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4-10-98
At the opening of his KABC radio show, Dennis Prager referenced this article in today's Wall Street Journal.
Executives Who Get It All Ask: Is That Really All There Is? By LISA MILLER Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL In many ways, the 90s have been good for Kenny Lombino. He's got a job with a top brokerage firm in Los Angeles, a $600,000 bachelor pad and a blue Jaguar with vanity plates. He's even a master sky diver, having accomplished the difficult "30-way": 30 linked divers plummeting to the ground. But last year, he felt he needed something more. "I thought, 'Here I am, 45 years old, and my life isn't going anyplace," he says. "I have a penthouse in Westwood and the right kind of car, and my life is empty." So he did something really radical: He went back to church. Many people once felt a need for a formal relationship with God only when they got married, had babies or were about to die. Now, people in their 40s and 50s are finding themselves at the peak of their careers, wealthy from the stock-market boom -- and still feeling there's something missing. "They're dissatisfied," says the Rev. Steve Stroope, pastor of Lake Pointe Baptist Church, located in an upscale neighborhood near Dallas. "They've landed on the moon and they're saying, 'Is this all there is?' " Churches and synagogues across the country report a small but growing group of successful baby boomers walking through their doors, and not just in this Easter-Passover season. But this new class of churchgoers is in an unusual spot: They're not quite sure how, or where, to go back. Religious institutions, in turn, don't always know how to reach them. "We have absolutely no way to talk to them," says Terry Parsons, director of stewardship for the Episcopal Church. "You don't ask a CEO to come back and stuff envelopes." Churches often think that the obvious place to put a businessperson is on the fund-raising committee, or in some other management post. But more responsibility may be the last thing people want when they're yearning to develop a spiritual life. D'Arcy LeClair, 50, an executive vice president at Chase Manhattan Bank in New York, says that in the past, he has been roped into governing roles by church leaders hoping to use his managerial expertise. "I don't want to get involved with organizational politics," at church, he says. "I have to do that every day of my life." 'It Comes Back to You' For some professionals, the return to religion begins with social engagements. Stephen Ashman, chief executive of Capital Bank in Rockville, Md., moved to the Washington, D.C., area in the early 1990s and began accepting business associates' invitations to Jewish weddings and bar mitzvahs. Positions on the boards of several local Jewish organizations followed, and, as part of this "slow evolution," he says, he decided to study the Bible at a synagogue downtown. Finally, he took himself to temple. After nearly 30 years away from Judaism, "It was a little bit awkward," he says. "But it comes back to you ... Eventually prayer is a very warm feeling. It feels like you're almost being cradled by a parent." Spiritual Guides Here are some tools to help an interested nonchurchgoer start shopping. To find a church or synagogue: Denominational Web sites -- Most major denominations now have their own Web sites. The Unitarian (www.uua.org), Lutheran (www.elca.org), Congregationalist (www.naccc.org) and Methodist (www.umc.org) sites, as well as that of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (www.uahc.org), an association of reformed Jewish congregations, can sort churches and synagogues geographically, so users can find houses of worship near them. Houses of Worship -- A project of the American Bible Society and others, this new Web site lists most of the 300,000 Christian churches in North America and can be sorted by zip code. About 12,000 of the churches listed have Web pages, which contain a message from the pastor, a schedule of services and other basic information. (www.housesofworship.net) Phone referrals -- Most major denominations keep lists of congregations, and some have staff to answer the phone, field questions and send out pamphlets and other information. A partial listing: To find an Orthodox Jewish congregation, call the Rabbinical Council of America, at 212-807-7888. For a Presbyterian congregation, call 800-872-3283. For the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, call 801-240-1000. Spokesmen for the Southern Baptist Convention and the Episcopal Church suggest looking in the phone book to find the denominations' regional