I follow several blogs written by folks who are very critical of the Episcopal Church. While I don't find Schadenfreude (pleasure at the troubles of others) in the bloggers' posts, I do detect it in the almost gleeful comments of visitors to these blogs. Every piece of negative news about the Episcopal Church is recounted with what I see as smugness.
I do not count myself as a paragon of virtue, but during the past five years I have been thankful for the successes of the Anglican Chapel that was organized by some of our parishioners who had left us after the 2003 General Convention. The Chapel's Rector is a friend and I was glad when one of the Chapel's members was ordained to the diaconate - a better candidate would be hard to find.
Why shouldn't I rejoice when another congregation grows? Why should anyone rejoice when any Church, not just the Episcopal Church, loses members? Our parish planted some seeds in the lives of those who left us; the Anglican Chapel watered those seeds; but it was God who gave the growth. For that we should all rejoice and be thankful.
3 comments:
Good posting, Daniel. The mean-spirited character of some of the folks writing and commenting out there in the blogosphere is sometimes breath-taking. And to think that it's coming from folks who claim to be "good Christians"!
I would add that we find this kind of Schadenfreude on both the Left and the Right.
Father, forgive me if I have offended you.
Thank you for engaging in conversation with me at Mary's blog. I regret that we weren't able to continue the conversation there. Perhaps another day, another venue.
Best wishes,
Alice C. Linsley
Bryan,
You are quite right that we can see Schadenfreude on both the left and the right and I am sure that I have yielded to that temptation.
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