The Holy USA

You notice a lot of things going from Canada to the USA.

First, our population is a bit over 33 million; theirs is almost ten times ours at 301 million and change. Since Canada is larger, that means a smaller density. Things are a lot more crowded there, although Southern Ontario is losing a lot of its space to subdivisions.

Our roads seem a lot better, too. I think the reason for this is that our gasoline is taxed more to maintain them better.

I won’t even talk about guns, except most Canadians are against them. Most Americans feel that it is their constitutional right.

But the other huge difference is the number of churches.

I have trekked all over the world and I have never seen the number of churches anywhere as I have seen in the United States.

They have more churches than paint chips in a hardware store. There are so many dominations, offshoots of denominations and independent worshipers. It is difficult to remember that there is only one God, but there seems to be many truths. I figure all of them believe that they have the inside track to heaven.

Some of the churches are huge and I mean super-sized. Others seem to have a small flock that could fit in a phone booth.

In Ohio, where we were last week, there were often five or six churches within a kilometre of each other.

Some of these places of worship are huge. Many of them are providing their congregation with schooling, recreation and pretty well everything they need in life. Religion has become much more than a once a week activity.

Some of the names get me, too. I feel that the more different the name sounds, the more suspicious I am. Willow Creek Baptist (or whatever) Church has a nice ring to it. The Church of the Living Way or Courts of Praise Christian Centre or the Divine Light International Ministries makes me wonder. I have been around enough churches to be aware that nepotism exists in many. It seems to me that it occurs usually in the ones that are independent and are focused on a charismatic minister.

So which of these buildings holds the truth? None of them! You can’t confine the truth inside four walls. Like a lighthouse guides boats through the narrows, they can only guide you through life. You are the one who has to make the journey. Unfortunately, there are some that exert cult-like control on their congregation. If the truth is to set you free, then I don’t see how these ones show the truth.

The experience in Ohio reminded me of a trip years ago to Cappadocia in Turkey. One valley had 52 churches, one for every week of the year. In the Cincinnati area, you would have no trouble doing that and more. Just like Baskin Robbins, you could go attend the flavour of the week.