Fitzgerald: Clergy shouldn’t need ‘talking points’ to fight casinos
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If you saw the story in yesterday’s Herald telling of clergymen from across the commonwealth gathering under the majestic arches of Old South Church in Copley Square to rail against the casino industry, perhaps you, too, became fixed upon the line that said they had been given “talking points” to include in their sermons.
Well, that was the good news, urging them to use their platforms to alert their congregations that a menace was on the horizon, a wolf dressed in the sheep’s clothing of tax relief and job creation.
But the question it raised here was why members of the clergy should need crib sheets to formulate a timeless message they feel they have been called to deliver.
The concept of being our brother’s keeper goes all the way back to the story of Cain and Abel, though organized religion has no monopoly on its relevant applications.
The preamble to our own Constitution tells us it was established to “insure domestic tranquility and promote the general welfare,” both of which are imperiled by casino gambling.
Even this business, newspapering, has historically seen its mission as “comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable,” which is antithetical to casino gambling where a wealthy establishment gorges on the addictions of its clientele.
Clergymen start out knowing their mission is to remind the rest of us of values and beliefs we’re often inclined to forget, but the challenge they face is the same one the rest of us face, dealing with the cynicism and resistance of a world that does not want to hear the word “No.”
That’s why they’re taught how to present their everlasting messages. It’s called homiletics, the art of preaching on theological issues.
And there’s certainly no shortage of topics in these tumultuous times.
Yet the things clergymen say do not affect their communities as much as the things they do not say; it’s almost as if they have a list of topics that ought to be avoided, lest they lead to empty pews.
No one should need “talking points” to zero in on the cultural cancer of casino gambling, but if that’s what it takes to energize rabbis, priests, imams and ministers, then bring them on.
In less than four weeks we will be asked to make a decision that effectively casts each voter as his or her brother’s keeper.
It will appear on ballots as Question 3 and a “Yes” vote will tell gambling moguls that their snake oil is not wanted here.
That’s more than a sermon; it’s also common sense.
http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/columnists/joe_fitzgerald/2014/10/fitzgerald_clergy_shouldn_t_need_talking_points_to
Well, that was the good news, urging them to use their platforms to alert their congregations that a menace was on the horizon, a wolf dressed in the sheep’s clothing of tax relief and job creation.
But the question it raised here was why members of the clergy should need crib sheets to formulate a timeless message they feel they have been called to deliver.
The concept of being our brother’s keeper goes all the way back to the story of Cain and Abel, though organized religion has no monopoly on its relevant applications.
The preamble to our own Constitution tells us it was established to “insure domestic tranquility and promote the general welfare,” both of which are imperiled by casino gambling.
Even this business, newspapering, has historically seen its mission as “comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable,” which is antithetical to casino gambling where a wealthy establishment gorges on the addictions of its clientele.
Clergymen start out knowing their mission is to remind the rest of us of values and beliefs we’re often inclined to forget, but the challenge they face is the same one the rest of us face, dealing with the cynicism and resistance of a world that does not want to hear the word “No.”
That’s why they’re taught how to present their everlasting messages. It’s called homiletics, the art of preaching on theological issues.
And there’s certainly no shortage of topics in these tumultuous times.
Yet the things clergymen say do not affect their communities as much as the things they do not say; it’s almost as if they have a list of topics that ought to be avoided, lest they lead to empty pews.
No one should need “talking points” to zero in on the cultural cancer of casino gambling, but if that’s what it takes to energize rabbis, priests, imams and ministers, then bring them on.
In less than four weeks we will be asked to make a decision that effectively casts each voter as his or her brother’s keeper.
It will appear on ballots as Question 3 and a “Yes” vote will tell gambling moguls that their snake oil is not wanted here.
That’s more than a sermon; it’s also common sense.
http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/columnists/joe_fitzgerald/2014/10/fitzgerald_clergy_shouldn_t_need_talking_points_to
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