It's Christmas Eve, and I'm a parish pastor. AMA!

Who would win in a fist fight: the Easter Bunny or Santa Clause?

p.s.: Merry Christmas.

Santa is an obese elderly man who gets chauffeured not just from continent to continent but house to house and lives on a diet of cookies. The Easter Bunny would have agility, stamina, and possibly rabies on its side. Santa would be toast.

Merry Christmas to you as well!

Ok, easter bunny or superman?

I mean, clearly Superman, unless the Easter Bunny is packing kryptonite in one of those eggs, but even then, kryptonite is so radioactive that it may just snuff the Bunny out as well. So it'd be a Pyrrhic victory at best.

Fair enough. Maybe the egg shell is lead?

But what kid wakes up on Easter morning hoping the Easter bunny has left them a lead egg?

Lex Luther

Martin's lesser-known kid brother?! ;)

Edit: Thank you for the gold!

It auto corrected so I left it, I just knew it was Luthor.

I figured, I just couldn't resist, though. I don't think Luthor gets anything from the Easter Bunny. Doesn't the Easter Bunny only visit nice comic book characters?

I know it has some irreverent content, but South Park's Santa decimated the forces of evil in the Christmas Critters episode.

Hail Satan!

My religious beliefs just went out the window.

Sorry about that.

Rev, autocorrect might have got the better of you there.

...Hail Santa?

What?

This pastor apparently has a sense of humor :)

I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about.

There is a Santa Clause in my rental contract. It allows the landlord to break into my apartment whenever he wants as long as he is dressed as Santa.

I'm not a real estate attorney, but maybe find a new landlord?

Do you treat Dec 25th as the birth date of Jesus, or as a celebration date of Jesus?

Since we don't have a historical source attesting to the birth date of Jesus, my personal belief is that Christmas really is the latter. Although I do have a gloriously hideous Christmas sweater with the words 'birthday boy' embroidered under a picture of Jesus, so...

The last church I attended used to do a candlelight Christmas Eve service. We'd end with turning out the lights, singing Silent Night, then right into Happy Birthday. And of course we'd have cake and coffee afterwards!

Sorry about your RIP Inbox. Hope it rises before the third day.

Last line literally made me LOL. Well played.

My word... Where did you get this ol' birthday boy sweater? It's my birthday tomorrow and I'd be on top with something that slick.

Gotta ask my wife, it was a gift from her. I definitely married up. :)

Are... are you Jesus?

No, just a man living with compromises since childhood.

It's why I drink and review so much scotch.

Doing the Lord's work.

Or at least Diageo's.

We want pics OP.

My dogs are currently snoozing on my lap, so I can't move for at least a million hours. Once they do, I'll try to oblige.

1,000,000 / 24 = 41666.6667 days

That's two instances of the number of the beast in one calculation. This can't be a coincidence. What are you trying to tell us pastor?

That the mothership is on its way and you lot had best be ready.

adjusts tin foil hat in preparation

Have you seen a waxing or waning of the younger generation into your church/parish?

Roman Catholic here and the Parish I typically go to has seen a sharp downturn in the number of younger adults, professional age, and young families coming in. They are beginning to talk about combining parishes and reducing the number of masses.

Edit: Merry Christmas!

At my parish we've been blessed with some pretty amazing young families over the past several years that I've been here. But there are still speed bumps--we've definitely had to do (and are still doing!) a lot of work in bridging the generational gaps in our congregation, and the culture of our area in general is such that church is very much on the periphery of many peoples' lives now, for a variety of reasons--some of them self-inflicted by the church.

I really do empathize with your parish and will say a prayer for you. At least two other congregations in my region have closed their doors during my time here. I went to seminary at a school that was located near a few different Roman Catholic seminaries and ended up taking a year's worth of my classes from them. It gave me a deep appreciation for your tradition and I want to see it thrive as much as I would like to see my own denomination thrive.

I don't have a question, and I'm not particularly religious, but it is heartening to hear a member of one denomination have concern for another. Religious tolerance was hard to find in my religious upbringing, so it's awesome that you demonstrate it so well.

A priest at my parents parish is friends with a few other pastors from different denominations. All these men and women want to help people so they're all fighting the same fight. It's like police vs firemen vs paramedics, they all think they're the best but will gladly go have a drink with someone from an other organization.

That's a very helpful analogy. Thanks!

The Christian churches I grew up attending taught that Catholics weren't real Christians and that they were blasphemers and idol-worshippers. It's not an uncommon thing among conservative evangelical churches and is pretty much the norm for fundamentalist Protestant churches. We called the Catholics "Papists" and didn't consider them saved because they didn't know the "true God" even though theirs had the same name as ours.

I'm sorry that was your experience growing up. I wish we had a more enlightened view towards Roman Catholicism. I have my disagreements with its doctrine, but I respect it immensely.

It is really heartwarming to hear men of the cloth admit that churches are closing and young people have generally left organized religion. Maybe we really are moving forward as a society. Merry Christmas everyone!!

As much as I believe that Christianity has had its errors in the past, moving forward as a society is more about fixing those errors and changing to make sure they don't happen again. Organized religion is a good thing for many people, even if you disagree. Merry Christmas and may you live a blessed life!

Organized religion is a horrific train wreck, even if you disagree. Im sure lots of intellectually lazy people can tell you how much it helps, but im glad that most people who can reason their way out of a paper bag leave all of your nonsense behind them.

You are the wind beneath my wings, kind person.

I was raised Roman Catholic my whole life. As soon as I was 18 I stopped going. Now I only ever think about church twice a year: Christmas Eve and Easter when I'm home with my family. Many of my friends who I grew up going to church with are now the same way.

