Church without God?

Yesterday I worked for many hours on my paper. Just half an hour before vespers, I decided to take a break and watch the Internet TV for some inspiring homilies. Turned on to a protestant channel. They interviewed some people in a certain area of America asking if they go to church - surprising most of the young people were all enthusiastic and eager about church services ( to get inspiration, direction, community, security) but the middle ages protested the most. One lady was saying "I don't need the church to tell me what to do and not to do. I'm an adult, I don't need a parent watching over me and telling me I'm wrong. If church services were only prayer and praising I'll go, but not when it starts telling me what to do."

I guess that's the majority of middle-agers' opinion. They have made a life of their own, they feel they're in control, they're parents themselves, so they find it hard to accept teaching and directing by others. What lies deeper is this - the youth have learnt to encounter God in the church services while the middle-agers only encountered people. They have not encountered God. Of course if it's people telling you what to do and not to do, you'll react similarly. But if you really believe that it's God's law and teaching, then you'll take it seriously. That's a sad fact - a whole generation of Christians have had lousy catechism and end up experincing the church as a community of people, with human laws - there was no God in it. Church services were only a therapy session for the lonely, a singalong group, a social hour to meet up with friends; it was not a worship session. God was removed from the equation. Well I think we have to set that straight. And I think Pope John Paul II did alot to put God back into churches.

So where do we go from here? The ball is in your court! Church without God? Like char siu bao without the char siu! (Or as Chris C. says - like ice kachang without the ice)