Sep 30, 2002 By Donna Sherman 4 min read

The focus on Sept. 11, 2001, and the emphasis placed on the need for a “return” to spirituality by the local ministers was expressed via your paper in an article written by Frances Zajac on Sept. 11, 2002. It disturbed me. It seems that the ministers are assuming God and the church are synonymous. I think that is untrue.

I’m sure a lot of people did go to the church after 9-11. They were looking for answers they did not find. What they more likely found was a religion blaming the people who weren’t there for being a part of the reason for the catastrophe. You know: getting back to spirituality – getting back to church.

I doubt that anyone looking for a reason why a religion (Muslim) would use murder of innocent people as a means for getting noticed, would buy a message from a religion (Christian) that claimed the murder of innocent people as a lesson to the people not in their church. What kind of a God would that be, for crying out loud?

My spiritual belief is in a God of love. I believe that God is love and love is God.

I believe that love is universal and supercedes any religion or church. What has been done in the name of religion since the beginning of time has been a grandiose attempt at superceding God, not for him. Even Moses supposedly came down off the mountain carrying tablets that said, “Thou shall not kill,” and ordered the death of 5,000 people because they got scared and reverted to their former religion. Does that make sense? And, yet the Christian religion has accepted that as God’s will.

We all witnessed a God of love at work in the people of America and around the world when we saw the strength and courage of airline passengers who gave their lives to save a nation that stands for freedom.

We saw the dedication of firemen and policemen to their jobs as the protector of peace and freedom. We saw our president and government emotionally declare that nothing and no one would rob America of its freedom.

We watched news reporters stand in the midst of dust, smoke and chaos and bravely say to the world that we are here and we will remain here to say to a world enveloped in fear that the love for freedom in America will prevail.

We saw then, and are still seeing the support and empathy of the American citizens to the families that lost so much in losing the ones they loved.

This was a tremendous tragedy to our world, and it brought a surge of love through America that can only be attributed to the great spiritual power of God.

If there is a lesson to be learned from 9-11, I would think it would be to the religions of the world and America, to stop being judgmental, get rid of the politics in the church that is attained by the power of money and stick to the message of love that is the good news of every savior.

Then through the messengers of love, God will conquer evil. The church is not the answer for spiritual renewal. It, itself, is in question. That’s why attendance is down. Love (God) is still strong and working. We know that now, more than we did on Sept. 10, 2001. People with love in their souls will never find peace and solace in a corporate institution that requires exclusive membership.

Churches are good for companionship, united acceptance and a club-like atmosphere that creates a group unity.

But, they ceased to be the symbol for God when the world became universal.

We can no longer just go to God’s house and be renewed, we must carry God with us every minute of every day and know that our lives say what religion has failed to say for thousands of years.

Donna Sherman is a resident of McClellandtown.