In an interview with BassFan Rick Clunn talks about the "Dark Side of Christian Spirituality" as he terms it; Rick Clunn is a bit of an individualist maverick when it comes to spirituality, especially in the conservative evangelical dominated world of Professional Bass Fishing. As examples of this "Dark Side" he talks about how in his youth his sister was condemned to hell for being a ballet dancer and how that moved his family away from their church and away from Christianity; Clunn also references F.O.C.A.S. (Fellowship of Christian Angling Society) and how some people within this group have used what he considers negative and coercive peer pressure tactics, as well as how he believes they had distorted his own beliefs.
My response to Rick Clunn:
It is impossible to deny that Christianity has a "dark side." But "Christianity" as Clunn uses the word is nothing but a multifaceted institutionalized ideology acted out in the lives of individual and corporate human lives. The clear lesson of history and immediate human experience is that human beings are all morally flawed and prone to mistakes ranging from the individual occasional minor offense all the way to mass directed grievous evil. If one wishes to focus on the negative and problems than they will find them without much effort when human conduct is considered.
Clunn obviously considers himself a self-enlightened individual, but that self-enlightenment obviously contains a prejudice against evangelical Christian's and evangelical Christianity. The majority of Clunn's opinion has apparently sided with the negatives of "Christianity" so that the positives are discounted. Just as Clunn judges the arrogance of Christian's so he is condemned by the arrogance of his own enlightenment which surely is not without this significant flaw. Rick Clunn may be the "Greatest Professional Bass Fisherman ever, a great father, husband, and generally be a pretty good guy, but he is not without his issues and flaws. I know that because I know myself and I know all beings have issues and flaws either real or imagined. Clunn obviously has some issues with Christian's that appear legitimate, but I question whether his consideration of Christian's and Christianity is deep enough to have merit. For if I were to discount all of Clunn's accomplishments because of his failures and mistakes than I could esteem Clunn negatively and that with ease. But why would I choose to do such?
Well actually I wouldn't, because I have a great deal of respect for the guy as a man and as an angler. Obviously if I were a P.E.T.A. believer than I would have a different view. Consider that.
