Video Meliora, proboque; Deteriora sequor

Further Pondering the Great Pew Controversy

(See previous post if interested.)

I think it might come down to a simple culture-clash between the Roman & Orthodox cultures. The pastor and I come from a Roman Catholic background. Certainly it's resistance to change that has allowed the Byzantine liturgy to have remained so untampered with over the years as the Roman. (Even the old Latin Rite is an infant compared to the Orthodox.) So there are plusses to that Orthodox mentality and minuses.

Part of the reason I so loved and respected my own beloved Grandma is that she stuck with the RCC thru changes far greater than what the Byzantine parish is seeing. She was so loyal that it breaks my heart. She grew up pre-Vatican II and loved the Latin rite. But she didn't give up. She didn't complain about the changes. She was upset but had deep faith that God would make it right somehow in the end. She was truly a member of the "greatest generation". There's a special place in Heaven for people who stuck with the Bride even when the Bride acted like a devilish whore.
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Part of it too is this whole notion of pastoral authority. Here's a hypothetical example:

Priest "A" thinks that the purpose of religion is to make us feel better, a kind of therapy. Therefore he wants to make his flock as comfortable as possible. They are building a new church and the flock says they don't want a cross on top of the church because it reminds them of "negative Christianity". They don't want a crucifix inside either. They don't want kneelers, but want a praise band with electric guitar. The priest goes along with all of this because he realizes that they own the parish. It's their parish and they are the ones contributing all the money and sweat-equity. The priest is beloved.

Priest "B" believes he received a calling from God and that the purpose of religion is not to make us feel better but to make us better people, more like Christ. He doesn't think that keeping things exactly the same is the best way to make us better people. He believes that neither he nor the people "own" the parish but believes that God is leading him. He changes a few things around the parish that really irritate people. The priest is hated.

Who do you respect? Which is the better model?