Who drew more people than The Response?

14 thoughts on “Who drew more people than The Response?”

1. Well, Frank, in defence of at least some attendees at ‘The Response’: I would say that I doubt that they opted to attend with the intention of compromising the civil rights of others. I do share your implied concern about ‘religion’ that becomes confused with power politics; such ‘religion’, however good people’s intentions might be, can and does produce truly horrible results that are absolutely contrary to the core values of the Christian faith.
   It is, perhaps for many of us, tempting to think that one might be able to ‘impose’ a monolithic political/religious ideology on a society for its betterment. History shows us that such attempts always ‘end in tears’, which is why I consider it my Christian duty to argue for pluralistic democracy under the rule of law as the best means of protecting the things that most people (whatever they might ‘believe’) hold dear: human life and life-chances, human dignity and the common good.

2. I rather hope Emily is correct, although I’m not sure that she is; ‘politico-religion’ seems worrying popular to me, with those who prefer to see religious discipline as principally about seeking truth and asking questions often dismissed as ‘wooly’. (Maybe I’m being pessimistic here, and perhaps also a little unfair on some of those involved with, or attending, this event.)

3. 120,000 people attended Comic Con 2011. Unlike attendees at the Response, the games of make believe played by the Comic Con attendees did not involve taking away anyone’s civil rights or psychologically torturing anyone to the point of suicide.

4. I don’t think the crowd size has anything to do with whether or not the event was “successful” or not, Warren. I think what matters most is the intent and the take-away. Who cares how many people showed up, or if they broke “box-office” records.
   Did each person come expecting God to move?
   Will each person carry out and be a response to the prayers they lifted up to God?
   To me, God isn’t after the size of the gathering, but the heart of the people at the gathering.
   I’m not endorsing AFA or their beliefs on certain issues (Indiana, gays, etc). However, I do believe that “The Response” (those that attended and led it) was intent on seeking God’s heart and presence. It was something, I feel, that needs to happen more often within the Church.

5. Well, Frank, in defence of at least some attendees at ‘The Response’: I would say that I doubt that they opted to attend with the intention of compromising the civil rights of others. I do share your implied concern about ‘religion’ that becomes confused with power politics; such ‘religion’, however good people’s intentions might be, can and does produce truly horrible results that are absolutely contrary to the core values of the Christian faith.
   It is, perhaps for many of us, tempting to think that one might be able to ‘impose’ a monolithic political/religious ideology on a society for its betterment. History shows us that such attempts always ‘end in tears’, which is why I consider it my Christian duty to argue for pluralistic democracy under the rule of law as the best means of protecting the things that most people (whatever they might ‘believe’) hold dear: human life and life-chances, human dignity and the common good.

6. 120,000 people attended Comic Con 2011. Unlike attendees at the Response, the games of make believe played by the Comic Con attendees did not involve taking away anyone’s civil rights or psychologically torturing anyone to the point of suicide.

7. Although the crowds (at least the ‘supportive crowds’) did dwindle rather dramatically when Jesus actually put into practice what he was ultimately talking about! The last hours of his earthly life were a very lonely time for him.
   Just on the matter of the relationship between the Church and politics (the nature of which relationship I believe needs to be explored in the context of events such as “The Response”), here is a paragraph from the 2009 Papal Encyclical on economic and social justice, Caritas in Veritate:
   ‘The Church does not have technical solutions to offer and does not claim “to interfere in any way in the politics of States.” She does, however, have a mission of truth to accomplish, in every time and circumstance, for a society that is attuned to man, to his dignity, to his vocation. Without truth, it is easy to fall into an empiricist and sceptical view of life, incapable of rising to the level of praxis because of a lack of interest in grasping the values — sometimes even the meanings — with which to judge and direct it. Fidelity to man requires fidelity to the truth, which alone is the guarantee of freedom and of the possibility of integral human development. For this reason the Church searches for truth, proclaims it tirelessly and recognizes it wherever it is manifested. This mission of truth is something that the Church can never renounce. Her social doctrine is a particular dimension of this proclamation: it is a service to the truth which sets us free. Open to the truth, from whichever branch of knowledge it comes, the Church’s social doctrine receives it, assembles into a unity the fragments in which it is often found, and mediates it within the constantly changing life-patterns of the society of peoples and nations.‘
   The highlighting is my own. (Of course, when Benedict says that the Church ‘is doing such-and-such’, he might well have said that the Church ‘should be doing such-and-such’!)
   For those who are interested, here is the full text of the Encyclical: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.html

8. Whatever Jesus taught, the crowds following Him seemed to grow, not decline.

9. I rather hope Emily is correct, although I’m not sure that she is; ‘politico-religion’ seems worrying popular to me, with those who prefer to see religious discipline as principally about seeking truth and asking questions often dismissed as ‘wooly’. (Maybe I’m being pessimistic here, and perhaps also a little unfair on some of those involved with, or attending, this event.)

10. I don’t think it speaks to a “decline in religion.” Just perhaps a decline in THEIR type of religion.

11. I don’t think the crowd size has anything to do with whether or not the event was “successful” or not, Warren. I think what matters most is the intent and the take-away. Who cares how many people showed up, or if they broke “box-office” records.
    Did each person come expecting God to move?
    Will each person carry out and be a response to the prayers they lifted up to God?
    To me, God isn’t after the size of the gathering, but the heart of the people at the gathering.
    I’m not endorsing AFA or their beliefs on certain issues (Indiana, gays, etc). However, I do believe that “The Response” (those that attended and led it) was intent on seeking God’s heart and presence. It was something, I feel, that needs to happen more often within the Church.

12. Although the crowds (at least the ‘supportive crowds’) did dwindle rather dramatically when Jesus actually put into practice what he was ultimately talking about! The last hours of his earthly life were a very lonely time for him.
    Just on the matter of the relationship between the Church and politics (the nature of which relationship I believe needs to be explored in the context of events such as “The Response”), here is a paragraph from the 2009 Papal Encyclical on economic and social justice, Caritas in Veritate:
    ‘The Church does not have technical solutions to offer and does not claim “to interfere in any way in the politics of States.” She does, however, have a mission of truth to accomplish, in every time and circumstance, for a society that is attuned to man, to his dignity, to his vocation. Without truth, it is easy to fall into an empiricist and sceptical view of life, incapable of rising to the level of praxis because of a lack of interest in grasping the values — sometimes even the meanings — with which to judge and direct it. Fidelity to man requires fidelity to the truth, which alone is the guarantee of freedom and of the possibility of integral human development. For this reason the Church searches for truth, proclaims it tirelessly and recognizes it wherever it is manifested. This mission of truth is something that the Church can never renounce. Her social doctrine is a particular dimension of this proclamation: it is a service to the truth which sets us free. Open to the truth, from whichever branch of knowledge it comes, the Church’s social doctrine receives it, assembles into a unity the fragments in which it is often found, and mediates it within the constantly changing life-patterns of the society of peoples and nations.‘
    The highlighting is my own. (Of course, when Benedict says that the Church ‘is doing such-and-such’, he might well have said that the Church ‘should be doing such-and-such’!)
    For those who are interested, here is the full text of the Encyclical: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.html

13. Whatever Jesus taught, the crowds following Him seemed to grow, not decline.

14. I don’t think it speaks to a “decline in religion.” Just perhaps a decline in THEIR type of religion.

Comments are closed.