The great sin of the Christian church
This quality of restraint in Jesus – one could almost call it a divine shyness – took me by surprise. I realized, as I absorbed the story of Jesus in the Gospels, that I had expected from him the same qualities I had met in the southern fundamentalist church of my childhood. There, I often felt the victim of emotional pressures. Doctrine was dished out in a “Believe, and don’t ask questions!” style. Wielding the power of miracle, mystery, and authority, the church left no place for doubt. I also learned the manipulative techniques for “soul-winning,” some of which involved misrepresenting myself to the person I was talking to. Yet now I am unable to find any of these qualities in the life of Jesus.
If I read church history correctly, many other followers of Jesus have yielded to the very temptations he resisted. Dostoevsky shrewdly replayed the Temptation scene in a torture cell of the Grand Inquisition. How could a church founded by the One who withstood the Temptation carry out an Inquisition of forced belief that lasted half a millennium? Meanwhile, in a milder Protestant version in the city of Geneva, officials were making attendance at church compulsory and refusal to take the Eucharist a crime. Heretics there, too, were burned at the stake.
To its shame, Christian history reveals unrelieved attempts to improve on the way of Christ. Sometimes the church joins hands with a government that offers a shortcut to power. “The worship of success is generally THE form of idol worship which the devil cultivates most assiduously,” wrote Helmut Thielicke about the German church’s early infatuation with Adolf Hitler. “We could observe in the first years after 1933 the almost suggestive compulsion that emanates from great successes and how, under the influence of these successes, men, even Christians, stopped asking in whose name and at what price…”
Sometimes the church grows its own mini-Hitlers, men with names like Jim Jones and David Koresh, who understand all too well the power represented in miracle, mystery, and authority. And sometimes the church simply borrows the tools of manipulation perfected by politicians, salesmen, and advertising copyrighters.
– excerpt from The Jesus I Never Knew, by Philip Yancey
it is for this reason that, even though I am a Christ follower, I can only be so offended when people like Bill Maher (whose show is extremely insightful, entertaining, and funny) are quick to bash Christianity. If you listen very closely, insults like Maher’s are nearly always directed at Christians, but hardly ever Jesus himself. If anything, it sheds a light on how much we need God’s grace: believer or not, nobody does a good job of walking in the same footsteps of Christ, and every time we try to pave that road into something that’s a little easier on our feet, we do such a lousy job of it that it should come as no surprise that so many people roll their eyes at Christians.
Ghandi said it best:
“I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”
And Margaret Cho put it a little more bluntly:
“Many of my contemporaries are atheists, and for good reason. God isn’t really the problem; some of His followers are big assholes.”
That being said, I kind of feel the need to let people know that JESUS is the true face of Christianity, not other Christians, not Jerry Falwell, not the misguided believers (that’s pretty much all of us) who get the most media attention when you turn on the news.
So, to my atheist friends, I won’t fault you for sniping or rolling your eyes at Christians in general – in truth, we deserve it, more often than not. But, if whatever doubt you have in your heart is really that strong, I hope it motivates you to find some answers – I hope it motivates you guys to study the Man whom I find it difficult to stop listening to/ thinking/ praising/ writing/ singing/ talking about. And if you really take a good look at Him, read about him, who He was, and what He did, from all viewpoints and perspectives, then I hope you’ll understand why I call myself a follower of Jesus Christ, why the most anyone can be is a poor reflection of Him, and why I keep trying to be a little more like Him in spite of the fact that I seem to fail at every single attempt.
Kenny Gulley Jr.
Great great great journal!
Well needed.
In a world where christians are being persecuted in East Asia/Middle east/Africa on a daily basis. We in the US…we build our churches and get saved/taught. but stop there. we wont spread the word. and we hear our bros getting killed so we pray and visit, but we are to afraid of being persecuted ourselves.
...so we ssit around like armchair warriors. And we dare say we are ‘LIKE CHRIST” isnt that the name we bear? Yet…how are we representing him?...sry i can go on and on
Daniel Rarela replied
Hey Kenny,
yeah i know right? I have a feeling when Jesus comes back, even the most “hardcore” Christians are going to be embarrassed and humbled once a little light is shed on everything they forgot to do as Christ followers
sometimes it feels like we get so gung ho about Jesus that we get too forceful with it, which in some ways is exactly what drives people away from Christ in the first place – thats more or less what I wanted to discuss in this journal – Yancey touches on the subject pretty well
deliriousgirl
But, if whatever doubt you have in your heart is really that strong, I hope it motivates you to find some answers – I hope it motivates you guys to study the Man whom I find it difficult to stop listening to/ thinking/ praising/ writing/ singing/ talking about.
