Is God There?
I just finished watching a "documentary" called "The God Who Wasn't There". It is done by former fundametalist Christian Brian Flemming. While it was an interesting presentation, I can see him doing the same thing to Christianity as fundametalists currently do, that is pulling out the few bits that support his point of view and ignoring the rest. He can take Biblical texts out of context with the best of them. But don't write off his arguments entirely. Western, mainly American, conservative Christianity can be every bit un-Christlike as he portrays it. Roles get moved around to justify what Jesus condemned and condemn what Jesus allowed. Jesus was most critical of those in positions of religious leadership who put unfair burdens on followers while enjoying the perks of power and position. So what would Jesus say today?
I have heard the parable of the good samaritan twisted to explain why the first two men who passed up the wounded man could not be faulted for ignoring him (this by a seminary professor no less). Jesus said that God hates divorce, but most churches today accept it. Jesus never condemned homosexuals, but they are the prime target of churches today. And when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, He did not say "go to church every Sunday", "own a big house and nice car to prove your favor with God", nor "pass laws to force others to live as you want them to". He said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (Matthew 22:37-39) This, along with "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35), and one would think that love might have everything to do with being a Christian. So if this is a Christian nation, where's the love? Where's the love for the poor, homeless, single mothers, racial minorities, the GLBT communities, Muslims, pagans, Jews, and on and on. We talk about loving them so much we want to convert them to the right way to live. But we can talk all we want about evangelism and saving lost souls and if we don't even treat the teachings of Jesus seriously enough to follow them, why should non-believers ever adopt them for their lives? Maybe that is why they need to force them.
I have heard the parable of the good samaritan twisted to explain why the first two men who passed up the wounded man could not be faulted for ignoring him (this by a seminary professor no less). Jesus said that God hates divorce, but most churches today accept it. Jesus never condemned homosexuals, but they are the prime target of churches today. And when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, He did not say "go to church every Sunday", "own a big house and nice car to prove your favor with God", nor "pass laws to force others to live as you want them to". He said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (Matthew 22:37-39) This, along with "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35), and one would think that love might have everything to do with being a Christian. So if this is a Christian nation, where's the love? Where's the love for the poor, homeless, single mothers, racial minorities, the GLBT communities, Muslims, pagans, Jews, and on and on. We talk about loving them so much we want to convert them to the right way to live. But we can talk all we want about evangelism and saving lost souls and if we don't even treat the teachings of Jesus seriously enough to follow them, why should non-believers ever adopt them for their lives? Maybe that is why they need to force them.
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