With lockdown during the pandemic, places of worship were closed or limited in numbers attending. Being deprived of access to regular worship made me wonder about those who are permanently unable to attend. I realize that there many who do not participate because of limitations on their physical and mental capabilities and other restrictions. While this occurs in every religion, I speak to it as a Christian.
Those with extreme limitations, physical or mental, may have great difficulty in attending a place of worship or participating in other activities or even find it impossible. An example relating to mental capacity is baptism. While a growing number of Christian bodies practice adult baptism, most Christians are baptized as infants, and their assent is not required for initiation into the church. For those baptized as adults, an informed affirmation is required. What happens when a person is unable to do this because of not being able to understand what it is all about? The same situation arises for baptized infants going on to confirmation. And what about receiving holy communion? There are certain requirements expected of church members and there are people who are unable to grasp the beliefs and practices involved.
The issue is about how we include everyone in a religious community. I expect many are left out because they cannot comprehend and we don’t know how to include them — those with disabilities from birth, injured in an accident or by a stroke, suffering from dementia, having sight or hearing limitations, victims of neurological conditions.
And it’s not just religious communities. It affects every form of human gathering and organization. It’s about the neighbourhood, the municipality, the region, the province, the nation, the whole world. It relates to the family, the school, the workplace. From sport teams to senior groups, youth organizations to service clubs, who belongs? What about those deemed “different,” those on the margins? They are often left out.
Belonging also relates to processes. A current issue is the provincial election. While the number of people prevented from voting in this election looks to be unusably high, there are voters unable to cast their ballot in every election. The system doesn’t work for them. These included the illiterate, the mentally challenged, those living abroad, the homeless. There may be provisions made for such people, but how effective are they? The Election Act needs to be reviewed regularly and revised as required.
What does belonging look like? For me it includes invitation, welcome, accommodation, inclusion/participation. It means examining our expectations, attitudes, behaviour and culture. Our common humanity should not be defined by the condition of our body and mind, our ability and achievements. Our humanity should be measured by the warmth of our presence and the quality of our relationships. In short, our humanity is grounded and rooted in love.
And that means consulting those who want to be included. Listen to their voices. As the saying goes, “Nothing about us without us.”
Everett Hobbs
Conception Bay South