I don’t know about anybody else, but I have studied many different religions over the years, dear, and that’s what has brought me to the deep and abiding belief in Science and freedom of thought, I have no doubts.
Daniel Rarela replied
no doubts at all, deliriousgirl? are you sure you’re not thinking a little too hastily? because some might take that to mean you have no doubts in Jesus’ resurrection and life in general
studying religion is beside the point – you could come up with an entire list of Christian “customs” and doctrine – things like communion, going to church, not getting drunk or not having sex til after marriage – that’s all religion, but what I’m asking you is if you’re really willing to take a good look at Jesus. And after you’ve taken a good LOOK at Him (not the Christians who try to follow Him), are you willing to actually get to the bottom of why He did what He did, why He said all the things He said, and what His mindset was in the midst of all that? At that point, it becomes less about following rules/ precepts and more about building a relationship with God – while the two notions are in some ways related, they aren’t the same thing
at its heart, it’s less like following a law out of fear that you’ll be executed, and more comparable to what it was like when you were getting to know your best friend or your spouse for the first time
Michael Gatch
Morality is an interesting subject in many ways. As Russell said, Man is governed by desire, not duty. Only if a man desires to be dutiful will he be. And I see that in your case desire is driven by a sort of envy for that illustrated purity.
I’m not so sure that we all need to be more like Christ, because Then we’d all be very polite versions of david blain =P
But, what we need to strive for more than anything is to understand Self Hypocrisy, and avoid that. or do unto others? In this case, not do unto others. If you yourself would not like to have something done to you, do not do it to others. This rule works to an extent because it results in guilt when not followed. We reflect on things when we know full well we wouldn’t want them done to us.
Is it a matter of right or wrong? I’m not sure it’s quite that simple. I think it comes down to a person’s priorities and what they place value on.
No one is perfect. Ghandi was a racist, mother Theresa loved suffering, and Jesus had his issues as well. That incident with the fig tree was pretty petty if you ask me.
But yes, it comes down to us all having a choice, and Too few people choose to be pleasant by any standard.
It seems these days people are more interested in making others unhappy than being happy themselves.
Kenny Gulley Jr.
true. i cant stand the way some things are done.
shanghaiwu
this is brilliant writing/BRILLIANT thought process/thankyou
deliriousgirl
Hey, you’re barkin up the wrong tree here.
deliriousgirl
This is the atheist site, dear misguided fool. Please take your preaching and other babble to your site.
Daniel Rarela replied
Sorry if I was starting to sound a little preachy… I promise you that wasn’t my intention.
What I was trying to express to you though is that I do fully understand why atheists are less than impressed with how many (not all, but many) Christians act towards others, and I don’t fault you for it at all – as I said, more often that not its something we need to be aware of.
At the same time, I was merely suggesting that you might study Jesus Christ Himself as opposed to all the cluttered rules/ precepts/ communist-ish coercion that was wrongfully birthed by misguided followers after His death. I was thinking that perhaps if Jesus Christ was the only person you really analyzed, as opposed to getting distracted by the millions of us who try to follow Him (however lousy we are at it), then the thought of why people are so devoted to Him might not seem quite so ridiculous.
Whether or not you love Jesus after everything, every single little detail you find out about Him, is not for me to dictate to you or anyone else, deliriousgirl. I’ll freely admit that He isn’t the easiest person to know, and I myself still have a ton of questions about the way things are. There’s certainly enough tragedy and unhappy endings (or at least many people believe they are endings) to get people to believe that God doesn’t exist, so I won’t have an ounce of hate more (or an ounce of love less) towards you if you still walk away from Jesus even after studying His life and who He is.
in any case, I’m sorry if I hit too sensitive of a nerve – I’m wanting to start a dialogue, but not an argument, or trade barbs
coffeebean
I really found this an interesting read Daniel and I like that you think differently than a lot of Christians and I believe you are genuinely trying to live your life by God’s word and you remember what Jesus did here on earth and what it meant for us. Many so called Christians have forgotten that or more to the point the churches they follow have forgotten it. i generalise but I’m sure you know what I mean. So good on you for building your relationship with God, that is the only way to keep on the right track.
coffeebean
do not take offense at deliriousgirl, sometimes it is better not to say anything at all.
deliriousgirl
Atheists do not believe in god or jesus or the bible, dear. So take your preaching to your own site please.