Edit: words

I'm sorry you feel that way about church but am glad you still go with your family, I'm sure it means a lot to them.

Good for you!

I'd have no problem with religion if it wasn't for them always needing more and more money, having huge churches while there are poor people living across the street that have to decide between medicine and food AND pay no tax while benefiting from community, state and federal services and protections. Stop the free ride.

Open invitation to come visit my church sometime. It's a big historic building next door to a school where probably 95% of the kids are on free or reduced school lunches. We buy food and clothes for the kids, adopt families at the nearby battered women + children shelter for Christmas, and contribute to turning utilities back on in their homes--or towards preventing their utilities from being shut off (or preventing eviction) to begin with.

Our building was planned in the Roaring Twenties for an upper-middle class that no longer exists in our town. Our congregation is almost entirely middle class or impoverished. We have come up with all sorts of different ways to use our building--to coordinate those missions I list above, hosting a 12-step group and then a CPR + first aid class, and we're now in early conversation with a larger national organization to become a rotating shelter for homeless families.

We're aware of the gifts we have been given. But in truth, many of the same people in our pews are the same people you're trying to champion here. They love our church and want to see it thrive just like they want to see themselves and their own households thrive. Just keep that in mind, please. That's all.

As someone who used to work for a church, I'm convinced most people don't understand the time, effort, and money that goes into 1) keeping a historic and aging building in decent shape, and 2) coordinating everything so that the building can be used as community space. Thank you for your work in your local community; to me, that's where churches make the biggest difference.

+1 to all of this. Thank you for putting it so much better than I did!

You make me want to go back to church.

I haven't been in almost 20 years but really, you make me want to go back to church. Maybe it's the eggnog talking, I don't know, but thank you. Thank you for the work you do.

I've got the kid-friendly egg nog if you need some by this point. :)

Thank you for your kind words. I'm very, very happy to know this has made a difference for you. Merry Christmas.

And on top of all these things the arrogant righteousness that many Christians carry themselves with in spite of all the things you just listed is what really rubs me the wrong way.

Edit: this is in no way directed towards OP. He's been very gracious and open minded in this thread

I am so righteous, it's contagious. That's really why I did this AMA--I hoped maybe a little of my righteousness would be caught by all of you.

But it's reddit, so... :)

PS: Thank you for your kind words. No sarcasm.

Why are many churches and denominations so rules-focused, formulaic, and ceremonial? Wasn't Jesus an opponent of the religious elite?

I'll answer your second question first, because that's the simpler one: Yes, He was.

My personal theory as to why so many churches care so much about rules is because they value homogeneity. Many (not all, but many) churches are uniform across a great many lines--race/ethnicity, generation, socio-economic status, etc. Having more rules to sort of act as gates or hurdles makes it easier for them to filter out potential boat-rocking right at the outset...that's honestly why I think you see churches that make people sign ridiculously long statements of belief as a condition of membership: it's an insurance policy against anyone really changing the norms that have already been established. Which is unfortunate, because then those norms become an idol, and Jesus becomes a means of upholding those norms, not upholding the life-changing love, grace, and mercy of God.

Edit: Thank you for the gold!

You know what? I'm completely non-Christian. I was raised Christian and I just sort of...started asking questions and seeking answers, and this is just where I landed. This is not overly relevant.

The relevant part is that you are the first person I've heard answer that first question and do so in such an honest way that I actually respect it. To say that modern Christianity is the same as its original form is not only untruthful; it's far-fetched. It's impossible for something to last centuries and not change. But the fact that you've pointed out both good AND bad in it tells me that you follow the faith out of just that - faith - and you don't allow misguided attempts to control to cloud your judgments.

I'm not sure that the opinion of a stranger on the internet is all that important to you, but my opinion is that you're a pretty cool person.

The thing about being a non-practicing Christian is that if you still talk to God you're technically a practicing Christian.

I always took to heart that your relationship with your concept of "that gigantic other" should remain a personal one. I also understand the tenets of fellowship Jesus laid forth but I shied away from my church due to the group-think this pastor has described.

Humans, right? Give us something good and we'll f*** it up

Agreed. My mother always simplified faith vs doctrine down to this: it isn't a religion, it's a relationship.

In Matthew 22, when Jesus is asked what the most important law is, He lists two: love God (Deuteronomy 6:5) and love your neighbor (Leviticus 19:18). But He then says that on these two hang the entirety of the Law and the Prophets.

Put another way: love God, and love your neighbor. Everything else is commentary.

Edit: thank you so much for the gold!

It is our lot. Some animals can fly, some breathe underwater. We ruin things.

Every day I wake up, classical music floating through the coffee scent in my kitchen. As I sip my first cup, I gaze out my window pensively and think:

What can I just utterly ruin today?

Please narrate my life

Also mine.

Revanon looked out across the congregation. Fine folks gathered there for Christmas observance. He wondered to himself if his Reddit username had any connection to an old Star Wars game. He shook those thoughts off and began.

"I'd like to thank you all for coming tonight, I know it can be a commitment when our time these days seems so short..."

Billy Blake was in the back kicking the pews again. Revanon's eyebrows constricted. That Billy, always causing trouble.

"As many of you know, our inclusion and tolerance is needed more than anything in these days, when darkness seems to be literally knocking at our door."

Darkness literally knocked at the door. It poured through vestibule, upsetting the collection trays. The sound guy dove for cover as the Darkness devoured Billy Blake whole.

He had it coming, Revanon thought grimly as he primed the Holy Hand Grenade he had saved in his lectern for these specific moments.

