comes "Episcopal Barbie."
You know what? In today's world, both share equal moral importance -- that is, none at all.
What's sad is how this latest Barbie incarnation more or less puts the seal on the death of the religion in which I was raised. And why I left organized religion in the first place.
In this excellent essay, Walter Mead details the long, slow decline of one of the most elegant, aesthetically beautiful and moving, intelligent traditions the world has ever seen.
There is no more beautiful language than can be found in Rite One of the Book of Common Prayer. Listening to it used to bring me closer to Jesus -- it was as close as humans could get in expressing everything He meant. An example:
A Collect for the Renewal of Life
O God, the King eternal, who dividest the day from the night and turnest the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep thy law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done thy will with cheerfulness while it was day, we may, when night cometh, rejoice to give thee thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The minute that beautiful music became "translated" into "more modern" language signified the beginning of the end, if you ask me. It's like Mozart set to Muzak.
Anyway ... I will always remain a committed Christian. I don't fault anyone who still derives comfort from attending church -- those who know the difference between the message and the delivery, that is. But me, I'd rather talk to the Big Guy and Jesus, and read the Bible, on my own. As far as I can tell, there's no Gospel of Mattel in there.
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