Oh. My. God. Because I'm afraid of YOUR God.

[stoney321]

So, I'm driving home from the library and have a big, honking (EMPTY) SUV in front of me with the following sticker on the back window:

1 Hammer
+ 3 Nails
4 Given

And there's a cross and what looks like barbed-wire all around it. (Crown of thorns.) Now, granted, I have no belief in deity and pretty much loathe all organized religion, but COME ON! How is that respectful of the story of Jesus? How is that acceptable? So that got me to thinking...


Oh My God. Well, not *my* God, because I defy him and all his works.
(For new folks, that's from "Buffy.")

Now, this is not meant as a Christian bashing post. At all. Because the text? The whole mission-statement that Jesus laid out?

Recap:
1. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
2. Judge not, lest ye be judged.
3. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart...
4. Turn the other cheek
And the biggie:
5. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. (Summed up = be kind, follow the golden rule - #1, quit putting on airs - you both pull your pants up one leg at a time. No one is better than any one else.)


See how nowhere up there did it say: hate queers, blacks, Muslims, Jews, or that women should stay at home, that Corporate greed is good, or how Americans need to go to war in Iraq.... We'll get to that in a bit. Back to the selling-out of your faith. Or maybe not *your* faith, but you get my meaning.

So why not go all the way with this whole horrific/bloody imagery? Because The Passion of the Christ wasn't explicit enough, nosiree! How about bumper stickers with buckets of blood, and a rubber ducky and sponge? "Get washed in the blood of Christ!" Or better yet, a picture of Jesus, face contorted into horrific agony, and a picture of someone super-imposed with a beatific grin plastered on their face. (Almost orgasmic.) His Agony = Your Rapture!

On our drive through the Deep South earlier this month, we saw small, washed-up towns with stores displaying signs that read: "We Believe in Christ. If you don't, Keep driving." Yes, Jesus was nothing if not exclusionary. We turned the radio on to catch some "local color" and heard some half-wit (quarter-wit, we later determined) talk about how evolution was a lie because... where were the half-monkey/half-men walking around? o_O Like this dip-wad expects to find monkeys in the jungle with an abacus and a Day Planner. You know, as proof. And caller after caller just sucked this up. "Yes! Oh, Laws, Praise Him!"

I've suspected for several years, and have been proven right over and over again that the majority of "Christians" have absolutely no clue about their own faith. Signs? God/Jesus said quit asking for them - they're offensive to Him. Public displays of your "faith" or praying out loud to the irritation of others to show how "righteous" you really are? Jesus mocked you and said it was displeasing. Then there was that whole, crazy thing where Jesus spent a few days telling people how awesome and loved the downtrodden and lowest of mankind was. How special they were. How those who HAVE should care for the HAVE NOTS. And went so far as to say that whatever you DID to the lowest common denominator (be it good or bad) was like doing it to the Big Guy - Jesus. I'll let you draw your own parallels to the Republican Party's starvation and denying basic human services to these Least of These of Jesus'. Can't wait for Rove to meet His Maker.

Jesus was big on NOT bragging. On NOT trying to prove how righteous you were. I'm not going to get into Pharicees vs. Sadducees, jots and tittles. But Jesus was BIG on praying in "secret," on quiet reflection, on modesty. There's this word... humility?

Big, nasty SUV, monster sticker that covers the back window making sure you know that they love Jesus. Did you know? We're righteous. Are you? And the driver of the car could have been a lovely person. But dammit, if you are going to FOLLOW a faith, can you please LEARN it? I wonder how many of these "Christians" voted to block gay marriage? Jesus cared a LOT more about poverty than homosexuals. Mainly because in the New Testament? JESUS MADE NO REFERENCES TO GAYS. Talked a hell of a lot about the poor and sick, though.

Now, Paul? Once. But Paul ain't Jesus. I wonder how many of those people with those bumper stickers, T-Shirts, etc., voted for Bush. Voted for legislation to deny poor people an education. Health care. Clean frickin' air and water.

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done unto me."

I've met a lot of people that claim to be "Christian." I've only known of a few that actually were.

Wearing a T-Shirt with his name doesn't make you one.

Buying a sticker for your car doesn't make you one.

Man, just showing up on Sunday and nodding along doesn't make you one.

Keeping the least of our fellow humans in suffering and pain should automatically exclude you from the roster.

Voting for a man that makes all of the above happen, and sullies the name of a wonderful philosopher who tried to help the poor (and if you believe the tale, ALL of mankind - not just the rich, white ones) should also exclude you from the roster.

Those of you out there that DO believe in Christ? That DO want to be good Christians? Learn your religion. Take it back. The philosophy is a good one. But for now, your religion has been hijacked by mean, cruel people who preach exclusionary politics, separatism, hate, and bigotry. Go read the Sermon on the Mount. It's all you need to know. Some of the best, most lovely prose out there.

