On this blog, I take a very critical and cynical stance against the Christian religion. While I acknowledge that Christianity has some positive aspects, in my view, the negative aspects outweigh them by a long shot.
Many readers have chastised me for lumping all Christians with the evangelical and/or fundamentalist element. I'm told that there exists Christians with more moderate and liberal viewpoints, that fundamentalist Christianity is not the only game in town. If you are among those that hold to this idea, then PROVE IT!
One of the supposed central tenets of the Christian religion is to love thy neighbor as thyself. Yet, if we look out onto the American landscape today, we see very little of this kind of love.
The rich are robbing the poor at breakneck speed.
Ethnicities are being demonized.
Homosexuals are being shoved forcibly into closets.
Our nation spends vastly more to kill foreigners -- many of them innocent -- than it does to educate its own children, maintain its own infrastructure, heal its own sick, and keep a roof over the heads of its own citizens.
If love thy neighbor as thyself MEANS anything substantive, where is the Christian outrage? Where is the informed criticism of America's excesses? Where is the leadership to move society toward this hallowed goal?
Many readers have chastised me for lumping all Christians with the evangelical and/or fundamentalist element. I'm told that there exists Christians with more moderate and liberal viewpoints, that fundamentalist Christianity is not the only game in town. If you are among those that hold to this idea, then PROVE IT!
One of the supposed central tenets of the Christian religion is to love thy neighbor as thyself. Yet, if we look out onto the American landscape today, we see very little of this kind of love.
The rich are robbing the poor at breakneck speed.
Ethnicities are being demonized.
Homosexuals are being shoved forcibly into closets.
Our nation spends vastly more to kill foreigners -- many of them innocent -- than it does to educate its own children, maintain its own infrastructure, heal its own sick, and keep a roof over the heads of its own citizens.
If love thy neighbor as thyself MEANS anything substantive, where is the Christian outrage? Where is the informed criticism of America's excesses? Where is the leadership to move society toward this hallowed goal?
I have three religions, Christian, Jedi and TheoApathetic.
ReplyDeleteChristian because I was baptised that way and it's good to have at least some beliefs.
Jedi because in terms of religion and philosophy, the philosophy of Star Wars crosses my mind far more than anything else - and the messages it sends aren't all that bad either.
TheoApathetic because it's closest to my core feelings about religion. I don't care what people do or believe, so long as they're nice to me. Be nice to me and I'll be nice back.
Yep... I know that's pretty self-centred.
Where does that leave Gay people? Well, I'm not gay and I don't actually care one way or another. I've got plenty of friends/acquaintances who are gay. If people don't harm me, then I'll accept them.
The question is; Should I really get up and fight for the rights of people whom I don't necessarily hold an opinion about? I don't know.
There are so many fights I could fight but if I chose them all, I'd spend my entire life fighting.
Instead, I've chosen a life of peace. I'm leading by example. If more people could be like me, then the world might be less violent.
Wearing my Christian hat, I have to ask what Jesus would do. Nothing. Seriously, Nothing.
Jesus didn't protest march. He let the bad things happen and accepted them. He made people feel better AFTER they were injured. He didn't fight but led by example.
Being a true Christian isn't about protesting. It's about accepting and leading by example - and it's about helping the fallen to rise again.
most of the christians i know are fundamentalists. however, i do know a couple who are liberal and don't believe in many of the teachings of christian churches. (in real life, i know more online that i've never met in person.) they go to universalist churches or else don't go to church at all. one is gay, one married a jew, and one doesn't believe in hell. (the other two might not either, i never asked.)
ReplyDeletesometimes people still keep the christian label and some of the teachings because either that's how they were raised or because they believe in the "love thy neighbor" teachings and see value in holding an external moral code. some are just disinterested in religion and see no reason to formally leave the church although they don't model their lives after it.
i'm sure you've noticed reading the bible that "god" is portrayed in many different ways in the bible. it's not surprising then to find christians that hold all sorts of viewpoints. lumping them all together is futile because they are all individuals and many don't follow the prescribed teachings, or they follow a different interpretation. most liberal non-christians put all christians into the "fundamental right" category (with good reason- most of them are), but it puts an unfair hostility on the more liberal christians.
Gavin,
ReplyDeleteJedi = Taoism (it's fairly close match).
While I would agree that Jesus didn't do much protesting, I think there's a pointed reason for that: He expected the world to come to an end during his lifetime or soon thereafter. The very same is true for Paul.
If either had realized that human history had made it to 2010, maybe each would have chosen a different strategy. It's something to consider.
Iktomi,
I am not lumping them together. I'm asking the moderate/liberal Christians why only their fundamentalist brethren seem to occupy the public stage. I'm asking them why they aren't out in force challenging the hateful forces in this country.
"Our nation spends vastly more to kill foreigners -- many of them innocent -- "
ReplyDeleteAll of them innocent.
TRT, yes indeed, why? i'm not sure. but i also think that people who use common sense also tend to be less outspoken. perhaps they simply choose to live their lives as taoist sages do... by leading by example, instead of making loud statements.
ReplyDeletethen again, they could just be afraid of the confrontation that comes with believing something outside the norm. i'm not sure.
What if we could just say that things are as they are? People believe what they do, just as some birds eat insects while others prefer seeds. Whatever the consequences, this is how things stand as now manifest. Is this perhaps what Chuang-tzu meant by going along with the present "this"? Scott
ReplyDelete