I'm not going to pretend to understand most people. I've met more hypocrites in this lifetime than I would care to admit. But it confuses me to no end. I love when someone posts on Facebook what a great tribute to Jesus Christ they are and shame on any of us that don't accept him as our savior, or better yet, that we might burn in hell. I've read the Bible and attended Sunday Bible School. I don't remember it saying anywhere that anyone can damn another. Share those stupid posts all you like, but it doesn't say that you should. In fact, it states the exact opposite. Only God may judge. If you're religious, this is a comman factor to all religions. No human being, man or woman, may pass judgment on another person "damning" them to hell or anywhere. Likewise, no one actually "knows" that they are going to heaven. The Bible states that Jesus died for our sins and all those that accept him as their savior are going through the pearly gates. (Not in those exact words; I'm adlibing.) Regardless, if you continue to repeat the same "bad" act over and over--in example, damning others to hell--guess what? The precious Bible does make a few statements about that too. The person who asks for forgiveness, but unearnestly--only to repeat the same sin, is the lowest of us all. Lower than murderers, rapists, adulterers. Yes, really. I have always loved how most Christians not only ignore that statement in the Bible, but forget completely that when one commits to a certain religious choice, one has to make the commitment for real--not just the parts that one likes.
I'm not Christian, anymore. I wouldn't say that I'm not Christian really either though. Technically, if one follows Christ's teachings, then one is Christian--just as if one follows Confucious one is a Confucian. Christ taught tolerance much as Confucious. Yet, Christ didn't say most of the things that people quote in the Bible, ever. None of the books are written by Christ; they are written by disciples and others that state some of the words of Christ. The ones that contridict each other from one book to the next always confused me when I was a child. Then I think as Christ aged, perhaps like many of us, he grew in wisdom and understanding and he contridicted himself with wiser beliefs. Then why would one disciple contridict another? Well, that became quite simple, particularly after the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Not all the books are included and not all the books are written at the same time. The Vatican is probably the only place you can read most of them. Mary Madgelene's story is the most disturbing of all. The Church of Madgelene in France has existed as long, and some say longer, than the Catholic Church. It follows books that were verified by the Dead Sea Scrolls. Mary Madgelene was one of Christ's disciples. Many believe she was quite possibly his wife and that possibly she bore him children. There is a contridiction in the books about who Christ appeared to first--John or Peter. Other books, not included in the Bible, state that it was Mary who he appeared to first. Well, I don't know what I believe--seems like a lot of drama to me--but if he was married, he definately did not appear to John or Peter first. So, I'm pretty sure that John and Peter had some vested interest in bending the truth (or lying, depending on how one looks at it) to their own ends. While I believe wholeheartedly that Christ taught tolerance, acceptance, dreamed of a peaceful world, honesty and integrity, I seriously doubt that he would be happy with the way his word has been mutilated and abused by the religious.
Don't get me wrong. If a Christian chooses to follow as much as they can the teachings of Christ, whether they attend a church or not, then I have the deepest respect for their commitment. I have equal respect for people who are Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, Wiccan, et cetera. While I may not personally want to live under a man's thumb as the Muslim religion teaches, I recognize that it is not only what some people are taught but what they believe. If anyone chooses to live under any religion, they should be able to do so freely, but I find it disheartening and disturbing that so many feel the "right" to believe whatever they like only applies to their own religion. While I understand that the Bible states that Christians are bound to spread the word, I also take strong note to the fact that it doesn't state to cram it down anyone's throat. Perhaps it is because my grandparents, Catholic and Luthern, settled on Methodist in their compromise. The Wesleyan Doctrine is very specific that we don't tell people what Christ can do for them (or not, in the case of taking the liberty to tell someone else that they are damned) but that we spread the word by telling someone what Christ has done for ourselves.
I find it deeply offensive that anyone would claim to know the mind of God or Christ, or Buddha or Muhammed, for that matter. We cannot ever know what God thinks, much like we can never truly know what anyone else thinks. Much of the time those that say this is what God thinks, this is what Christ taught, are only interpretting, their own personal interpretation, of another's writings of what Christ taught. There's a song by U2, "One", that was one of the most popular wedding songs for several years. Yet, the song is actually written about a gay son and his father and in fact the disowning of the son because he's gay. Not really a song about "true love" and most certainly not a great wedding song if we understand what the song was actually written about. I'm sure those couples that chose it as their wedding song didn't really realize what the words meant or they interpretted the words differently than Bono had as he wrote them. So, when I consider the misinterpretation of that song, with Bono still alive to explain what the song was about, what would happen over thousands of years, hundreds upon hundreds of games of telephone before the words of Christ were even written down--let alone reinterpretted interpretations of interpretations. If one chooses to follow a word, a religion, regardless of which, it should be done with the understanding that we actually have to "practice what we preach". Committing ourselves to doing the right thing even when we know the right thing isn't the popular thing.
I believe in many of Christ's teachings, but not all of the Bible is Christ's teachings. I can find too many contridictions and decided that while a wonderful compliation of history and some philosophy the Bible is a book and it is the human soul, that which is inside of us, that truly guides us. I don't believe that anyone is instantly "saved" because they accept Christ as their savior. Our actions, and even the Bible states this, are what we are judged on when we pass away. There's a major contridiction, or more over, a major contridiction in interpretations. One simple word isn't enough to save us. Wrong actions, a wrong way of treating others, an arrogance of our own beliefs over others, mistreating others based on our interpretations of interpretations, none of this is excused on our individual judgement day. Believing Christ died for your sins--this alone doesn't save you. Living in the path that God takes you down, learning the lessons that are put before you, and not doing that which you already know in your heart to be wrong, these are the things that you are judged on and choosing the Christian path only "saves" you as you choose to live on that path. If someone else's heart guides them down another path, whether we find it right or wrong, it is not our path, it is not our choice and it is not for us to judge. If one chooses to live a "Christian" life, then one must commit themselves to not go against the Ten Commandments and to follow the teachings. I don't understand how anyone can claim to be "Christian" and post things about how other people are damned. I don't understand how someone can backstab someone else and go to church every Sunday and believe that they are absolved from the heinous actions they committed during the week. That's not a Christian path. It may be some path to somewhere, but it simply is not a Christian path.
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