"Frag out!" It flashed with a pure and holy light, shredding the shadows. They shrieked in unholy tongues, shriveling in horror from the divine truth. The congregation leapt to their feet in unison and curb stomped it as it weakly attempted to defend itself. It vomited Billy up in a wash of otherworldly detritus. It fled into the night through the broken doors.

Revanon adjusted his tie.

"As I was saying..."

I wear a tie now? Hot damn, I'm fancy!

I'm a baptized member of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and it is a really great church. Our objective is to be like the first century Christians with having a faith oriented tradition without the requirements you're talking about. We have two tennants:

1) Where He speaks, we speak. Where He is silent, we are silent

2) No creed but Christ

This lends us to being an open and affirming church, we offer communion to anyone who seeks it, and this all makes the environment really positive and the people who want to be there really want to be there.

I know you said you're non-Christian, but if you'd like a refreshing understanding, us and the United Church of Christ are pretty neat. We Disciples have been a church since the mid-1800s born out of the Barton-Stone movement which is a pretty cool theological approach to faith in itself. Thanks for asking one of our pastors a question and glad you got a good answer! Merry Christmas.

I actually did not ask a question, but I'm glad I came by this post. It's a very interesting (and refreshing) perspective.

As an added bonus, Colonel Sanders was a Disciple, so we can tell you his eleven herbs and spices recipe for fried chicken.

Actually, that's not true. But now I want fried chicken.

I went to Catholic school and was forced to go to church until I was 18. It definitely lost its appeal to me during that time as I just did not feel affected by going to church all that much. Is there any specific reason you think that many young people have decided to not continue going to church after attending a Catholic school?

I have a lot of "I was raised Catholic" (but am no longer Catholic) friends, and to be honest it is hard for me to pin that phenomenon down to a specific reason because their experience isn't mine (I went to public school and was the one kid in a hundred who dragged his parents to church). And my one foray into Roman Catholic education (during my time at seminary) I greatly enjoyed.

All of that being said--I think my generation (the millennials) cherishes its autonomy and freedom of movement greatly. Being told they have to sit through church or religious education runs contrary to that. If we go to church or religious school, we want it to be our choice. So if I had to venture a guess as to a common denominator, I would say that has a lot to do with it.

I think the focus on tradition and doing things because that's how they are done is a huge turnoff to millennials (myself included). I think that's likely because we were the first generation that was easily able to find answers to things on our own without going to an authority. Just my take...

Wait a second, I must Wikipedia your answer.

You got jokes man.

The jokes come from God. I am but the vessel.

Edit: Thank you for the gold!

If I were still a Christian, I'd like to have you as a pastor. If you're ever in the New Orleans area, hit me up.

I've got a husband-and-wife pair of seminary classmates doing ministry in New Orleans and I promise they're at least as witty as I am, if not more so. Let me know if you'd like me to hook you up!

Thank you for your answer! Yes I agree and I will be going to church today for the one time a year. Always go with family at Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you as well. I hope your return to church today will be enjoyable and lovely with your family.

I think a lot of people these days see organised religions as an institutions filled with hypocrisy. On top of that it's sometimes hard not to associate Christianity with prejudice idiots who tend to spruke their uninformed opinions loudly in public places.

It's hard for most people to hear that nonsense and think "gee, I'd really like to associate with these people, and come to worship their god"

As C.S. Lewis said as a character in a fantastic play called Freud's Last Session, "The biggest problem with Christianity is Christians."

Do you mind that so many people only go to services over Christmas? Would you rather they all came a lot more often, or are you happy that they do come for the important ones?

I don't mind in the slightest because I know it's not personal. That's what happens on the important days. Synagogues generally have much higher attendance for Yom Kippur. Heck, the NFL gets its highest ratings for the Super Bowl, not the regular season. So why should I get all bent out of shape over more people being here for Christmas and/or Easter?

The only thing about it that really irks me is when I then hear the complaints about only hearing the same thing whenever someone comes to church. Like, don't complain about there not being a variety of books at the library if you only ever go there to check out one in particular.

I'm an Australian Anglican and am having quite a bit of trouble trying to understand the many different Christian denominations and what sets them all apart from each other. Can you recommend a good resource for learning about this that is simple and easy to read?

Cheers.

Yeah, Christianity at this point is like a frozen yogurt shop...some of the flavors make sense but others you're like, "Did they really have to go to all the trouble to come up with this one?" :)

Adam Hamilton is a friend of a friend and a good author and pastor. One of the books he has written digs into what sets denominations apart, it's called Christianity's Family Tree and IIRC only costs several bucks on Amazon. It's a few years old at this point but most everything in there is still applicable. Hope this helps!

Read that as Alexander Hamilton, was very confused.

Yeah, he's my BAE.

/r/fellowkids

Busted.

When you consider the vastness and scale of the universe, and then think about the religious beliefs held by Humans, do you ever feel a certain dissonance between the two?

Have a great Christmas and new year :)

A little bit. Like, in Genesis 1, God takes three days to create the earth but just one day to create the rest of the universe? I mean, I guess we're special, but...yeah. I understand where you're coming from.

That being said, really, the vastness of the universe to me also underscores the vastness of God's creative ability. Even if we have really only glimpsed the tip of the proverbial iceberg, the writers of Scripture had to write about what they knew, and their experience of the universe simply didn't include all of the astronomic inquiry that we enjoy today. Which is why the Bible isn't a science textbook, but that's another question here!

I appreciate you more and more deeply with each response.

Thank you.

This AMA is so refreshing. Tolerance, transparency, and love all around.

NEXT UP, THE SNAKE-HANDLING

Edit: thank you kindly for the gold!

There are other explanations. The whole universe being created on verse 1 and the rest is just a description from the surface of the earth with the sky and what is contains becoming visible little by little...

