Apples and Oranges
Yesterday I attended church for the first time since coming out as a Christian. Seriously. I've been to church only a small handful of times in my life and absolutely never as a Christian. Not even as a kid. It was a slightly different experience, but not as different as you might think. Shortly into the service a friend leaned over and asked if I was ok. Yeah, of course. It was cool. I was cool. I can't say I agreed with everything (probably not even 70% of what was said and done), but when have I ever? I'm used to being the odd one out and yesterday was just another walk in the park as far as I was concerned. I may call myself a 'Christian', however I am a totally different type of Christian than I have ever met. I'm good with that. I can go to church, listen, 'celebrate' (I use that term loosely), and draw my own conclusions about the service. Just because I don't completely agree (or agree at all) doesn't mean it's a waste of my time. My beliefs were forged over years of disagreement with standard religious and spiritual thought. I'm certainly not going to acquiesce now and begin to quote the party line.
The service yesterday had two main focal points - the coming Christmas holiday and Heaven. I don't celebrate or 'believe in' either. Period. First of all, the way I see it, the birth of Jesus Christ was re-written with the Messiah slant after his crucifixion. The stories about the wise men and Mary and Joseph and the manger were wildly blown out of proportion by those in the early years of Christianity who had a vested interest in making the Christ figure larger than life (They added the hocus-pocus and the pixie dust). I truly, with everything I value as a Christian, do not think that Jesus would want us to celebrate his birth. Especially not the way we do. Secondly, I believe that most 'believers' are many, many, many (many, many) lives away from 'sitting at the right hand of God'. Was Jesus ready? Yes. The other 99.9999999% of us? No. We are destined for 'What's Next', the next step along our path toward true and absolute divinity. I'll let my fellow Christians believe that they are ready for the Hallelujah chorus, but I fear that they are going to be sorely disappointed when they find out that they haven't quite gotten there yet. I, on other hand, will be well prepared (and if I'm wrong, what do I have to lose?).
So, did I sit in church yesterday stifling a series of 'bullshit' coughs? Not at all. Whenever I am presented with such a situation, I take in what I take in and it helps me further my thoughts and ideas, even when I lie in complete opposition. I have been taught, trained, educated, and coached to think and analyze. Just because I now call myself a 'Christian' doesn't mean I'm suddenly going to turn into a mindless sheep and believe whatever I am told to believe. I'm not saying all Christians are this way, just the majority that I've run into. They believe what 'The Bible' tells them to believe about God, so help them God. I choose to experience God for myself, as Jesus did, and draw my own conclusions. I don't know God because I don't know The Word? I can say equally that you don't know God because you only know The Word. It may be 'apples and oranges' but it's all still fruit.
I'm used to being different and I am very proud to say that I am from what some may choose to label 'The Religious Left'. In many ways I think that I am more traditionally Christian, old-school Christian, like Christ was Christian. Today's Christians are all ready to bask in the Glory and fall to their knees. They are forgiven and anxiously await The Rapture. Their Savior supposedly guaranteed all this upon his death and subsequent resurrection. I do believe that we are all 'saved', saved from all the bullshit laws in the Old Testament. Jesus taught that it was the intent of our heart rather than our actions that bring us closer to God. That's about all the 'saving' he did. What most Christians fail to realize is that if Jesus lived today, he'd put his pants on one leg at a time, just like we do. He would want us to stand in OUR Glory, OUR divinity, as children of God. I don't think he'd want anyone to prostrate themselves before him and weep at his very existence. If I were to meet Jesus, I'd look him in the eye, extend my hand to shake his, and introduce myself. Blasphemy? Maybe to you, but certainly not to me. Like I said, I'm a little different.
The service yesterday had two main focal points - the coming Christmas holiday and Heaven. I don't celebrate or 'believe in' either. Period. First of all, the way I see it, the birth of Jesus Christ was re-written with the Messiah slant after his crucifixion. The stories about the wise men and Mary and Joseph and the manger were wildly blown out of proportion by those in the early years of Christianity who had a vested interest in making the Christ figure larger than life (They added the hocus-pocus and the pixie dust). I truly, with everything I value as a Christian, do not think that Jesus would want us to celebrate his birth. Especially not the way we do. Secondly, I believe that most 'believers' are many, many, many (many, many) lives away from 'sitting at the right hand of God'. Was Jesus ready? Yes. The other 99.9999999% of us? No. We are destined for 'What's Next', the next step along our path toward true and absolute divinity. I'll let my fellow Christians believe that they are ready for the Hallelujah chorus, but I fear that they are going to be sorely disappointed when they find out that they haven't quite gotten there yet. I, on other hand, will be well prepared (and if I'm wrong, what do I have to lose?).
So, did I sit in church yesterday stifling a series of 'bullshit' coughs? Not at all. Whenever I am presented with such a situation, I take in what I take in and it helps me further my thoughts and ideas, even when I lie in complete opposition. I have been taught, trained, educated, and coached to think and analyze. Just because I now call myself a 'Christian' doesn't mean I'm suddenly going to turn into a mindless sheep and believe whatever I am told to believe. I'm not saying all Christians are this way, just the majority that I've run into. They believe what 'The Bible' tells them to believe about God, so help them God. I choose to experience God for myself, as Jesus did, and draw my own conclusions. I don't know God because I don't know The Word? I can say equally that you don't know God because you only know The Word. It may be 'apples and oranges' but it's all still fruit.
I'm used to being different and I am very proud to say that I am from what some may choose to label 'The Religious Left'. In many ways I think that I am more traditionally Christian, old-school Christian, like Christ was Christian. Today's Christians are all ready to bask in the Glory and fall to their knees. They are forgiven and anxiously await The Rapture. Their Savior supposedly guaranteed all this upon his death and subsequent resurrection. I do believe that we are all 'saved', saved from all the bullshit laws in the Old Testament. Jesus taught that it was the intent of our heart rather than our actions that bring us closer to God. That's about all the 'saving' he did. What most Christians fail to realize is that if Jesus lived today, he'd put his pants on one leg at a time, just like we do. He would want us to stand in OUR Glory, OUR divinity, as children of God. I don't think he'd want anyone to prostrate themselves before him and weep at his very existence. If I were to meet Jesus, I'd look him in the eye, extend my hand to shake his, and introduce myself. Blasphemy? Maybe to you, but certainly not to me. Like I said, I'm a little different.
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