I watched a documentary tonight centered around the Alpha course. 5 agnostic brits attended the course including a retreat, and reported back on what they thought, how they felt, whether or not their opinion of organized religion and Christianity in particular changed at all. We had a comedy writer, a student,a middle aged woman with a troubled past and this wierd guy who was a 'freegan' which, as far as i can tell, means that he only eats food that is free. So at night time he hokes through supermarket skips to pick out all the food that is still good enough to eat. But that could be a whole entire post in itself!

I have never gone through the alpha course but I know people who have and liked it. People whose opinion I trust. I don't know why I expected a C4 show to be anything different but it was edited in a way that stained the course and Christianity as a fundamental cult with whacked out rituals and utterly naive followers. 6 weeks of motivational speakers (who read pre-prepared speeches from a mass-prepared booklet) followed by small group discussion and food served by pretty christian girls. Always have to have a good spread at church events; its part of the package. The narrator described it as a seemingly formless course which in fact was rigidly organized to produce good results. Sounds sneaky and devious doesn't it?

I remained defensive until they got to the sprirtual retreat and things got a little wierd. I felt awkward for the agnostics when they were encouraged, as a part of the course, to speak in tongues. On several occassions. Speaking in tongues was likened to a baby speaking his first muddled up words to his parents. Not by the narrator but by the minister. It was almost as if there was a method or a formula to speaking in tongues when the point of the term 'tongues' is languages that were never learnt. Speaking in tongues is, in my limited understanding, a spiritual gift. And one that can only be called upon by the Holy Spirit. And if you haven't invited the Spirit into your heart, like these people attending the alpha course, then how can they expected to tongue speak on cue. Is this not ridiculous?

I was unaware that this was such a large component of the alpha course and I think after watching this particular insight, that I and most other people watching, will not be attending the alpha course anytime soon. At least not that one.