Christian means Christ-like. Period. If you're not trying, you aren't one.
[/rant]

For the record? I'd love for this to get spread everywhere. I'd welcome an open debate/discussion on religion. I will not tolerate hatred, bigotry, or name calling in the comments. Feel free to quote scripture aaaalllll you want. I can guarantee that I can palaver with the best of them.

Comments

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

it's interesting to bandy about the word "Christian" in the first place. It was created as an insult to the scattered few who clung to the man's teachings 10 years after his death. It literally means to follow Christ.

Not some random man's thoughts on Jesus' teachings. Not the Pope's or Mormon Prophet's or (the very thoughtful and lovely) Bishop Spong's interpretations of the text.

TO FOLLOW CHRIST. Which means you are a SERVANT of your fellow man. That leaves no room for feelings of superiority, of entitlement. Your job (should you choose to accept your mission) is to help better those around you. You don't get to pick and choose who gets to "benefit" from your help.

That being said: I mentioned above in a different thread, that if Jesus himself came to one of the Mega-Churches with everyone in their "fines," he'd be barred from entering because of his dreads, his stench, his clothing, his lack of a purse. These same "righteous folks" deny basic care for the Blessed Meek and Poor.

So I laugh at the term "Christian" being used in conjuction with those folks, like your friend. (No offense meant.) Because they couldn't be further from it. They have reverted back to being Pharisees. (the very people who kept the word of Jesus from being preached.)

See, I like *your* moral compass. Simple, fair.

[winterlive.livejournal.com]

Far as I can tell, that which is evil is that which causes emotional pain. Severity of trespass on morality is equivalent to severity of pain caused. I think that sometimes immoral actions are necessary to find a more moral overall outcome, but that's up to the individual.

Simple. Easy. Fair.

I want to know more about Pharisees! See, he would say that if he believes that Christ was the risen son of God, and TRIES to follow his teachings (even if he doesn't succeed) then he's a proper Christian. Which strikes me as lame, but at least logical. See what I mean?

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Well, Jesus commanded that people be perfect. There is no try. Only do. Heh.

The Pharisees were the leading religious party at the time, and the name means SEPARATISTS. They believed in strict adherence to the law (Law of Moses) and avoided all contact with the Gentiles, and anything attached to them. Oral tradition = written law as far as importance goes (if someone says it, it counts. Huh.) The "jot and tittles" refers to the observance of the minutiae: your shawl has 612 blue threads, or it doesn't count.

There's a lot of discussion, of hemming and hawing with a fine toothed comb the dots over the I, the crossed t, but having no understanding of the WORDS themself, only marvelling that the words are there, and arguing their placement.

All the appearance of righteousness on the outside, but filled with hypocrasy.

Sound familiar?

[winterlive.livejournal.com]

Do, or do not. There is no try.

Hee! I don't think that was Jesus.

ANYHOO!

Yes, a creamy hypocrisy filling, that's my friend, but he acknowledges his hypocrisy - he knows he could be a lot better, and he says he tries, and so far as I can see, that's all good. The place where I run into problems is with the concept - it's just so LAME. You can be bad, but it's not REALLY bad unless you fail to make some obeisance in the direction of virtue? What crappy virtue! It's like saying the best you can hope for is to be mediocre! SUCKS!

Is that really the way it is? You seem to know your bible - help a heathen out?

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

The place where I run into problems is with the concept - it's just so LAME. You can be bad, but it's not REALLY bad unless you fail to make some obeisance in the direction of virtue? What crappy virtue! It's like saying the best you can hope for is to be mediocre! SUCKS!

Now, in my case, I'm a Jew. And we have a whole slate of rules and commandments and good deeds and such that we're supposed to follow. (And, yeah there are reams of dialogues as to why those rules exist, and why we follow them...) And, if we were to be grading me, I'm a "C" at best. I could get an "A" but this would require more self-discipline than I choose to employ.

But I was raised with the perspective that while lots of other people will view a "C" as a passing grade, for me it's unacceptable. I have no idea what that really means for me long-term, but I can say that I'm not living up to what I'm capable of, and it's not something I should be particularly pleased with... I.e. I could be a better person, and therefore I should be, and it's a sign of moral weakness that I choose not to be. So I ought to be working on that...