Actually, I think that goes hand-in-hand with what I'm trying to say about the writers having to write from their experience of God. From their vantage point, it's indeed the rest of the universe becoming visible little bit little. You put it much better than I did, though!

Do you take time referenced in the creation as a literal, earth-day translation? Or are you open to other interpretations?

I've always felt creation in the bible had more credibility as a parent telling a story to their child of how something works rather than a literal piece of history. Just as a child is not ready to understand the complexity of birth and their parents simplify it for them, I'd imagine a highly intelligent being (God) having to simplify the explanation of creation for us humans, especially based on our intelligence over 5000 years ago.

I don't. And I don't think Genesis does either. If you read the Genesis 1 account, each day ends with some variation of "and there was morning and there was evening on the first/second/whatever day," except for the last day, when God rested. So what if the seventh day lasted longer? What if God needed to rest for a bit more before coming down on Adam and Eve for the apple eating?

I think the Genesis story makes much more sense when viewed as epochs of time than as literal 24/hour days.

What do think is an appropriate age to introduce the scarier parts of the bible to children? I ask because i was raised Quaker and one of the younger kids, age 6-7, in my meeting went to went to church with a friend and was traumatized by God is watching you, hell and the death of Jesus, told us we were all going to hell, had night terrors and his parents had to get him therapy. I got into the bible when i was 9 or 10 and interest in mythology, somewhat able to understand the concept of symbolism rather than take it literally. Also, my husband was raised Jewish and learned about the holocaust at too tender an age in his adult opinion, the uglier side of religious history is also a bit much for young minds to process. In meeting, us kids only learned the parables of Jesus and did some community service, we didnt join the adults until we were maybe 12-13 depending if/when we wanted to.

I think it varies from kid to kid. Some kids have a maturity to be able to have those conversations earlier than others. But as a rule of thumb, I decline to baptize peoples' kids until they are at least 9 or 10 precisely for that reason. I want their faith to be their choice, not because they were scared into it because you were preached hellfire and brimstone since preschool. There is definitely a way to talk about things like sin and evil with kids, but that's not it.

And honestly, I come across plenty of adults who have a hard time processing just how hurtful organized religion can be/has been in the past. So...maybe never? :)

But as a rule of thumb, I decline to baptize peoples' kids until they are at least 9 or 10 precisely for that reason. I want their faith to be their choice, not because they were scared into it

I'm American Episcopal, for reference. Given this statement, what are your thoughts on the denominations who baptize children as babies, and use the rite of Confirmation as the mature choice of faith?

I don't believe people who have experienced infant baptism need to be re-baptized. I have re-baptized people on request, but its often because they, say, came from extremely strict or fundamentalist backgrounds and never really felt like it was their choice.

Put a different way: whatever floats your boat. We're all trying to get to the same place in the end.

Sort of a side not..why not baptize infants? The old covenant had infant circumcision, and if I recall, there's a scripture in Acts where a whole household is baptized, presumably with children and all.

My denomination believes that baptism needs to be chosen by the person wishing to be baptized. Infants only know "cry," "eat," "sleep," and "poop." They sadly do not know "baptize." :/

How long do you practice a sermon before delivering it?

I don't rehearse my sermons at all. Each one probably takes 8-10 hours to write, though, depending on the amount of preparation work that went into the series it is a part of.

So you don't practice what you preach.

I see what you did there!

Why don't you rehearse it?

I take more time rehearsing mine than writing them.

I've found that giving the sermon for the first time when I'm actually up there as opposed to in front of a mirror creates an enthusiasm and excitement that I cannot artificially replicate.

Do you support Gay "Conversion" therapy? Of all western nations the USA seems to be the only one that hasn't banned it outright (and if states have people actually challenged to preserve their "right" to torture people), while literally all medical evidence has found its impossible to change someone's sexual orientation.

I was raised in a church that had an openly gay worship pastor and I had LGBTQ classmates in seminary who had experienced gay conversion therapy with traumatic results. I fully support the effort to make it illegal in my country.

Thank you for your reply! Have a happy holiday 🤗

You too!

First: wholeheartedly agree with banning this 'therapy'.

Second: how does the seminary you attend reconcile the new testament teaching against homosexuality with accepting LGBTQ clergy? This is one of the things I've never been able to pin down.

So...I don't accept the premise that the teaching in Romans 1 is against homosexuality. Paul is arguing against unnatural sex...well, if you are oriented towards attraction to people of the same sex, then sex with someone of the opposite sex might indeed feel unnatural.

Hello, pastor! My father is the pastor of Woodside Bible Church in Farmington Hills, Michigan; having grown up in the church, I have a more faith-based question to ask you. What do you think can be done to change society's view of Christianity in today's world?

Honest answer? Get attention-seeking talking heads like Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell Jr., and James Dobson as far away from television and social media as humanly possible.

I live in the same town as Jerry Falwell Jr. and I couldn't agree more.

My wife is from North Carolina--Billy Graham's home state. The feeling there among many of her friends and family about Franklin Graham is probably not unlike your feelings about Jerry Falwell Jr. My sympathies.

I'm an atheist. Franklin Graham's charity, Samaritan's' Purse, helped me out after my house was flooded. I don't like his intolerance toward Muslims, but I am grateful for his group's kindness. No one is all good or all bad.

Samaritan's Purse does amazing work. Franklin Graham has inflicted very real emotional and spiritual pain upon my friends who are LGBTQ or Muslim through his use of social media and television. Both those things can be true.

kenneth copeland was one i believe. i think it against biblical teachings for pastors to acquire wealth. what are your thoughts on this?

