An Experiment in Living

I want to begin this post by issuing a challenge and the challenge is this: If you choose to read through this entire post, please post a comment.  I don’t want to break some sort of wordpress comment record or win a popularity contest, rather I’m much more interested in conversation, in as much as this neutral arena allows.  And even more than conversation for conversation’s sake, I hope to address a serious illness that we’ve all been infected with.  In short, I label it as clamming up, or judgement.  Especially in a time where we read an article or opinion and instead of talking about our feelings, we simply cast judgements like mortars instead of working through our own insecurities.

So let’s try this out.  Share your honest feelings, and don’t feel the need to filter who you are.  Something else that we have issues with is the bogus idea that we are supposed to be all put together, prim and proper in all of our interactions.  Sub-challenge: be yourself.  If you don’t buy the status quo, say it.  If you’re questioning all this religion stuff, share it.  Let’s be real, because in accepting who we really are, we can actually make some positive progress instead of trying to work from a place that we don’t even buy into.  Let the experiment begin.

(Just know, it’s entirely possible that something I say could rub you wrong, but let’s talk about it.)

I’ve been wondering for quite a while, especially during this time of heated political vernacular, what is most important?  I am speaking from the religious camp because that’s what I know, so I feel like I’ve got a little bit of credibility.  So for those of us who would consider ourselves spiritual people, why is it that we spend the majority of our time railing on our political system?  Can we honestly claim allegiance to the realm of God if, without batting an eye, we proudly sing the star spangled banner while removing our hats, covering our hearts and worshipping “the land of the free?”  Do you really believe that this country was founded on “Godly principles” and that the statement on our currency is at the forefront of our governing authorities’ minds?  On a side note, I would argue that the inscription on our coin should be “In this god we trust.”  Essentially, I would argue that I have two choices, and I’m cautious to spell them out, nonetheless I will.  I am either a disciple of Jesus (someone who journeys with him), in the absolute fullest sense of the word, or I am loyal to the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Second, why in the world do Christian people get upset when our screwed up, broken government is doing, or attempting to do, the job we are supposed to do?  By that I mean, providing some pretty basic human needs such as health care, food (state and government run food banks) and shelter.  I would argue further that we’ve bought into a toxic lie that it’s our governments job to take care of people in as much as they don’t take any more of my hard earned money.  Basically we are saying, “it’s not my responsibility to take care of other people, so you take care of it.  And by the way, don’t bother asking me to help because I’ll just get my ass chapped.”  Anyone else picking up on how ridiculous a notion this is?  Find me an example of something Jesus taught that says taking care of people is someone else’s responsibility and over everything, covering your own hind end is most important.  If your honest, you won’t find anything.

And one final thought for today that will hopefully spark some more discussion.  There are a couple of phrases that us religious folks like to throw around.  Let’s agree to disagree and Love the sinner, hate the sin.  Just a couple thoughts and I’ll be finished.  I’m of the opinion that these two phrases are due some serious criticism.  My first issue with both of them is that they absolve us of any responsibility to make positive change.  When we agree to disagree, why not just say, “I’d rather not work through this.  I have my opinion, which is right, and you have yours, which is wrong.”  And can we honestly say that we love the sinner and hate the sin?  In opinion, no.  The assumption there is that for someone to “join our ranks” they’ve got to be different.  For now, feel free to spare the arguments of “in such-and-such verse of the Bible…”  Let’s quit Bible beating.  It’s not our job to fix others, or ourselves for that matter.  Who’s to say we aren’t supposed to be busted up, screwed up morons?  If someone told me they loved me, but not what I do, I’m checked out because what I do is part of who I am.  If you can’t love me for the person I am, including the things that rub you wrong, then what are we doing?  Let’s just draw some more lines and create yet another “us and them” game.

Hopefully I’ve said something that’s offensive to you and that you are willing to talk about it.  Otherwise, I’m not sure we’ll be able to make any progress.  I look forward to the questions, thoughts and even concerns.  And let’s not keep it at “I’ll argue my point and then leave.”  We need to talk if we honestly desire positive change in this world.  If you’d rather remain immersed in your own life and looking out for number one, that’s fine.  Just admit it so I know where you stand.  I don’t care either way.  And one thing I know for sure, it’s not beneficial to anyone if you can’t be yourself.

So, let’s see how this works.  I eagerly await the possibilities.  Thanks in advance for participating.

Me and God

As I begin this post, I must admit that in many ways I’m just playing with words, manipulating them to make my point.  But the thing is, isn’t that what we do?  I mean, words are probably one of the most essential tools we’ve got to express ourselves.  With that short intro, I want to ask a question, or statement, whichever comes out…

(spoiler warning.  I’m probably going to be playing the devil’s advocate this morning.  Or maybe a better label would be that I’m expressing my thoughts and concerns which have, in turn, called into question many, if not all, of those things that I just accepted as “that’s just what we’ve always done it.”)

So, my first thought is as follows.  Growing up in an unfortunately conservative branch of evangelical christianity, one of the most popular phrases I heard went something like this: My relationship with God is something deeply personal.  It’s about me and God and my walk with him. Now, as I ignore all the amens in the crowd, I’ve got a question.  If my relationship with God is so personal, confined within my own heart, however I choose to define my grasping and clinging to it as my own, why go to church?  And yes, I can hear the arguments: we go because we are commanded.  ”Do not give up meeting together…”  We are the first century church in the 21st century (hogwash by the way).  The books of Acts is clear that we are to meet on the first day of the week.  It’s in the Bible. Blah, blah…

Continuing on, it seems that I’ve been contradicting myself for who knows how long, which is most likely a product of the religious prison we’ve accepted as status quo.  And either we know and simply refuse to address the issue, or we have chosen ignorance, which is just as destructive in my mind.  My feeling is that often we don’t really take the time to really listen to what it is we are saying.  Otherwise, we might check our words before we just let them fly.  As Derek Webb says, “if you really believe what you say you believe you wouldn’t be so d*** reckless with the words you speak.”

Here’s an example from this past Sunday morning.  I’m working through some of the parables that we have recorded in scripture.  And it just so happens that the story we were studying was not an original Jesus story, which outside of many of the one liners and other aphorisms, is probably much more prevalent than we know.  Anyway, I posed the question, “does the fact that Jesus didn’t tell this story make it any less true or give us any reason to doubt its credibility?”  Surprisingly, the majority answer was that it totally changes both credibility and truth if in fact Jesus wasn’t the original creator.  (Keep in mind that this story is printed in red ink in our Bibles, which gives the illusion that everything in red are Jesus originals.)

Even still, let’s think about the implications of that conversation.  I said, just because Jesus didn’t say it, is it any less true.  And the answer was, Jesus has to say it for it to be true.  This coming after a roughly 8 weeks study about the bible and how it is overwhelmingly a human document.  But if we just accept the norm or refuse to think about what we say, we make ourselves out to look like morons.  In