Lenten musings - can't, won't, don't
When I say I can't eat something, I know what I mean. It's usually not "eat" so much as "digest", and I mean if I swallow that, there will be dire consequences. Perhaps not so dire as when my friend F eats peanuts, or A has wheat, but certainly messier than when S has chocolate.
But I don't mean that I've signed up to a set of rules that include not eating certain foods at certain times, or in certain combinations. If I want to say that I belong to a religion that believes some behaviours are wrong, I would like to think I express that by saying "We don't ...", "I won't ...", rather than "We're not allowed ..." or "I can't ...".
I do or do not do these things because of something I believe to be right, not because an old bloke inna dress said so, or my family would be ashamed if I were seen transgressing.
Some of the things Methodists used to agree about have lost their vibrancy - my grandmother wouldn't even have proper vinegar or Marmite in the house, as part of the temperance movement. But the links between coalmine and factory owners and the brewing industry aren't as powerful now, women have access to money to feed and clothe their children without having to fight for it on pub doorsteps, there's a greater expectation of sobriety in the workplace and in public.
Keeping the Sabbath isn't on the agenda as such anymore, but there is a growing understanding of the need to protect workers and families from the slavery of 24/7 zero hours contracts, of the need for individuals to have protected and structured downtime.
Gambling is still up there, and that's getting much worse. Constant adverts for online betting and bingo, televised poker and horse racing, and the use of lotteries to fundraise for charity. The latter is one I do find difficult to deal with - I've got an online Lotto account though I rarely use it anymore, and I do understand that it's an easy way for smaller charities to build income and support. Prize lotteries, tombolas, sweepstakes and pools, are all things you can't avoid in a modern workplace. And who can resist the Novacon raffle?
But these are my moral dilemmas. I own them, and I own the behaviour I choose to express my beliefs. The church provides me with impetus, support, information and ways to reach out to people who are having more personal battles with these issues. It's all a bit more practical than Nanna's Sunday Rules, and "Won't" is so much more positive than the punitive "Can't".
But I don't mean that I've signed up to a set of rules that include not eating certain foods at certain times, or in certain combinations. If I want to say that I belong to a religion that believes some behaviours are wrong, I would like to think I express that by saying "We don't ...", "I won't ...", rather than "We're not allowed ..." or "I can't ...".
I do or do not do these things because of something I believe to be right, not because an old bloke inna dress said so, or my family would be ashamed if I were seen transgressing.
Some of the things Methodists used to agree about have lost their vibrancy - my grandmother wouldn't even have proper vinegar or Marmite in the house, as part of the temperance movement. But the links between coalmine and factory owners and the brewing industry aren't as powerful now, women have access to money to feed and clothe their children without having to fight for it on pub doorsteps, there's a greater expectation of sobriety in the workplace and in public.
Keeping the Sabbath isn't on the agenda as such anymore, but there is a growing understanding of the need to protect workers and families from the slavery of 24/7 zero hours contracts, of the need for individuals to have protected and structured downtime.
Gambling is still up there, and that's getting much worse. Constant adverts for online betting and bingo, televised poker and horse racing, and the use of lotteries to fundraise for charity. The latter is one I do find difficult to deal with - I've got an online Lotto account though I rarely use it anymore, and I do understand that it's an easy way for smaller charities to build income and support. Prize lotteries, tombolas, sweepstakes and pools, are all things you can't avoid in a modern workplace. And who can resist the Novacon raffle?
But these are my moral dilemmas. I own them, and I own the behaviour I choose to express my beliefs. The church provides me with impetus, support, information and ways to reach out to people who are having more personal battles with these issues. It's all a bit more practical than Nanna's Sunday Rules, and "Won't" is so much more positive than the punitive "Can't".