I think if God wanted me to be wealthy, God wouldn't have called me to be a parish pastor.

Maybe focus more on good works, and less on pushing a legislative agenda that is anti-woman, anti-gay, and anti-human.

I can see a lot of good things about christs teachings, but religious people in the US want to legislate morality and force people to adhere to THEIR beliefs which is pretty disgusting.

I agree with you, but I also believe in things like access to healthcare and education because of my faith. Jesus freely offered healthcare (as it existed back then) to the sick and the outcast and He freely taught others without any thought of recompense.

I think it is permissible for faith to inform one's political leanings, but I think what we're seeing is peoples' desire to keep grip on the levers of power informing their political leanings instead.

Hello, merry Christmas!! At my parish they are trying to attract more younger people to mass by "modernizing" the music (making it more energetic, more instruments rather than just a piano/organ, etc.) but the older people have expressed some sorts of hatred towards it. What do you think of this and what do you think are some ways to attract younger people to mass?

Merry Christmas to you too!

We've definitely had some of the exact same growing pains where some folks would have still preferred the organ and hymns to the music our praise band offers. But the energy that our praise band brings to the table is such a gift and when I point that out, folks usually agree and grin and bear it. Honestly, I'm very grateful for our older folks being willing to make that sacrifice--the music takes up about as much time in the worship as my message, so it's no small thing.

Honestly, the most reliable way I've found of attracting youth/millennials is authenticity. We can sense BS from a mile away and know when we are being used for window dressing or tokenism. Be willing to engage us where we're at, be open to our new ideas, and for pete's sake, don't expect us to dress or talk like our grandparents. We love them dearly, but they're not us, you know?

What is the most misunderstood thing about Christianity or the Church in general?

That we all hate everything and everyone that isn't us. That is not how I, many of my colleagues, my church, and their churches do business. We care much more about building you up, not tearing you down. I promise.

What are your thoughts on the Christian=Republican phenomenon?

I think that ever since Christians were mobilized to oppose a born-again Sunday School teacher during his presidential re-elect in 1980, many Christians have cared more about being good Republicans first and good Christians second.

Put another way: the seeds of that 81% of the white evangelical vote breaking for Trump were sown years before I was even born. So it is going to take a long time to extract that poison from our body.

Is it hard always offering advice for your congregation but not having someone to confide in yourself? I became friends with my yoga instructor and found that people would just randomly dump their problems on him, and him, being a very empathetic person, really felt burdened by this.

My roommate from seminary and I actually created a private online forum for our classmates and us to moan about how much seminary sucked, and that forum has grown and mushroomed into a bunch of our clergy friends being able to go somewhere in private to ask for advice and counsel from trusted colleagues. It is an incredibly useful and cathartic tool to have in my toolkit.

As someone who is in a "helping profession" I'm glad you have this!

Thanks. Hope you have a great support network for yourself too.

As a person from a religious background, I would love to know your opinion on the whole science v/s religion debate. Why does religion rely too much on faith and not on proof like science?

(Note: I am not trying to ignite debate here. Genuinely interested in knowing the OPs opinions!)

I think it is entirely possible to both believe in God and to believe in scientific inquiry. They are not mutually exclusive things. The Bible contains the creation account (two of them, really, since Genesis 1 and 2 are different interpretations of the same event), but even more than explaining how we got here, the Bible exists to explain how we should live now that we are here. We sometimes miss the forest for the trees in that way.

As a follow up to this; why don't people choose to see scientific advancements as the miracles they are waiting for? People pray for a cure, scientists discover a cure, but some people refuse to use them still.

The same reason the guy who is in a flood refuses to leave his house even after someone on a raft and then someone in a rescue chopper both come by offering to save him because he believes that God will save him. We want to think that we're special little snowflakes to God to the extent that God would intervene in our lives to an extent that God wouldn't in another, lesser mortal's life.

Of course, that poor chap then gets to the throne in heaven and God says, "You fool, I sent you a raft and a helicopter. What more do you want from me?"

Heard that for the first time on The West Wing. 😊

THAT'S WHERE I GOT THAT FROM!! I TOTALLY FORGOT THAT UNTIL YOU SAID IT!

Karl Malden was amazing...

I definitely agree, I feel that the Genesis creation stories are so much more about how to live than people realise because they're all so focused on the creation aspect. They also tell us a lot about our God in comparison to other gods who were worshipped in the time period during which these accounts were written. Ours is a God who is close to us (not distant), who cares for us unconditionally (not vindictive) and who is one all knowing, all powerful being who brings order to our world and our live.

Edit: I realise I digressed from the science issue, but my understanding is that Religion and Science are just different ways of exploring and thinking about our world :)

The comparative study of the Genesis creation stories with other ancient peoples' creation stories is a fascinating thing indeed.

You are confusing belief with actual knowledge. One does not believe in science. You either understand it or you don't.

Having faith in scientific inquiry to produce conclusions that are factual and lead to the bettering of our knowledge is indeed believing in scientific inquiry.

You are misusing faith and belief when it comes to science. It's better to talk in degrees of confidence.

Are faith and belief not, in large part, degrees of confidence?

Favorite pokemon? Jesus's favorite pokemon?

My favorite: Sandslash--over on the pokemongo reddit, my flair reads "Sacramental Sandslash"

Jesus's favorite? Probably Lapras, since it can walk (swim?) on water.

Alolan or original form?

I'm a veteran of the early games, so original form. Plus, the Alolan Sandslash looks like Articuno got to do its makeup or somesuch. :/

Why are you a dirty schismatic and when will you return to beautiful mother Church?

(Juuust kidding. Merry Christmas. Honestly this is one of the best times of year for ecumenical brotherhood between Christian denominations.)

