Trust of Clergy is Falling


The ranking of clergy as trustworthy and esteemed members of society has fallen below auto mechanics. Each time a survey is done clergy rank lower than they did in the previous one.

One aspect of this is the continual effort to separate "the clergy" from "the church." The Pope, and every Pope, repeats that wayward priests are the problem, the problem is not the Catholic denomination itself. It falls in line with the schtick that will be repeated today (Sunday) in churches across the country, "The fires in Los Angeles were not caused by God. God is there to help." The "church," that is any denomination, is nothing but a group of people. The church and the people who run it are one and the same. "Wayward priests" are actually a wayward church. That clergy continue to be ranked lower has to be partly a product of lower support for the Christian religion. The growth of "nones" and the fall in respect for clergy have to be part of the same thing. 

I suppose there are consultants and conferences that advertise, "Learn how to bring back the prestige of the clergy." How would that be done? I only know what would make a preacher/priest more popular with me. It would not help with many others. In my case, a clergy who taught that the Bible is not a historical document but is, instead, a folk religion. Yet, the preacher could point out, there are some observations about human nature in the Bible that reflect an ancient understanding. 

One of them is the way money creeps into our minds and makes us think we are important if we have some of it. Even this message is not universal in ancient societies. This was not a universal message. Native societies in the Americas, I have read, did not associate people with more wealth than others with more importance. 

Back in the days of racial segregation, it was taught in Christian churches that interracial marriage was a sin. Of course, this came from white Christians who did not like black people. Today preachers tell congregations marriage between two people of the same gender is a sin. Also, changing genders during one's life is also a sin. Like interracial marriage, this is the opinion of preachers and those in the pews. Preachers who reinforce these strange views from the pulpit help to bring down the profession.



  

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