The local vicar, "Call me Andrew", is nice if a bit patronising and used to have a middle 4 page spread for the Eater celebrations - no longer possible in this commercial world with all those adverts. So he gets a single page now, quoted below:
Of course, the option he missed after, "Doing the same as someone else you know — avoid Easter Jesus, go secular", is "Doing the same as someone else you know — flock to the church."Wonder if you have read about the HERD effect?
It's all to do with social influence shaping consumer behaviour which really means it's about how we make choices. Some say there are four different choice styles out there: Considered, Guesswork, Copying Experts, Copying Peers
You can see how this works in all our decisions and attitudes our buying choices and our beliefs. Next time you make a purchase how do you decide?
Taking time to think it through — could be time consuming
Tossing a coin and going with that — quick but likely to be random
Experts know best - reading "Which" magazine or online reviews
Doing the same as someone else you know - personal recommendation
But it's also true about our beliefs and this could be disastrous! Easter is just around the corner, what does Easter really mean? Have you taken time to think it through — key words are cross & resurrection
Tossing a coin and going with that — choccy egg or bunny rabbit
Experts know best — see wikipedia or check out church
Doing the same as someone else you know — avoid Easter Jesus, go secular
Strange how most people seem to do Easter with the bunnies and the chocolate even though in most of the world Easter is about something quite different. To put it into just one paragraph:
Easter is about a man, Jesus, who was God. It's about his sacrificial death on the cross. It's about his triumphant resurrection. Because of Jesus, those who were dead may live, those in bondage find freedom, those tethered to despair find hope.
Happy Easter!
Um, surely religion, with its reliance on its members sticking to dogma doctrine is a prime example of herding, are his congregation not his flock? OK, "flock" here is used in a pastoral sense, so do as daddy says, eh?
So, getting out of the herd, let alone the box, to think for oneself is not an option. What a surprise!
Now, question is do I right Call me Andrew a nice, polite, considered letter pointing out the missing option and enlightening him as to the virtues of Humanism?