My family has never been very religious, and I’m no
exception. But through education and meeting of all kinds of people, I’ve come
to understand the value behind any faith. Religion has the power to moralize,
to build community, to act as a refuge, even be an escape. But one thing I’m
very confident of is that religion was never intended to become a monopoly.

Recently, the Blackhawk Church opened its $17 million doors
on Madison’s west side.  The church
claims that it has gone through rapid growth and with gatherings of 4,000 or so,
a new facility was the only way to house everyone. The church has three
auditoriums with lounges and a video café. Sunday mornings, Executive Pastor
Gregg Bergman conducts mass in the largest of the three auditoriums, and live
video is fed to the other two auditoriums.

The church claims that it intends to keep its small-church
atmosphere while allowing for as many as possible to attend services. Family,
according to church officials, is still the main priority of the church.

What’s interesting is that if small-church values are said
to be the focus, why were millions of dollars raised to create a massive,
warehouse-style church? For the officials to preach of small-church values in a
complex that has parking space comparable to Wal-Mart, the hypocrisy is more
than obvious. I was always under the assumption individuals attended mass to
seek refuge in their Savior, not in the video café.

The creation of this church undermines what has
traditionally been a primary focus on faith and religion. These people are
coming to the church to explore its amenities, not its beliefs. How can
thousands of people blindly attend mass in a multimillion dollar facility,
while the people they are supposedly praying for are hungry, sick and
homeless? 

Can you imagine what could be done with $17 million? It may
seem cliché to ask the question, but what would Jesus do? If overcrowding was
an issue and people truly were faithful, why not separate into smaller bodies
and hold services independently? Why thoughtlessly consume land, resources,
funds, time and energy to create something that is so obviously arbitrary to
the real purpose of faith? It can only be seen as the changing of religious
priority in today’s world. One’s true faith and moral standing are not what’s
important any more. Rather, the “what can you do for me now” mentality has
taken a firm hold on society.

In order for churches to survive today, it seems as though
something more than eternal salvation has to be offered. Maybe they should give
a free lunch for every soul saved or priority parking for those who have sinned
the least. It’s unfortunate that I’m able to joke about such an issue as
traditionally revered and respected as personal spirituality. However, it’s
just as unfortunate that people have bought into this system of faux-religion.

The church may very well preach the same morals and beliefs
as it did prior to the new church’s construction, but for it to do so by spending
such an excessive amount of money that, according to National Coalition on
Health Care, could provide health insurance for more than 4,000 people seems
nothing less than hypocritical.

Religion has, from its onset, been designed to create an
atmosphere conducive to moral edification and social awareness. It’s amazing
that in this day and age of education and communication, no one thought that
the creation of a mega-church was in direct opposition of true Christian faith.
It’s obvious we are all living in a veiled world. And what’s most unfortunate
is that the people supposedly in charge of altering this sad reality are, in
fact, the ones perpetuating it.

Ben Patterson ([email protected])
is a junior majoring in political science.