Laela
Sidestepping the "lynch mob"
The Narcissistic Church
Posted by PastorRudy at 9/9/2009 10:27 PM CDTI vividly remember the day when the church was at the very center of community life. It was a place where people would go for refuge and a symbol that stood as a reminder of the possibility of hope in the midst of suffering. There were selfless, caring people connected to these steeple-topped houses like my Auntie Mae Mae (known in the hood as Sister Allen) who represented an ethos of compassion. She was also my first encounter with commodity brokerage when she would judiciously distribute government issued cheese and butter known in the neighborhood as “commodities” to families needing that extra bit of help between paychecks.
I can’t help but wonder when did the church get off track and begin celebrating prosperity as a core ethos and when did suffering for the sake of others become passé as a guiding principal? Even though there have always been those who have taken advantage of the religious seeker hoping for a “get rich quick” through God as an “Automated Teller,” never before in the history of the church has the presence of narcissistic values been more evident.
The term “narcissism” finds its origins in Greek Mythology where Narcissus is remembered for having fallen in love with his own reflection. And since he could not obtain the object of his love, he died of sorrow by the same pool. I’m not implying the church has fatally fallen in love with its own image, but could it be the church has become so consumed with its own reflection, it has possibly missed seeing the world around it?
Dr. Jean Twenge in her latest book “The Narcissism Epidemic” rings a sobering alarm signaling the absence of the historically conscious voice of the religious establishment, which has been replaced with a condescending whisper saying “God wants you to be rich” often offering the notion that it will magically happen without work, investment, or abilities. The few religious establishments thriving today often appeal to our society’s narcissistic tendencies with huge doses of individual choices as an effort to remain culturally relevant and open for business. In response to this fact Dr. Twenge says,
The religious and volunteer organizations that have aligned themselves with individualistic values have thrived, while those that have not have withered. Neither has played a major role in causing the narcissism epidemic; in fact, most of the time both mitigate it. At the same time, both have adapted to a new culture that favors a focus on self. The religious and volunteer organizations that have succeeded have given the people what they want, which is often self-admiration… It’s a bit of narcissistic jujitsu; the promise of having their needs met brings people into an organization, but their individual narcissism is ultimately reduced by the organization.
I actually think it’s the church’s attempt to reduce an individual’s narcissism that precipitates their eventual departure from the religious establishment. After departing church life the ultimate response toward the religious establishment is often guilt, anger, and rage that are accompanied by the lack of humility. Last year The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life released its research that showed 44% of the 35,000 respondents left the faith of their childhood for either another religion or none at all.
According to Twenge, the church was once the place that encouraged humility and…
Originally, religions could enforce narcissism-reducing practices because they didn’t have to compete for adherents: if you were born into a religion , you usually stayed. Now, however, people can select the religion that works for them- often the one that offers the most benefits with the least pain. To compete religions have to give people what they want.
A review of the words associated with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) such as grandiosity, exaggeration, fantastic thinking, romantic, believes special, unique, requires admiration, entitled, demanding, exploitive, manipulative, lacks empathy, arrogant, and haughty provided an interesting revelation. Based on this list, religious people don’t have the narcissism market cornered and truthfully all people both religious and non-religious show equal propensity toward narcissistic tendencies.
The answer to this dilemma is in judging less, loving more, and facing the fact that “what was once solely a collective exercise has become far more individual.” Religion has changed forever… welcome to the faith of the 21st Century.
What do you think?
The Pastor Rudy Experience
Where Religion and Real Life Intersect
http://www.chron.com/channel/housto...&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest
It's just that I found this article fascinating in its approach. 21st century... So, is a church that utilizes the Internet being narcissitic? I don't think so. Are some prosperity preachers narcissitic? I couldn't name anyone, but I'd think a few could be. The Bible has quite a few known narcissists, so the term isn't new. 
