All this happened within the space of a day: a visit to the mysterious and beautiful Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple in Chinatown, which is, we were told, the only Tantric Buddhist temple in Chicago; a viewing of a thought-provoking “60 Minutes” segment about evangelical Christianity; reading four different stories about the controversy surrounding Mel Gibson’s movie, “The Passion of the Christ,” currently playing at a theater near you; and a discussion with a very smart person who told us that her personal religion was based almost entirely on the song “Such Things Are Finely Done” by local singer/songwriter/genius Michael Smith.
All of this kind of overwhelmed us with thoughts of religion and made us recall a sign we once saw in the window of a storefront church on the West Side. It said, “A Church With a Message in This Mess-Age.”
This church was in the 5800 block of West Division Street in the Austin neighborhood. It was on a block that consisted of seven storefronts, four of them empty, but the other three housing the True Love Mission, the One Way Church of God in Christ and the Christian Progressive Achievement Center. Across the street was the One Church in Christ Baptist and up the street was the Holy Trinity Church of God in Christ.
That close gathering of houses of prayer didn’t surprise us. Just look in the phone book and you will find hundreds of churches and other places of worship in areas of the city and suburbs you’ve never heard of and would never think of visiting. But Osgood and I do a lot of driving and often stop in at such places; we just did so a few weeks ago, to look at some Tiffany windows.
If our experience is any indication, in all of these venues you will be greeted by a smile and perhaps an outstretched hand. You will be made to feel welcome.
It’s good to do that every once in a while, just drop in. It is a fine way to remind yourself that the world may not be as crazy as it often seems to be, at least in matters of religious choice.
You will, sooner than later, again be reminded that this remains a “mess-age” and that every day, amid prayers for peace and happiness (and, yes, we suppose, winning Lotto numbers), people scream at, beat, bomb, maim and kill each other in the name of their God.
