Jesus would be hard pressed to recognize the movement he started more than 2000 years ago. The problem with all religions is that human nature gets tangled up in its activities and implementation.
The inspiration that spawns the spiritual or even the concrete events that draw people to a religion or a religious figure is often blurred by the behaviors of followers and leaders trying to explain or interpret what has happened.
I grew up in the Christian religion as a member of the Presbyterian Church. I felt comfortable with this Protestant denomination's approach to Christianity and was inspired as a teenager to consider a career as a clergyman. When I read my Bible, I felt Jesus was speaking to me and I thought his teachings really spoke to the problems people face; and I wanted to go out into the world and spread "the good news". I loved his simple, uncomplicated approach in dealing with his fellow man. When I went off to college at age 18, I was optimistic about the world and its future. I wanted to be a scientist and "save the world".
In college I attended the Presbyterian church in town, but it was not until my Junior year that I started to think seriously about a religious vocation. Midway through that year I moved from a dorm room to Koinonia. Koinonia was a religious boarding house for young men who were interested in furthering their knowledge of religion. The house was established by the Protestant churches in the area and was staffed by non resident Presbyterian minister who lead the regular religious discussions.
My roommates included a Mexican, an African-American, a fellow from India and included about a dozen or so students at any one time. We had a lady who cooked lunch and dinner, but we had to cook breakfast which we did on a rotating basis. It was a great experience for me.
My learning curve. One day I opened the refrigerator and found bottles of beer and I was horrified.
When I brought it up, no one saw any problem with having alcohol in the house. I had grown up in a house where my mother was a member of Women's Temperance Union (WTU) and believed that just smelling the cork would make you drunk.
It was about this time I decided to visit seminaries. I first visited Princeton Theological Seminary for a day tour, but my most memorable visit was to New York City and Union Theological Seminary in Manhattan. I stayed the weekend and was able to hook up with other students, one of whom lived in New York. We visited the Empire Sate Building, ate pizza at an Italian place and got to hear a speech by theologian Paul Tillich. We also visited the churches in East Harlem Protestant Parrish. This was an outreach ministry to the poorest section of the city, spearheaded by students and faculty of the seminary. It was a really neat experience.
Later I applied to three seminaries but was only accepted at Pittsburgh Theological.. I knew being a minister would not be easy, but an early experience cemented my view that the politics of a church could be a problem. I got a first hand glimpse of the issue when I traveled to a church meeting with 3 ministers. During the trip these guys started telling jokes and stories. That was not unusual, but these stories were raunchy, filled with "filthy"language and definitely not did not reflect what I had come to expect from members of the clergy. I was shocked. Later, I spoke to one of the ministers and he said that time together was the only time they could be "normal". While doing church work, ministers and their families are under strong pressure to conform, so getting away is often a welcome change. By the time I graduated from Penn State I had decided I did not want to deal with church politics, so I no longer felt "the call". Since I had been accepted, I borrowed money from an aunt and decided to go to seminary for the experience; I am glad I did.
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