Anti-(fill in the blank)

I realize some people say things just to get a rise out of others.  Sometimes a person will say something from a defensive, ignorant position.  Still others open themselves to a certain element of transparency, but they seem to always be thrown back into the pot of saying-it-just-to-get-a-rise kind of folks.

Below, I’ve posted an excerpt from the formerly Christian author Anne Rice.  Now, I don’t know too much about her, but as I mentioned in my post last week, I relate to many of her sentiments.  I am also firmly convinced that she doesn’t fall into the group of saying certain things just hoping to rub someone raw, but of course we could probably say that is at least partially true of Jesus.  But, as last week, I’ll save that for another post.  Possibly next week.

All that to say, below is Anne’s quote.  I contend that it’s worth some serious consideration for those of us who claim we fall under the Christian umbrella.

Today I quit being a Christian. I’m out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being “Christian” or to being part of Christianity. It’s simply impossible for me to “belong” to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten …years, I’ve tried. I’ve failed. I’m an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.

As I said below, I quit being a Christian. I’m out. In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life. In the name of …Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen.

Now, I know all the arguments, because I’ve heard them before.  ”That’s a brash generalization.”  ”Not every Christian is like that.”  Both arguments, if we stretched them out a little bit are probably at least partially true, but that’s the problem.  Us evangelical  Christians are awesome at pointing the finger at other people and making brash general statements, so this one really isn’t too far out of the park.

So, there’s quite a bit to say on this matter.  I’m rather interested in what others have to say, so feel free to offer any thoughts, experiences, feelings sentiments that might help us move more toward being more fully human and making our short existence here a better one for everyone.

As the prophets of scripture were known to do, I’d like to offer a bit of a scathing commentary.  I along with Anne, would argue that if indeed God created, and it was good, he’s likely not going to be anti anything.  Besides that, if anyone can name anything that Jesus was “anti,” as it pertains to the realm of God being realized here and now, for everyone, feel free to clue me in.  I also feel somewhat immobilized by evangelical Christianity and I am convinced Jesus didn’t live as he did, teach as he did and socialize as he did to found a new institution to imprisons its members, binding them in a biblical straight jacket of rules.  I much prefer living life to its fullest than moping around worried about the last twenty sins I committed, or better yet, the sins everyone else around me is committing because they haven’t set up camp next to me…

More on this as the conversations continue.

Responsibility

This is effectively attempt number two of my experiment I initiated earlier this week.  As with all experimental trials, some things work, others simply don’t.  So for this post, I’ll redirect my scalpel in an attempt to hit a different nerve.  Though I received two excellent comments from a couple readers, I’m not sure I hit the nerve I was hoping to.  And please remember, I am merely carrying out these observations in an attempt to spark conversation for positive change in the world.  I know that deep within the bowels of our being, we all want to be apart of something positive, affecting measurable compassionate transitions in the lives of people and in the overall life of this world we live in.

Thus, I issue my challenge again.  If you take time to read through this post, though it may be offensive or seem a bit curt, please be apart of the “conversation” and post even a short comment of your thoughts.  Maybe I’m being a bit optimistic and idealistic thinking that a random collection of blog readers and writers who likely disagree about a lot of stuff could actually work together to do good, but I like to aim high rather than wallow in my own self pity, throwing responsibility on someone else for the junk in the world.  So please, join us!

After a much longer intro than I was expecting, I’ll jump right to it.  In doing so, I’ll try to address some of the most taboo issues I can think of.

Responsibility.  I’ve got a couple thoughts.  First, let’s talk some politics.  Specifically, abortion.  Again, I’m arguing with an already constructed religious foundation that I hope to repurpose as a means to make a tangible, positive difference in this world, now.  We gripe and complain all the time about the politics surrounding these taboo issues.  I would even argue that Christians, especially in this country, are really good at making our disagreement known.  Here’s the problem: we disagree with the legislation, yet we are unwilling to provide an alternative.  As far as abortion goes, yes, I agree that there are many factors that play into that decision, no matter what side of the fence you’re on.  I’m not sure that I could argue for or against either side based upon my experience of almost losing my wife and child, unbeknownst to me.  Had I of known the severity of our situation, we would find ourselves in a very different state of affairs right now.

Back to the point at hand.  Traditionally, us evangelicals are perfectly okay with our blood pressure raising to dangerously high levels simply because we won’t bend on our pro life stance.  Now referring back to the notion of responsibility, I would argue that if we really are followers of Christ, we’d realize that pro life and pro choice are simply not adequate answers.  In my opinion, to hell with wasting our time trying to convince people to “join one team or the other.”  Who wants to join me in opening up my life and my home to women who are faced with that decision?  If you’re not willing to engage in someone’s life, even to the point of holding their hand as the procedure is finalized or taking their child into your home, you have no business even thinking you can tell someone what they can and cannot do.  Oh and I know, we can argue all day long about what the Bible says and all that jazz, but it’s likely we don’t know the same Jesus anyway if you think being a good christian means convincing me to think the same things as you do.  Just take a look at who Jesus spent most of his time with, and if you need help with some of the historical background, I’ll be glad to point you to some awesome resources.

My contention is this: don’t depend on the government to tell you how you are supposed to behave and act on behalf of your fellow humans.  Act as Jesus, which is usually not written in any law, either political or religious law.

Responsibility.  Second point and hopefully a short thought.  Slavery.  I think that hopefully, we can all agree that our world is a better place now that that sort of human exploitation is in the past.  Or is it?  One of the most popular criticisms of God is a question that wonders, how can a good god allow suffering in the world.  I would contest that its not so much God allowing it as it is we who are perpetuating the slavery and poverty of the world.  Here’s one example and then I’ll postpone for another post.  Do any of you know where your favorite pair of Nike shoes or Gucci hand bag comes from?  It is highly likely that a child not much older than my son, who is nearly four, is working for pennies a day, in horribly inhumane conditions, just so you can get your shiny new shoes at a decent price.  All the while, the parent company is making a ridiculous profit off the backs of slaves. For a humorous yet direct picture, take a look at the documentary, The Yes Men.

All in all, I maintain that if there is a group of people who will stop justifying our greedy and consumeristic lifestyles, across the board, and take some responsibility for the s*** that’s going on in the world, we can probably begin to make some positive change (in the spirit of Tony Campollo, if your more worried about the fact that I used a particular word than about the essence of the discussion, you’ve missed the point, and there’s really not much else I can do to articulate myself, and I fear this dialogue may come to an unfortunate end).  Now, don’t hear me say I don’t think there is any good happening, because that is not true at all.  In fact, it would likely be even more beneficial for us to join some of the groups that are already working to affect positive change in the world.

So let’s get the conversation going.  Let’s work to bring the kingdom of God here, now.  Let’s quit wasting time trying to convince each other to join our team or think like we do or categorize ourselves in the same political party. Forget all that stuff and let’s follow Jesus into the hurting places of the world and take some responsibility for what’s happening.  I believe that it is in that place that we’ll find God within us all, while at the same time discovering our true selves, being vital pieces of a much bigger and grander concept of life in abundance.