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06/29/2002 Entry: "Another kind of pilgrimage and "One Nation under God""
Richard's description of his family's first visit to Disney World is one that could fit that of a lot of us. I remember my first pilgrimage was at the end of a district convention of the Nazarene Church in central Florida. I was wearing my leisure suit, white patent leather shoes and silk shirt. It was raining and my "cool threads" (for 1976) were sure to be ruined. But, it didn't matter, this was Disney World and nothing would stand in my way of enjoying it.
Deb and I included a pilgrimage of our own on Thursday morning in London. We made our way to Wesley's Chapel near the site of the Foundry, John Wesley's first chapel. We wandered in awe around in the sanctuary, surrounded by reminders of who we are as a part of the family of Christ called Methodists. The museum and video about this place gave us keen insights into just how much influence the Methodist movement had (and can still have). We were amazed at the quarters for JW and other preachers on his circuit in his townhouse and stood in contemplation at the tomb that not only holds Wesley's bones, but those of his sister, physician and several other Methodist pastors. Must have been really close!
While Debbie and I were thrilled with this pilgrimage, Chris and Rachel were not as impressed and couldn't wait to move on to Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, etc.. Rachel wouldn't be impressed with much since the night before we happened upon the crowd waiting for Tom Cruise to arrive for the premier of his latest movie, "Minority Report." Getting to see Cruise was probably more impressive to her than if we had even seen the Queen, and definitely more impressive than John Wesley's tomb or old set of preaching clothes. So much for passing on our legacy to the next generation.
We continue to enjoy this exchange more and more each day. With each garden party, Bible study, worship service, meeting, etc. and sight seeing with members of the church, our love and appreciation for this place called Wales grows and grows. It is hard to believe that our time in Sketty and Swansea is only a little over a week remaining. The relationships and experience will truely last a lifetime.
Ivan
P.S. I'm still not sure what to make of the lower court's decision to rule the "one nation under God" part of the pledge unconstitutional, but my suspicion is that the US Supreme Court will overrule the decision. It's the politically correct thing for it to do, and I know that politics is not supposed to influence the highest court in the land, but other decisions appear to have been influenced by such input. Frankly, the whole issue of separation of Church and State tends to be misinterpreted on a regular basis. The original ammendment basically was set up to keep the US from establishing a state church, not keep The Church from influencing the state or society. To say "One Nation Under God", contrary to the lower court's opinion, does not endorse any particular God, but could be seen as all inclusive except to Atheists. Since 95% of the US claim to believe in God, and the US is a democracy of sorts, it seems that the 5% just need to learn to live with some things or find a country where Atheism is in the majority. Unfortunately for Atheists, a lot of those have gone by the wayside. So much for not having an opinion. So, the judges are still out on this one.
