Reason #4 Why Some People Don't go to Church: What we have here is a failure to communicate

The boss.

Link to Why Some People Don't go to Church Top Reason #5

Reason #4:

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS A FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE.

Communication in any form means:

the giving and receiving of accurate information.

"Accurate" is the operative word here.

Giving information seems easy enough, however, if one does not think before rendering it, accuracy is greatly compromised. Receiving information is often relegated to the senses, but to really interpret meaning in what is seen, heard, felt, smelt and even tasted requires active insight.

This leads us to asking questions. Asking questions greatly assists in first receiving accurate information.

Remember Paul Newman's 1967 classic film, "Cool Hand Luke"? He plays Lucas Jackson, a man who refuses to be nailed down, conform to rules and regulations, or fit into society, and as a result finds himself on a chain gang.

He's a likable enough guy, always smiling, always ready for a little fun, but dag-nammit, he's always asking questions! More or less like the people he hangs around except he won't be pushed into things he doesn't understand. He knows his own mind, and this embues him with enough guts to escape any prison of his mind or body.

An elegant illustration of how free thinkers survive the daily beat down, and thrive in spite of it, Luke has his problems. However, the bigger problem is that so few of us have had the privilege of knowing someone like Luke. Someone who, despite the wrath elcited by his presence, shines the light of his very being so brightly, the truth of it is beautiful to behold.

We Need Beauty to Communicate

The truth is good and beautiful at its essence, regardless of the circumstances, or person from which it comes.

Clearly, not everyone is gifted with clear thought of communication, or can be accurate all the time, but one is hardly encouraged to do so in any meaningful way. It is either taken for granted, or simply not valued.

Because we are not encouraged to think for ourselves, we are expert 'yes-people' to the people who we view as the mamas and the daddies that put food on our tables: corporations, political associations, churches, etc.

Those who even attempt to clearly communicate an alternate perspective are pigeoned-holed as 'lesser-than-people', or the black sheep of the group at best.

In everyday communication, this so rarely occurs, we accept communication break-downs as the norm. A brief recap of some of our national guffaws over the last few months include:

This week when Commander of multinational forces in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, was dismissed by US President Barack Obama after critical comments about senior administration officials.

Gen. McChrystal apologized for the interview, given to Rolling Stone Magazine, saying "it was a mistake reflecting poor judgment and should never have happened." What would he have said if he had used good judgment, and who is his mama and daddy anyway?

Helen Thomas, Palestinian-American journalist at the forefront of her profession for over half a century, apologized for intemperate comments in which she said that Jewish Israelis should go back to Germany and Poland. In an issued written statement, Thomas apologized, saying, “I deeply regret my comments I made regarding the Israelis and the Palestinians. The comments do not reflect my heart-felt belief that peace will come to the Middle East only when all parties recognize the need for mutual respect and tolerance. May that day come soon".

Clearly, Thomas' mama and daddy are Palestinian.

Over at least the same period of time Thomas was chatting up officials on capitol hill, denials of abuse child abuse in the Catholic Church continued ignored by Rome. Accusations were finally addressed early this month by Pope Benedict XVI during the Year for Priests Con celebrating Mass. Addressing some 15,000 priests, he apologized on their behalf for abuse, saying priests are called to bring God to world.

We are all called to bring God to the world.

Speaking of such, serving as a U.N. special envoy to Haiti in March, former U.S. President Bill Clinton publicly apologized for championing policies that destroyed Haiti's rice production. Clinton in the mid-1990s encouraged the impoverished country to dramatically cut tariffs on imported U.S. rice.

While witnessing the devastation of the island, compounded by the its people's inability to fed themselves after the earthquake, he stated:

"It may have been good for some of my farmers in Arkansas, but it has not worked. It was a mistake," Clinton told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. I had to live everyday with the consequences of the loss of capacity to produce a rice crop in Haiti to feed those people because of what I did; nobody else."

We Need to Get Our Minds Right

Often, in the moment, people cannot accept the truth. Hurricane season is here and the possibility of oil arriving on south Florida beaches looms steadily each day the gush from the gulf continues to flow. Yet and still, many on these very shores are in denial the BP spill will have a long-term impact on our lives.

It's not that people are dumb, people are fearful. We are reactive instead of proactive because we are not taught how to be leaders in our own lives. Lacking such wisdom, we seek power through greed, insurance policies and powerful associations which only reinforces the cycle.

We are at the precipice of a great time in human history. Everything is in flux. We can choose to either be swept away by the oil, the hurricane, the earthquake and the tsunami, or take a good look around, see everything for what it is, and get a grip.

Today, we have more communication devises than we know how to use. Wouldn't it be great if we did?