When Torquemada sics the nuns on me, then I'll come back.

The inquisition, what a show! The inquisition, here we go!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PR7hp0613QY&t=205s

Hey! I don't identity as religious but I'm interested in learning more about all religions including Christianity.

Three Christmases ago I was in a foreign city with no family so I decided to attend a Christmas Day Mass for the first time, purely out of curiosity. From memory it was a Said Eucharist (spelling?) and I stuck around afterwards for the Sung Eucharist as well. I'll be honest with you: both of them freaked me out, they were supremely ceremonious and a little too intimidating for an amateur like me.

What type of church or form of Christmas mass would you recommend for a beginner?

I'd google the churches near you and check out their websites--any church website worth a flat dollar will have a page that's a "what to expect" or "FAQ/for beginners" type of thing. Look at those, then call up the office of the one or two that seem the least intimidating to you and make an appointment with the pastor before showing up on a Sunday. If the pastor never seems available for a phone call or an appointment, scratch that church off your list.

Could you put in some extra prayers for Carrie Fisher?

I know some people think it's silly to be overly concerned about a celebrity, but as a huge Star Wars fan, and a member of the Star Wars costuming community, this feels like a bit more. The news of of her being rushed to the very same hospital where a troop (special visit of members in costume to kids in the hospital) I helped coordinate hit a little hard.

I was devastated when I read about the news of her heart attack. I remember seeing the original Star Wars on the big screen for the first time ever in 1997 with the 20th anniversary re-release and thinking that she was way cooler than either Luke or Han, and realizing that felt rare for a female movie character. I hope she pulls through alright.

Not a deep philosophical question, but... what hymnal does your congregation use? I ask because I collect hymnals, and I'm always looking for titles I don't have on my shelves. Usually, I find the same ones over and over, but once in a while somebody will have one I've never seen.

Hymns for the Family of God. It's a pretty old hymnal and not my first choice personally, but they like it, so I was happy to keep it. :)

Have you ever done a sermon on who wrote the New testament? Especially focusing on Paul and who he was before the road to Damascus (or whatever)? Do you ever encourage your congratulations to question and to doubt? Or do you just say whatever keeps butts in seats?

I am a card-carrying member of the "say whatever keeps butts in seats" club. (Actually, that's not true. There are no cards. I asked.)

I actually did a sermon series a couple of years ago that went verse-by-verse through Romans 8 and was a good vehicle for explaining how Paul saw himself pre- and post-Damascus. I tend to use the Bible study classes I teach as vehicles for teaching about individual authors of the Scriptures, since, after all, I belong to the "keep butts in seats" club and don't want folks nodding off as I pontificate on the differences between the different endings of Mark. :)

Thank you for this AMA. I know you mentioned you have very good relations with a muslim congregation nearby. I find this amazing - would you mind telling us what joint ventures you've taken on together?

Edit: letters

Mentioned this elsewhere, but we're right next door to a school where probably 95% of the kids are on free or reduced school lunches. We buy food and clothes for the kids, adopt families at the nearby battered women + children shelter for Christmas, and contribute to turning utilities back on in their homes--or towards preventing their utilities from being shut off (or preventing eviction) to begin with.

Edit: sorry, I missed the "Muslim" part of that post (in my defense, it's been a crazy AMA session!). I thought you were just referring to the congregations near us. There isn't a mosque near us--I think I was using the mosque as a hypothetical for defending the rights of other faith traditions in that post. Sorry for my confusion!!

Two questions, actually. First, how do you balance reliance on specifically Christian theology with more general sentiments in your sermon, especially on a day like today where there are many causal attendees? I'm a musician and tend to get asked to play services on the high holidays (extra budget for the music!) which I always greatly enjoy. I'm not Christian but am religious and I love being able to use my abilities for something that helps people closer to God. However, I'm always somewhat put off by the sermons, which 90% of the time seem to have little or nothing to do with being Christian and are just generic platitudes about being nice to people with a "cause God says so" tacked on the end. Is this an intentional thing for Christmas to not drive off those newcomers? It's so widespread I feel like there must be some thought behind it.

Second question is what are your thoughts on Santa for children? How do you see it tying into religion and would you continue the traditional Santa idea with your own kids?

My college chaplain gave me some great advice on preaching Christmas--just pick one thing about Christmas and really go in-depth on that. That way, it stays fresh even though you're preaching the same story, and you get to scratch the itch to add some red meat to the message. This year, I'm working on the angels' pronouncement "And on earth, peace among those whom God favors."

I'm personally agnostic on Santa. I think it's fine, but I also think it is used to contribute to the overcommercialization of Christmas, so...I don't know yet how I'd approach it if I had kids.

Working on your sermon the day before? I thought that was why we had a song between the reading and the sermon - for me to come up with something! ;)

In my church, I preach right after the reading, so I had better be ready to go. It is a hard life I lead. :)

Favorite Christmas movie?

Muppet Family Christmas. Every time the Swedish Chef tries to cook Big Bird as the Christmas turkey, I absolutely lose it.

I believe in most modern theories of science, but I'm also a regular Christian. Is that okay?

Absoeffinglutely.

You and a whole big bunch of other Christians. You're fine.

Yep.

Can I ask a question about terminology?

I'm a PK and one of the pet peeves that my father passed onto me about the ministry was the term "reverend." He would never correct people or complain in public, but privately would always rant that the term is an adjective and not an honorific. Similar to referring to a judge as "your honor." Listening to this throughout my childhood, my ears always perk up when I hear the term used in a way my father disliked. I'm curious if he is just a pedant with a pet peeve, or do more pastors feel the same way? thanks!

