Measuring spirituality is impossible. Also impossible: trying to force people to worship God. It just doesn’t work. So when you require someone to worship God who doesn’t desire to, you’re just wasting your time and theirs.
View 63 is a prime example of this. View is a weekly Monday night praise session at Oklahoma Christian. In previous semesters, this was something people attended so they could praise God and get their minds focused as they start their week.
View was unlike chapel where everyone is required to go and many spend the time on cell phones. It was different because everyone around you wanted to be there.
Now students can go to View for chapel credit since the creation of Ethos, a system designed to give students a variety of spiritual options, rather than just chapel to get their required 65 credits.
This has ruined my View 63 experience. Granted, I can still go for God, but in terms of rejuvenating and focusing myself at the beginning of a hard week, it just doesn’t work.
I’ll tell you why.
Instead of a few of your friends singing at the top of their lungs to a God they love, there appears to be more people singing halfheartedly or not singing at all. There are people who skipped chapel and just need the credit so they come to View for spiritual points.
You can’t force people to be spiritual. Spirituality stems from a decision inside a person. On a mission trip it might be different, people can work and be involved in something and then that helps them spiritually, but a praise session is all about the heart. You can’t change a heart by throwing kudos points at it.
I know I’m stepping on a lot of toes right now. I do really like Ethos and its encouragement for students to get involved in various spiritual activities. I think it is very beneficial on a lot of levels.
But I just want to say I miss the old View 63. It gave me something to look forward to after a dreary, stressful Monday. Now it’s more of a chore.
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