Socialization

Over the course of this semester, I have been in a number of debates in which I find myself arguing against "community" as it is commonly stressed in some circles.

To clarify what I mean by the "community" that I argue against...I have discovered a term that better fits this sense of "community". That term...socialization. To be defined, socialization is something done to somebody by somebody else. This is the mentality of "community" at times. People within this "community" aim at pressing the way they do things (whether it is fellowship, discuss, work, etc...) into the lives of others. This can be beneficial. It can introduce individuals and groups to the rich resources of the Christian faith and specific religious traditions. It can add support and encouragement to someone's life.

However, there are also many bad aspects of this socialization. For starters, it can lead to pathological dependency. It can become something that you have to have and your ability to hear the voice of God (or perform other acts of faith) will become totally dependent upon this "community" that performed socialization on you. Another major problem is that it tends to encourage a group superiority complex and exclusiveness.

Any time that you are approached by a member of a socialization community and asked to change your behavior because it does not match what the "community" desires, you are suddenly slapped in the face with the fact that the norms and standards of the "community" are necassary to become fully a part of the "community". This sounds an awful lot like group superiority to me and an excluusion of anyone who does not meet the norms. Before you reply and tell me how important it is to follow a groups norms because of morality, ethics, etc..., please note that I am speaking of non-essentials here. I totally agree in the following statement:

In essentials unity
In non-essentials liberty
In all things charity

(I think I have that right)

It is often humurous to me that many times, within the "community" debate, I find myself being accused of having views that are dead wrong. I am often told that it would benefit me greatly if I changed my thoughts (this is often because people don't listen and take the time to discover what I am saying...they simply hear something that seems contrary to their beliefs, and I think that frightens them). The interesting thing to me is that it is rare for someone I am speaking to to acknowledge that there is a small chance...an astronomically small chance...that they are wrong. I will be first to admit...I MAY BE WRONG. Obviously, I do not think so...but it is a possibility.

I believe that community is something far greater than socialization. Community involves an acceptance of how each of us has been made differently by the same God. There is a reason that I am the way I am (please keep all jokes to a minimum in regards to that phrase). If I am forced into participating in a community that practices socialization, who I am will be snuffed out and I will cease to be who I am. And...as I have said a million times...one cannot know who he/she is in community, if he/she does not know who they are as an individual.

True community molds people into the likeness of Christ...not the likeness of themselves. The problem is that the majority of the time, we do not know that we are trying to form people into the likeness of ourselves. The ratiolnale is, "This is how God made me, so this is how God wants everyone to be." This is the breeding ground for socialization.

Just because I don't fit into the paradigm of what you believe community is, does not mean that we cannot have great Christian community. In fact, I challenge that we could have fantastic Christian community. The problem is that we must first understand that what community is may not look like what we are picturing.

I shall conclude my rant............now!