PS. I love reading the blue testament. Here's hoping to at least half of a season with EPB next year!

So I'm not formal as a general rule--most of my congregants refer to me simply by my first name or as "Pastor," which suits me perfectly fine.

But--if you want to be formal, then, yes, my formal title is "Reverend." It is an adjective, like my dad the judge being "Your Honor," but it is my formal title. Plus, being called "Mister" just makes me feel old.

I have it on good authority (an interview Vermes did with Bukaty) that EPB is indeed coming back for preseason, and I hope we're able to see some of what he can do. He has apparently impressed with Porto B, which is a very good sign. Glad you like TBT!

Are you nuts? Posting an AMA on Christmas Eve as a parish priest? Dude, you are a brave soul. I really appreciate you reaching out here to whatever comes your way. I don't have any questions for you. I was just really impressed by your willingness to be available here on what has got to be a pretty full day for you. Merry Christmas!

Are you nuts?

Magic 8 ball says "reply hazy, try again later."

Fellow Celtic fan here🍀🍀 what got you into the hoops??

I don't get out much on Saturdays because I'm getting ready for Sundays--Thursday and Friday are for my fun nights out. So getting up on Saturday mornings and watching the Scottish prem matches over some hot coffee and my sermon manuscript became something of a tradition for me, and from there, I began following Celtic in the Champion's League as well--pretty easy to do, since Fox has broadcast rights here for both.

I actually asked "Santa" for a Celtic jersey for Christmas this year, so if he isn't too beat up by the Easter Bunny, I hope some new green and white duds have my name on them. :)

Roman Catholic here, what are your thoughts on the changes made to the prayers, texts and songs over the past few years?

I personally find it frustrating arguing with my memory over the correct words to use in a prayer. Which is your favorite hymn/psalm?

Merry Christmas, thank you for your work!

I still will respond to "Peace be with you" with "And also with you" like the giant awkward goober that I am. So yeah. I feel your pain.

Favorite hymn? Probably depends on the time of year and my mood, but I think it's hard to ever go wrong with Let Us Break Bread Together.

Merry Christmas to you as well!

Thank you, it's validating to hear that I'm not alone there.

That's a wonderful hymn, I used to sing it with my touring choir as we would eat with the church we were performing at. I am also fond of How Great Thou Art.

How Great Thou Art is an awesome hymn.

Who gives a shit. Why waste your life worrying about your fake religion changing a few words here and there.

This is a song about being happy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVM1nUmDHHc

I am a Muslim American that does not celebrate Christmas, but is very interested in the entire theology of the holiday (The songs and decorations are a plus).What kind of event should I go to in a church just to understand more about it? Also what would you like to tell me about the Prophet Jesus so may I understand more about him? I have never had the opportunity to ask a learned man in Christianity this question and would like to hear your answer.

Christmas Eve/Day would be a great service, because there are often so many other visitors that there shouldn't be much, if any, pressure on you to keep up with everything as a first-time visitor. Then, ask to make an appointment with the pastor there if you feel like you have been welcomed...I know that many churches and Christians can be quite Islamophobic, for which I am very sorry, but hopefully you can have a good experience visiting a church to learn about Jesus. I was required to read the Qur'an for a class on Islam in seminary and I am very glad that I did, it gave me a much better understanding of, and appreciation for, Islam. I hope the same for you with Christianity!

How can you be man of god while wearing the most sinful hat ever created in your twitter pic? /s

I am a delightful basket of contradictions.

Hi, thanks for doing this AMA! As someone who has done a lot of work with the homeless in the past though religious and non religious organisations, and having meaningful in depth conversations with pastors and priests and other religious leaders, I'm always astounded that a lot of religious people don't actually follow the basic teachings of Christ. (help/love thy neighbour etc..) And even those that walk past the homeless on their way to church. Also those that condemn others for not being of the right religion, have the "wrong" sexual preference, or anything else that doesn't line up with their personal train of thought. Isn't it up to God to judge people?

Personally I don't affiliate myself with a religion, nor do I believe in God, but I do have personal core values that line up with the teachings of the bible/torah/koran in general. (I've read part of all, most of the bible)

Don't you think it's a bit hypocritical of those that go to church once or twice a year, but then for the rest of the year spend their time being egocentric and not doing anything meaningful to help their fellow human?

I find a lot of the basic teachings of different religious denominations inspiring, and those conversations I've had have changed me into a better human being, just not a religious one.

Thanks for doing this AMA, inspire to do/be good, in whomever's name it is!

It is up to God to judge people, and Jesus says as much in John 12:47-48. I think that what we do in trying to judge people is like Adam and Eve--they tried to take divine knowledge that did not belong to them, and we are trying to take the divine right to judge that does not belong to us. We have always tried to turn ourselves into gods, yet Jesus demands humility from us instead.

With all of that said, I would gently ask you to be a bit easier in your assessment the folks who are Christmas-and-Easter-Only peoples. You get more flies with honey, you know? It's my job to try to push them to doing more meaningful things to help people out, and that's a long process sometimes!

Do you think Christmas has become too commercialised (i.e. more about presents than the birth of Jesus) and how does that affect the church?

Yes. I often feel like Charlie Brown railing against the commercialization of Christmas in A Charlie Brown Christmas, and that was made in 1965!

How it affects the church...I see people post and shout "JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON" on social media and in real life, but they can't be bothered to actually go to church on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Which to me says that to them, the presents are actually the reason for the season.

Do you think the historic theological differences between the major denominations - romam Catholic, orthodox, calvanism, etc - have any relevance at all to people's choice of church?

