In 2020, when I was passing a church one day, I saw a big long banner hanging there with the words: "Love, Faith, Mask" - I thought I wasn't seeing properly. I will never forget that.
That banner seemed to me like a self-mockery of the church. So absurd that I was soon no longer sure whether it could have been meant seriously or as some kind of tragic joke. Perhaps the clergyman (or whoever took the trouble to devise and hang this poster) felt that he was being foolishly provocative.
My very first impulse was irritation. Followed by incredulity at the absurdity of this message fluttering in the air. The next thing I felt was fervent anger.
I believe it is usually called "love, faith, hope", if I am not mistaken. And when I think about it, it seems to me that even these three words are two too many.
Faith includes love as well as hope, and so you could just leave it alone.
The fact that it has been embellished over the course of time indicates that the church institutions have become institutes and have given up being a church. In other words, a place that represents the sacred.
Since city dwellers have a hard time finding the sacred on cobblestones and today's tarred streets, and little opportunity to see the sunrise and sunset from a hill or contemplate in front of a murmuring brook, all those natural shrines, it seemed sensible to build them out of stone.
It seems that the pendulum has just swung to the disadvantage of faith, certainly something that has been repeated since the beginning of time. As those who experience it, it is not easy to bear.
Thanks for your comment. Interesting observation. It would seem all our public institutions have fallen foul to takeover by state orthodoxy. My mum belongs to a Buddhist sect called Nicherin Buddhism that was founded on dissident ideals, with many of its leaders imprisoned for their so called heretic views. These days the umbrella organisation SGI is very closely aligned with the United Nations and is a signatory of the New Earth Charter founded by Maurice Strong and Mikhail Gorbachev to turn the environmental movement into a new religion for the 21st century. During COVID, SGI were fully onboard with the agenda and at one point touted the idea of mandatory vaccinations as a pre-requisite for attending their Buddhist centres. It's one example of many movements that have been swallowed up by collectivist orthodoxy. I totally agree with your point about nature - we are losing touch with it along with our own natures.
Thank you for your answer.
I now assume that the heretics of the past were, conversely, rather those who did not betray their faith and they were persecuted and killed only because they questioned orthodoxy, i.e. doubted the authenticity of spiritual intention or secular welfare, yes. The establishment punishes apostates not because they are wrong, but because they are right - and doubt hurts.
I didn't know the background about "SGI" and the United Nations, but I clearly observed how conformist Buddhist centres behaved and how approvingly they, too, took up the distance commandment and the masks in their everyday life - it was the publicly expressed approval that I criticised, not the silent compliance (sometimes you have to cover your intentions). I had by then subscribed to a few YT channels because I regularly listened to Buddhist talks and found much to appreciate in the teachings. I wrote to one of the Order people from the UK criticising their consent attitude. Of course I received no reply.
Yes, one can clearly see the attempt to do so. However, religion, when sustained by faith, is strong. By contrast, virtue signalling is weak and poor by comparison because it is not held up by anything profound.
Critics know that what went on in 2020 ff under Covid was wrong. Those who merely signalled virtue and danced in hospital corridors and clapped at windows have been blinded by a mendacious solidarity. Fake virtuousness increases as religion and genuine trust in each other decreases. Until the pendulum starts swinging the other way again.
I became aware of my own virtue signaling from the past and regretted doing so. I now stay alert to these things since I realized how damaging this can become.
When I say that I want to watch my tongue it is not because of suppressing free speech but more like holding free thoughts. If that makes sense to you.