‘Glory, hallelujah I shall not be moved…’ a great inspirational song of the ages has become a testimony of stubborn and willful disregard for enlightenment among legalistic churches. Ministers; who present themselves as God’s spokespersons, appear to be not only totally oblivious to their own fallible limitations and capability of mistakes, but sometime unmerciful and arrogant in the postulation of their own beliefs and opinions. Their traditions have been placed on a pedestal of worship. They are too willing to oppose, without authentication, or substantiation, any belief they do not espouse, or is not a part of their traditional belief system. Their unwillingness to ‘move’ is not a spiritual expression of submission to God, but rather a haughty spirit of egotism. Like the Pharisees and Scribes of biblical history, the devotion to their traditions eclipses their desire for truth. When Jesus spoke to the Pharisees concerning eternal truths, their conversations relapsed to their ‘traditions of the fathers’.

This is clearly the position taken in many current circumstances. Instead of our traditions being examined in light of scriptures, the reverse has often been the case. Selected scriptures are used to support our traditions, excluding any that do not correspond to those selected.

Historically, scriptures have been used to describe the position of various groups of people (usually women, children, Blacks, mentally ill or others who are different) in society and the prescribed role they are to play. This prescribed position in society usually places them as subordinate to the group that prescribes that role. The dominating group wishes to maintain old traditions, thus anchoring their position in society. Change usually comes slowly, if at all. When some small changes come, there continues to be an outcry from ministers, politicians, and regressive thinkers. The old ways are presented as grand and glorious, much better; more socially and morally right, and the present aspirations for equality as defamed and seething in moral decay.