Two Big Things I Don't Like About Religious Christian People

-
1) You have changed the Bible to fit your narrative. 

  One of the things that annoys me about your religious chaos is that you cherry-pick or entirely edit the Bible to justify your life. Before I rant, let me flip the table and pick out a verse for you:

"You shall not add to the Word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the Commandments of the LORD your God which I command you." Deuteronomy 4:2 NASB

  Now, for context, this is Moses speaking to the children of Israel. Since you seem to enjoy pulling some things out of context, I figured I would bring this up. As much as I love you and somewhat understand your desire to feel special, it is ridiculous to do this by changing the Bible to fit your desire. Whether that would be taking out phrases and words (looking at you, Jehovah's Witnesses) or adding new things to the Bible or the narrative of the Bible (keeping my eye on you, Church of Latter-Day Saints). This also includes those in churches who twist the Bible for their own purposes (ring any bells, televangelists?). 

  If you want people to accept you as you are, then accept your Word of God as it is. Either grab a Jewish Bible, or the New American Standard Bible (NASB) for an accurate word-for-word translation according to most theological and biblical scholars.

2) You don't practice what you preach.

  I got into this in a blog post in May, but I will voice it again here. There are two basic commandments you need to follow:

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him [the lawyer], “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:36-40 NASB

  That's it. That is all you have to do. And context surrounding these verses makes it clear that Jesus wants all of you to commit these commandments to your heart more than anything else. And yet here you are, religious Christians, as a whole unit, showing that you can't keep the commandments.

  On a minor note related to this, I don't think the Kingdom of God is meant to be as loud and obnoxious as we have made it. The thought is inspired by the words of Jesus in these verses:

  And again He said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened.” Luke 13:20-1 NASB

  
  These are the two (and a half, I guess) things that I don't like. If you keep the Bible pure and practice what you preach, thank you. It sets my mind at ease knowing there are small pockets of people doing this. I do my best to be one of them. 

  If you feel called out by this, good. Take that as a sign that you need to refine and question your faith. And by "question your faith," I mean actually question it and go into a deep reflection and introspection on what you believe and why you believe it, not just pray twice and go back to what you believe without any thought. In my opinion, that also means leaving your religious home and letting the Bible become your rock and home. Then you can see and pray to God about you and your relationship with Him. 

  I think I am done standing on my metaphorical digital soapbox now. I just hope this message reaches people and truly makes those people question their lives and their faith. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Book Review #3

-
Book Review Dreyer's English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style Written by Benjamin Dreyer   If you are looking for a newer, fresher guide to the English language, this might be something to read. Dreyer is the Copy Chief of Random House, which gives him ample credibility to the wisdom and advice he offers. This book becomes a first step into the mind of a copy editor for multiple forms of writing. A lot of the information in this book serves as great advice and a springboard into other resources that Dreyer heartily recommends.   There is a lot of information to take in with this book. Its two sections (and thirteen chapters) cover a lot of material. The first section, "The Stuff in the Front," goes into detail about various style suggestions that you may want to consider on a basic level. Things such as punctuation; the rules and nonrules; and how to write foreign words in your work are critical for everything from flash fiction to novellas, from biographies...
Read more

Extra Note

-
 This goes to every American who either voted or did not vote recently. If you did not get what you wanted/needed, celebrate with those who did. For the first time in four years, those people may feel seen and valued.  If you did get what you wanted/needed, comfort and/or pray for those who did not. For the first time in four years, those people may feel uncertain and scared of their future.  No matter who you are as an American, please prepare to make the next four years the best they can be for yourself and others. Not just the ones you agree with, but everyone.  If your first reaction to my request was to become angry, then please take a moment to ask yourself why you got angry. The fact that you may not be able to set aside your feelings/convictions to understand how others feel is not what we as a full country need right now. For those of you who aren't American but still have elections in your country, I would kindly ask that you adapt this practice for when yo...
Read more

Canlanma Street Level, Story 1

-
Story 1    The holy incense follows the disciples out of the gilded temple hall. The Shepherd continues to swing the burner as he repeats the old mantras of the faith. The last disciple leaves and the burner settles as the Shepherd contemplates the list of rituals he must perform before the sun sets. The ritual implements have to be cleaned, the sacrifices burned, the acolytes of the temple purified, the-   "Shepherd Thanatos, we have a situation that requires your attention." An acolyte of the temple calls from below the altar. The Shepherd sighs and recites his calming mantra: "What I am about to do has not been approved." The Shepherd walks slowly behind the altar and finds the symbol on the side as he recites "chao regnat" under his breath. The symbol glows and opens a trap door under the altar. Shepherd Thanatos checks for other unwelcomed entities then slips under the altar and down the exposed staircase.   The acolytes in the room part as Shephe...
Read more