Why Bother?

Church attendance (probably true of many synagogues, temples and mosques as well) is diminishing. There are no doubt both reasons and excuses for this. Your senior moment might be the question so many are asking, Why bother?

First off, let's name some of the reasons seniors (and others) do not attend:

I have never attended. Why start now?
I have better things to do on Sundays (or Fridays or Saturdays)
I can't stand the air conditioning (or heating in winter)
I find too many hypocrites hiding in the pews (which are also uncomfortable)
I can't hear, see or understand what is happening
I am not a believer
I prayed many times but no answer (I'm still not a millionaire)

We could go one but this is enough to get us going. As you can tell, there are reasons and excuses, often mistaken for each other. Even if you are not a believer, that could be both a reason and an excuse, right?

Now, let's look at some of the reasons (and excuses) for attending:

It's a life-long habit and I feel uncomfortable (even guilty) if I don't attend
I am a believer (and its a privilege or duty to go)
I need all the ethical, moral and spiritual direction I can get
I believe I am a better person for attending (and getting involved)
I need a support team if something goes wrong (like being ill or injured)
I enjoy the music, the sermons and the coffee following
I can make the right kind of friends more easily

You can add or subtract from these typical statements but you get the idea. If your senior moment constitutes a serious question about religion, morality, ethics or spirituality, you are not alone. Let's probe more deeply into this kind of a senior moment. Remember an earlier Senior Moment when we saw a Granddaughter taken by surprise when she saw her Granny reading the Bible. She queried, “Whatcha doin' Granny, crammin' for your finals?”

Many hunt, often for months or even years, for a church (temple or mosque) that gives satisfying answers to the deepest questions of life. This unrewarding quest of course is regrettable. If a religion is an oddball kind of institution, it usually appeals only to a select few.

Senior moments do need to ask tough questions. A faith that makes no demands, a belief that goes against the grain of human decency, a system that has little or nothing to say about the future, a religion that glosses over the ultimate questions of life and death are usually questionable, misleading or flawed.

Why bother? This is one senior moment that should never be underestimated or ignored. Ultimate questions demand answers and these answers could make this kind of senior moment an invaluable moment.