associations, which can provide a list of local churches. Courses Landings -- Father Jac Campbell, a priest of the Paulist order, which emphasizes reconciliation, developed this eight- to 10-week get-reacquainted program for lapsed Catholics in 1989. The first year, he says, he had a hard time getting any churches to teach the course. Now, Landings is in 500 churches. Sessions take place in small groups, composed half of active and half of inactive Catholics. (617-720-5986) Alpha -- Subtitled "A Practical Introduction to the Christian Faith," this 10-week program addresses a different topic each week, such as "Why and How Should I Read the Bible" and "What Does the Holy Spirit Do?" Originating in an Anglican church in London and imported to the U.S. in 1995, Alpha is now in more than 500 churches nationwide. Each evening usually includes a meal, a lecture, singing and a small group discussion. (888-949-2574) National Jewish Outreach Program -- This organization offers courses in basic Hebrew reading and basic Judaism at synagogues of all denominations. It also offers weekly beginner's services, which help people figure out some of the basic rituals, as well as common prayers. These beginner's services are at more than 150 synagogues nationwide. (800-444-3273) Luke writes:
Dennis Prager opened his show discussing how the media ignores religion. Today is Good Friday, the most solemn day in the Christian calendar, and tonight Passover begins (the most observed Jewish holiday). P says the reason is that the media is secular, and generally think that religion is at best a nuisance and at worst, dangerous. Prager says that at least as many folks observe religious holidays as watch the Academy Awards. And the Academy Awards garner great media coverage because Hollywood fascinates the media (and religion does not). A caller said that the reason newspapers devote a large section each day to sports and only a page or two a week to religion is that sports has more drama. Prager disagreed. He said the following story had as much drama as a ninth inning seventh game of the World Series… The US Reform rabbinate is discussing the question of whether Reform rabbis should officiate at same sex marriages. The Israeli wing of the Reform movement passionately opposes this, and says it would completely discredit Reform to millions of Israelis. Another fascinating religious story is Bill Clinton taking communion this week in South Africa. P says that Americans have great interest in religion, as evidenced by TV shows on the theme and books on the best seller lists. [Both examples of coverage of religion by the secular media?] P touched on the issue of the historicity of the Exodus. Dennis said that the best argument he heard for the historicity of the Torah (Five books of Moses) is: Why would a people make up such a lousy myth about themselves? That they were slaves? [Such an argument says nothing about the historicity of the Torah, but at least Dennis finds it powerful.] A caller pointed out how many Jews are in the media: Perhaps a majority of powerful folks in Hollywood and entertainment are Jewish. Peter Tilden, Ronn Owens, Dennis Prager, Mr Kabc, Michael Jackson etc on KABC. Jerry Seinfeld would not do a show on Passover. A caller said that Judaism seemed more prestigious. Jews seem disproportionately successful. There are not Yom Kippur shopping sales. DP: Judaism has far more rituals than Protestantism, which helps perpetuate its values. Two years ago, Prager wrote an article for the LA TIMES on the need for rituals. America needs rituals to keep the love of America alive. Dennis says that last night his five year old son Aaron, 15-year old son David and him (Dennis) marched around their darkened house with a candle and a feather looking for pieces of bread (chametz). [This is a traditional Jewish ritual.] A caller said that religion was more difficult to sell commercials for. You do not see "Good Friday brought to you by Bud Light." A man was just back from England where the cable TV channel SKY advertised an Easter Film special - films starring Eddie Murphy. An Eddie Murphy Easter Special. [LUKE: It seems that increasing numbers of secular people are acknowledging the legitimate need for religion and more religious people are acknowledging the legitimate need for the secular.] Prager got a call from a Judeo-Buddhist lesbian Andrew Sullivan loving woman that Prager's mother would not want him to marry. She hated it when religion imposed values she did not like. Yet she was happy when religion imposed values she liked, and when secularism did the same (against racism, smoking, discrimination against gays).
