The Onion of Secrets

At age 12 when attending catechism class at our Lutheran church, the pastor took many opportunities to teach us about "the lure of the Secret Clubhouse".

Basically that wise, kind, generous man inoculated three generations of children against the appeal of all such organizations by contrasting what Christ taught with what masons, mormons, the Elks, "boys only/no girls allowed", social cliques, the corporate ladder, and any other excusivism-based societies teach.

He began by asking if any of us ever felt excluded or left out, or attempted to make others feel that way. Then he gave examples of how harmful exclusivism can be to individuals, families, and society. He carefully described secret rituals and initiation rites of clubs and religions, and asked us what we thought they might mean. Almost all of them just sounded silly, and he explained them to us for what they are... simply a grown up extension of the stupid meaningless rituals kids use in their little clubhouses "for members only". The secret rituals are designed to engender a dark sense of the hidden or "mystery" (that usually disappoints on closer inspection) leading to "now I'm IN - and they're not", iow an appeal to a prideful sense of superiority.

Only to discover (once again) -- there is even a clique of "in" people on the inside! Another layer beckons, another inner circle you are excluded from and want to get "in" to...How the yearning to be "on the inside" can be a useful tool for manipulating people into doing things they would never otherwise even think about.

Pastor G. even urged us to forsake sororities and fraternities in college. He made it clear why our church prohibited membership in secret societies. He spoke about these things from the pulpit occasionally as well. I owe him a debt of gratitude. I found myself in high school and college and the workplace as the champion and supporter of those left-out losers everyone shunned. I'm no respecter of persons, and that's one thing I can thank my pastor for to this day. I rejected God not long after my confirmation. But. Later there were many times in my search for God that I could easily have fallen prey to a cult. But red flags always went up when I sensed "The Onion of Secrets" -- layers one has to go through to be really on the inside...

Anyone who has read C.S. Lewis' 3rd novel in his science fiction trilogy "That Hideous Strength" will know what I'm talking about.

It's all nothing more than the devil's first temptation, or the tower of Babel, tarted up and trotted out in a stinking filthy shroud of "dark mystery" to lure the ignorant outsider into the inner sanctum of prideful arrogance separated from the Light of God.

The Secret Onion has you working from the outside to get in.

The Light of Salvation is poured freely on all who accept it, drenching all who claim Jesus as their Lord and Savior with unconditional acceptance and love.

big difference.