Some of them do. I've had congregants get shunned or kept at arms' length by their own family because their relatives picked up a particular religious or theological bent that was very different from theirs. Which is incredibly sad to see.

Me, it mostly affects me directly by the number of Calvinist theologybros who try to correct me on Twitter. :)

As someone with family in the Clergy, I know there are always good stories.

What was a great 'they didn't teach us about this in Seminary' story?

Do you have have any good stories from dealing with those 'special' members of the congregation that exist in all churches?

I do have some such stories but I must decline to share them here out of respect for my congregants and their privacy. I love them dearly and the last thing I want from this AMA would be for them to feel like I am spilling about them. I hope you understand! (It sounds like you will, since you have clergy relatives...bless you. :) )

Hello reverend (is it reverend?)

Im a Catholic and not really knowledgable on protestant/evangelical culture. In Catholic circles we have sort of a meme of the idea of Chreasters (a conjunction of christmas and easter) who are of course people who only go to church on christmas and easter and as a result make Christmas and Easter masses unusually crowded. We love them of course but theyre an easy target for jokes. My question is, have you observed a similar phenomenon in your congregation, and if so what are your thoughts on it?

God bless!

Reverend is my formal title, but I usually am just referred to by my first name or as "pastor."

Yes, the 'chreasters' I refer to as "CEOs" (Christmas and Easter Only) but that's about as far as my joking gets. I general, I find it to not be a winning strategy to tease the people I would otherwise want to reach out to.

Merry Christmas!

Practicing Catholic here. I went to a Catholic grade school, and I absolutely adore the sense of community of the Church and overall respect for each other. What is one thing about your communities that you really enjoy? Merry Christmas!

I love the fellowship time we have after worship. It often turns into a fullblown lunch and even during football season, I'd say 80% or so of folks stick around for it. I just hop from table to table and catch up with people, make myself available for prayer requests, that sort of thing. It's incredibly energizing, which is a very rare thing for an introvert like me.

Why made you become a priest? What did your call look like?

(I'm thinking of the priesthood)

Whew, that's a long story...easiest thing for me to do, honestly, was to pull up how I put it in last year's AMA, and it still is true for me, every word:

I'll try to give the short version, but I fear it will be long regardless: the Sunday after my senior prom in high school, I was scheduled to preach at my home congregation on the story of Jesus as the Good Shepherd in John 10. It was a challenging sermon for me to write because I talked about a little boy I used to supervise at day camp who, a couple of years prior, drowned while swimming in the lake with his adoptive parents a day after I had gone with him to the rodeo on a field trip and had spent the entire day with him. That night, we got the 2am phone call nobody wants to get--the son of a good family friend had been in a car accident, wasn't wearing a seat belt, went through the car's windshield, and was killed instantly. I stayed up the rest of the night with my date (who had crashed on our futon) and my family and still had to preach that morning. As I was preaching, my lapel mic wasn't working--I think it was muted--and I was absolutely exhausted...no energy, no voice, no nothing. At that moment, the sun came out from behind the clouds and shone through the skylights in our sanctuary so that the sunlight fell right on me. My temperature erupted, I could feel the gooseflesh on my skin, and it gave me a jolt of determination that allowed me to find my voice again. I don't really remember what I said, but I am told that it was lovely. In that way, it was like the Pentecost story in Acts 2--a light or fire came down from the heavens and allowed me to speak in a way that I was understood by others, even in the midst of tremendous grief. And I felt that if I could preach in those conditions, I could do it for a living. Some time afterwards, my dad (who is what I call a CEO--a Christmas and Easter Only attender) sat down with me and told me that even though he didn't share the strength of my belief, he had seen how I've talked about my beliefs and how they have strengthened me, and that I needed to at least consider a religious career. At that point, I hadn't told anyone that I felt I could do this for a living, and it meant the world to me that someone so close to me did--especially someone who did not in fact share the depth of my beliefs but could still recognize them. So I never looked back, and ever since, I haven't wanted to do anything else with my life. I still don't.

Blessings to you on your own discernment. Let me know if/how I can be of service to you in that process.

What does it say about faith/religion that there is a direct correlation between education and atheism?

That clearly I am meant to be the protagonist in the soon-to-be blockbuster God's Not Dead 3.

I attend a large church in Arkansas, what's the difference between a parish and a Non-Denominational (basically southern Baptist haha) church? (Besides for the obvious size difference and music difference amongst other things)

Non-denominational means they don't have an external body for things like oversight, accountability, mission coordinating, and the like. Which sadly can sometimes mean that those churches become rife with misconduct and abuse (ie, Mars Hill in Seattle). A parish belongs to a larger denomination that provides (in theory) guidance and oversight.

I'm biased, though--I'm happily a part of a denomination, and likely will be my entire life.

Do you realize you're doing more harm than good?

"Come to church! Trade in your critical thinking/ability to reason and receive a FREE, lifelong guilt complex! Don't forget to put your hard earned money in the collection plate so we can continue to spread fear and lies while paying no taxes."

All religion is delusion. Your religious texts are nothing but mistranslated, misinterpreted, poorly written fan fiction based on much older religions (which were also bullshit). The entire story of the life, death, and resurrection of jesus was ripped off from these older religions. Your "god" is an imaginary friend, and your religion is psychological poison for gullible/willfully ignorant fools. Indoctrinate them when they're too young to know any better, and use the fear of a fictional hell and the promise of eternal life to scare them into compliance.

Shame.

You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35WgpMq6e3o

Who the hell cares? Your holiday has been corrupted, no one bothers thinking of it in any sort of religious aspect, and even if they did the underlying beliefs are bullshit. You're a waste of oxygen.

"To a grouch, Christmas is a bummer."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3Cdqx1qFX8