[winterlive.livejournal.com]

I guess my question then becomes (in the most oh-my-goodness-tactful way I can possibly think of, since it's such a sensitive topic and I don't want to step on toes, pardon me while I borrow your metaphor):

How does it work that a "C" grade is both unacceptable to someone (because they know they can do better than that - it's not inability that holds them back), and yet they still accept it, in the sense that they don't really make it a priority to fix it? I mean, if it were me, and I'd done something I thought was really morally reprehensible (okay, that's not a lot of those things, but still), I'd feel so guilty I'd immediately have to try to make it right. I guess that's the question for my friend - how is it that he can purport to hold his ideals so high when he evidently doesn't feel particularily guilty about flouting them? And if he doesn't really hold them that high, then how can he get in a twist when someone who doesn't even follow his religion breaks them?

Frankly I'd be shocked if you could answer that one - question for the ages. :) And if I've offended in any way, please feel free to lay the smackdown - I'm honestly just curious how this works, since it works for so many people.

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

Not offensive at all. This is actually the sort of thing I should be thinking about.

See, in my case, I don't think I've done anything that's really morally reprenhensible per se. I'm certainly not living up to my capabilities though, and that's not nothing...

And I do feel guilty about that. Just not guiltily enough, obviously, because there are things I should be doing, and I'm not getting that done. Imagine this metaphor... I've got myself set up with a pretty decent house, and I do most of the major upkeep, but I let it get pretty messy. And I don't always get the lawn cut on time. Whether I'm just a disappointment, or a transgressor, I don't know.

There's a point beyond which, judgement is really out of my hands. But I'm not really secure thinking that I'm "good" enough. I'm not really putting in the work, and that'something that would get flagged, you know?

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

The house analogy is a good one. The REAL question (the philosophical question that makes or breaks a religion for a person) is this:
So you don't mow on time regularly. You have a little paint peeling. Is that as bad as corrugated tin for windows? Is the roof caved in and you've got terns nesting in the eaves?

Or have you not mowed/etc. because you were helping the person down the street do it?

I see the whole self-improvement thing as a type of game. I'll never cross the finish line and sit with my lemonade. It isn't that kind of game. It's all about how I play it.

Let's play metaphor blender!

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

Nah. I haven't mowed, because I'm too lazy. But then, I've neither helped nor hurt my neighbors with their own mowing.

As to self-improvement - the point is that, because I can do better, I should. If I'm not maximizing my potential, then I'm wasting. And waste is bad.

[lumenara.livejournal.com]

Personally, I think the problem comes when your lawn, paint-job, windows, and so on are all immaculate, but there's nothing in the house but bugs and rot.

And maybe, out back, your gay son scratching at the locked door.

I'm Jewish, too, but I was raised Reform.

[winterlive.livejournal.com]

I understand. I think my question at that point becomes, what's good enough? Who decides what the passing grade is?

If I understand the system, the point is to be getting that A, and if I'm not, then I need to be pushing myself HARD to get to that A, as hard as I can reasonably expect of myself. And THAT'S good enough.

I understand people who look at their lives and go - I live by my code, I think I'm morally a good person, so I don't feel compelled to improve myself. I get that, it makes sense to me, logically. What I don't understand are people who go - I'm not doing as well as I could, but I accept that. I mean, I can look at you and say - Okay, so, if you don't think you're putting in the work and you want to CHANGE that, then why don't you? And we can have a conversation about that.

My friend, though, he knows he's not putting in the work and he just sort of hopes that'll change one day. I don't think he expects it to take EFFORT, or if he does, he thinks he's just not ready right now to do that. How can you not be ready to follow a moral code you're supposed to live by? If he's not 'ready' to change his life to suit the things he believes in, then when will he ever be? I know LOTS of people like that, and they baffle me. BAFFLE. O.o

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

I think my question at that point becomes, what's good enough? Who decides what the passing grade is?

Well, as a Jew, I operate under the assumption that G-d exists, and is the ultimate moral arbiter of the universe. And while I cannot possibly know what divine judgement could be, I can make some predictions based upon the guidelines...

Basically, my actions pretty much reveal that I believe, but clearly just don't care enough. Not everybody achieves an "A", but I'm not really trying, and that's the issue. I believe it, but I don't do the work, so I continue to live expecting that I'll get some sort of sanction.

My friend, though, he knows he's not putting in the work and he just sort of hopes that'll change one day.

This the St. Augustine model? Give me faith & strength, but just not yet? I sort of hope something will happen to make me be more motivated and such, but at the end of the day that's really about expecting something to make it happen for you externally, when you are supposed to get your lazy butt off the couch and do it yourself, internally.

It's oftern a really baffling thing to be so unmotivated and so uninspired.

[paynbow.livejournal.com]

I get the uninspired/unmotivated thing. I think a lot of people do. And a lot of times I feel as though, if I just got off my ass I could ______ . Perhaps that's why there's a lot of talk of forgiveness in religions (even though there IS a story in the Bible about God helping those who help themselves). Most people are a C, and while it's not fantastic, it is at the top of the Bell Curve.