Over a week ago Prager promised a woman caller that he would post on his web site a list of classical music compositions ideal for those who want to access the genre. He has yet to post such a list, though he has posted a list of books he's written as well as reviewing them himself. He thinks they are all great and important works, which they are. A caller said he had been listening to Dennis since he came on the air in 1982. The man said Prager helped him define himself as Episcopalian. The man said that until he encountered Dennis he thought CS Lewis was the greatest Christian apologist. Now he thinks it is Dennis. Prager said that many Christian clergy asked him to handle hostile questions about Christianity on the RELIGION ON THE LINE show, because Dennis would do a better job defending the religion. Prager said that organized religion was largely responsible for its own decline, because it makes so few demands on people. Many religious have outsecularized the secular. Religion has become wimpy. Cheap grace. Namby pamby religion. God judges and makes demands. God and religion is not politically correct. Prager was embarrassed to admit that some Jews would not enter a church because they thought Judaism forbade it. Yesterday Dennis claimed that on the Ronn Owens program yesterday, he had only half as much time as the anti-smoking advocate. Dennis felt strongly that he had much less time to speak. Prager claimed that he had only six minutes to speak and that his opponent had twelve minutes (or eight minutes to thirteen). Dennis said that his assistant [Laurie Zimmet] timed it with a stop watch and that Prager only got half the time. Ronn Owens says that Prager got ten minutes while his opponent got twelve minutes. A caller claimed that Dennis lost the debate and felt frustrated. Thus Prager supposedly blamed his lack of time for his poor performance. DP felt that he won the debate. Another KABC employee taped the show and used a stopwatch. He concluded that the time distribution was equal and the other guy won the debate because he knew more facts. "Dennis doesn't argue facts. I reported my equal result to Dennis. Dennis went on his website and reported Laurie's numbers." Prager said that in the third hour his five year old Aaron would sing his favorite Passover song. [Dennis has complained that my writing has invaded the privacy of his family, yet he is happy to talk frequently about his family on the air, and to have members of his family on his show.] Aaron never came on the air. Prager said that Jews generally would not object to the presence of a non-Jew at Passover. P told a caller that Protestantism lacked rituals. We shake hands when we meet as a ritual. We do not only have warm feelings in our heart. Prager claimed that it was fine for Jews to enter a church. [LUKE: Almost all orthodox authorities would forbid it.] Prager called the caller "ignorant," and "wrong," and "you do not know what you were talking about." Prager was right when he said that Maimonides said that Christianity (at the beginning of the Yad Hazakar - Mishna Torah - the Rambam's compilation of Jewish Law) took the Torah to the world. The caller was wrong in denying this. DP does not represent Judaism accurately at times. Most traditional rabbis (meaning Orthodox and traditional Conservative) would understand it as religiously forbidden to have non-Jews at Passover. Prager says that Judaism does not consider abortion murder, but a significant strand of Jewish law and thought would consider it murder. Prager was shaken by the call, as he is often shaken up by Orthodox callers who accuse him of misrepresenting Judaism to the world. Most Orthodox Jews I have talked with about Prager's presentation of Judaism object to it. They label it more Pragerism than Judaism. Prager humanizes and rationalizes Judaism. Prager says that he found out he was adopted he would have no interest in his biological parents. And he cannot understand those who do. Prager seems to deny any significance to genes (if he has no interest in knowing anything about his biological parents). A Christian said that God loved everyone equally, torturers as much as the tortured. The scandal of grace, replied the caller. "Is there anything your kids could do to stop loving them?" Prager says that if one of his kids killed another of his kids, he would love the killer less. Dennis devoted the entire three hours to the media's basic ignoring of Easter and Passover. Dennis said that more people attend church, synagogue, and mosque on any given weekend than all sporting events combined. Yet most newspapers have entire sports sections while they give limited coverage of religious events, usually on one Religion page on a Saturday. Dennis also asked a rhetorical question: "do you think more people around the world attend religious services or watched the academy awards?" Dennis said, even it the number is equal, look at all the coverage given to the awards. Dennis said that the reason for the imbalance reporting is because most people in the media are secular, thus they project their interests in their publications. Dennis said that there is more Easter traffic reporting on his station than there is any coverage of Easter and Passover. Dennis noted that Easter is the holiest day of the Christian calendar and that Passover is the most widely observed Jewish holiday, more than Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashana.
This was a powerful show with calls coming in agreeing with Dennis and talking about the significance of the religious days and calls coming in challenging Dennis to rethink his position. For example, one caller told Dennis that the reason that there is a huge sports sections in most papers and very little coverage of anything religious is because there really isn't anything to report on the religions and there is a lot to report on sports. He gave a humorous example. He said that people want to read about sporting events to see how games played out the day before and who won. What would a religion section print, he asked Dennis, that God won on Sunday? Dennis laughed at that and said that there is plenty to print on religion. Dennis said that he can give lots of examples but that one very important one is that American Reform rabbis are convening to decide whether or not Reform rabbis can officiate at same sex weddings. Dennis said that the Reform rabbis in Israel are begging the American Reform rabbis not to make their decision now because this would make them (in Israel) loose all credibility with the Orthodox rabbis, when they are finally making some strides toward recognition. Dennis said that this is a heated issue and he can't find coverage of it in mainstream newspapers even though most Jews in America are Reform and gay issues are hot today. But because it is within a religious context the media ignores it. The caller was surprised and said that he hadn't even heard of this issue and agreed that the media needs to pay more attention to religion.
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