[Vision2020] Does size matter?

[Joan Opyr]

In a response to Donovan Arnold, which I've unfortunately deleted, Eric 
Engebretsen observes that Doug Wilson's followers represent the "largest 
church movement" in Moscow, or on the Palouse, or some other such regional 
claim of enormity.  My question is, on what exactly does Eric base this 
claim?  Doug's famous "I speak for 850 people" speech at city hall during 
the fight over the breast ordinance?  I hope not because, by my estimate, 
more than half of that number are in fact the children of church members 
and, as such, not yet old enough to vote.

Or is Eric basing his claim on percentage growth?  If so, then that's 
tricky, too.  The Church of Auntie Establishment has one member, me.  But 
say I managed to convince Melynda and Rose to leave the Quakers and join the 
C of AE -- then my church would have grown by 200%.  Surely that would make 
me the fastest growing church movement.  Now, if I could just convert my 
sisters, my mother, and my agnostic border collie, I could terrify you all 
with my religious take-over plans.

It's claims like Eric's that push people over the edge.  They skew reality, 
for both community members concerned about Doug's agenda, and for the 
Kirkers themselves, who might wonder when big enough will finally be big 
enough.  Just for a change of pace, I suggest we stop for a moment and take 
a good look around us.  Judging from the steeple, it looks to me like a new 
Mormon stakehouse is going up on the hill behind Wal-Mart.  Moscow's two 
Catholic churches seem rather full and vigorous; the Lutherans, the 
Nazarenes, and the Presbyterians are no slouches.  We have at least three 
Baptist churches, and possibly more.  (Given the old Baptist penchant for 
splitting the congregation and having the splinter groups meet in living 
rooms and warehouses until a new church can be built, they can be hard to 
count.  The same is true of Evangelical churches.  They rise, they grow, 
they split.)  We have Christian Scientists, Scientologists, the Impact 
Church, the Rock Church, the Ba'Hai, the Pagani, Seven Drums, Muslims, Jews, 
Congregationalists, Unitarians, and my old friends the Quakers.  We have 
atheists, agnostics, and those who worship every Sunday at the Church of the 
NFL.  The Palouse is a broad place, religiously and philosophically diverse.

So I think we should try to keep that ongoing and vital diversity in mind as 
we continue our debate about the future of this town.  I don't care about 
Doug's religious movement; I care about his worldview, and his use of 
religion as a platform from which to launch what is self-evidently a 
political agenda, all disingenuous claims to the contrary.

Joan Opyr/Auntie Establishment

"I say I'm cutting, boy, but you're not bleeding."  -- Foghorn Leghorn



Auntie Establishment
Serving Idaho's liberal elite since 1993

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