocriteS
will be transformed will acquire
humility, reverence, and faith The
-churchgoer. when he runs into
adversely. has nothing bigger than
himself to fall back upon Almost
invariably he slips into cynicism.
resentment, envy, and other non
Godlike attitudes.
You see, this is the way the sit
uatiOn stacks 10.
The Bible tells us man was made
in the image and likeness OF Goa.
The guy who doesn't go to church
has no real conception of the mean
ing of this statement. He believes
| it yes but his very belief
/ throws him off the beam. He is
too likely to humanize God.
For instance, he says to himself
when trouble arrives Heck,
brought this on myself | can't go
running to God with a lot of petty
troubles. He might get angry at
me" Or, if he really needs some
thing, he might thing of God as a
Giver but the thought viii also
strike him; There are millions Of
people who need things. God cant
possibly hear all of us at the same
time so why bother asking Him"
Do you get what | mean by the
humanized angle?
The man is pulling God down to
his own level and attributing many
Of his own weak characteristics as
being possessed by God.
The non-churchgoer twists the
Bibles statement mentioned pre-
viously to: God is made in the
image and likeness of man =" His
actions and FEELINGS toward God
are the result of what he thinks
would be right or possible insofar
as he himself is concerned.
The ChurChgoar gets a truer in
sight of Reality because he has the
help of priests or ministers these
priests and ministers are nothing
but servants servants to God and
to humanity They use the church
as a common meeting ground
where they can best unite material
man with his infinite God and
serve them both Mankind is given
helpful advice that, to a greater or
less degree, is insured BY the word
of God through His servants. the
priests or ministers
Through the church. mankird al,
so IS taught that it might have
been created in the i'm lie and
likeness Of God but it was man
kind with capital IN. the >piri-
tual man. not the week. materia-
hstic, man who ties himself to
surrounding EVIL and corporcal
thoughts.
Thus, the churcb2oer can feel Sc
cure in the knowledge that GOD IS
a Father. represents Love, and is
All-in-All. He never ~, an doubt
that his God can and viii handle
all problems This secure feeling
is quite a contrast 10 tee non
churcheocr 5 tca.ue Of God as
comrade but an inadequate one
due to hi, likeness to man
la,j0n IA the victim was sentenced