Michael Gatch
This is my problem with this line of thought. You are referencing Jesus as a role model and a positive example. Then fine, You can take what you want from that, but to speak of getting to know him, and having a relationship with him is just silly. It is what it is. We don’t go out of our way to try and forge relationships with dead philosophers or poets or activists of any sort.
You take the positive influence and you follow some ideas to you liking, that is all. It just starts to sound a bit pretentious when you start saying you are getting to know the guy, or you have a relationship with him.
Emotionalism is not the path to enlightenment. Rational analysis will get you much further and help you avoid a whole lot of grief when it comes to striving to be a better person. Set realistic goals. Be good to those around you and set a good examples for others yourself. Follow your moral compass. Do not try to be like Christ, just be yourself.
Daniel Rarela replied
Hi Michael!
Well, definitely a lot of what you said resonates with me. What with an envy for purity – I admit that it’d be nice if I could somehow be that, but as you said, the truth is that nobody is perfect. And even then it all depends on what one’s definition of perfect is, and also in relation to what. For me, as far as life and how you treat the people in your life is concerned, Jesus was the epitamy of perfect.
Nobody, no matter how good they are, can be a perfect reflection of Him. HOWEVER, I do think that amazing things happen when people at least make the effort, as opposed to folding their arms and saying, “Love is too hard, why even bother?”
As far as doing unto others as they do undo you (aka the Golden Rule)... that IS Biblical, and came straight from Jesus’ mouth, just so you know :)
What with being polite versions of David Blaine LOL well I do admit that doing things that humans are physically incapable of doing might be pretty cool… but that’s not the point of what being like Christ is all about. What you’re referring to are the smaller miracles, the spectacle/ bells & whistles – but the point of everything Christ did has a deeper meaning than just taking it at face value.
With the fig tree (and I do admit that this one was odd, but in the context of that time period, perhaps it was less so), am I right in thinking you’re referring to when Christ wasn’t too happy about how it bore no fruit? If you’re taking it at face value, it definitely seems petty, but what it actually was, was a metaphor for those who followed Him. If somebody calls himself/ herself a Christian, then it literally means to be like Christ (attitude wise, not necessarily miracle wise). But if that person calls themself a Christian, yet is incapable of showing grace to somebody else, or seeing the best in those whom society would label “the lowest of the low,” then it’s comparable to a tree that promises fruit but bears none.
Sorry if that sounded a little preachy… just trying to explain what the whole fig tree thing was about, because as you said, it does seem petty, BUT only if there was no meaning behind it.
The world can have the whole walking on water/ water into wine/ calming a storm thing – what I meant by wanting to be like Christ is His ability to love people who were seemingly impossible to even like or be friendly with – in his time it was tax collectors, the diseased, the physically disabled, and prostitutes.
I guess in this day and age it would be homosexuals (which I guess includes me), racial minorities, the impoverished, take a name or take your pick – the whole point of being a Christian is to show the same kind of love, kindness, and fairness to the lowliest of the low, just as Christ did. At its most basic level, what Jesus showed us was that all people, no matter who they are, deserve to be loved and all have immense worth.
From there, being yourself is less of a struggle. It’s not like there’s a dress code that all Christians follow, nor a political party all Christians adhere to. If the love that Christ had for people is the same kind of love that you have in your heart, then you are already like Christ without bringing your entire identity to the guillotine. That being said, make sure you tune out anyone that suggests that all Christians have to be heartless conservative Republican fundamentalists, I promise you that’s not the Truth at all – it’s only about as true as saying that Osama Bin Laden is the true face of Islam
Far as having a relationship with God is concerned, I didn’t mean for it to be pretentious – it’s not an exclusive thing! Although, I guess that’s probably where you and I part as far as beliefs are concerned. You might say we don’t go out of our way to try and forge relationships with dead philosophers or poets, but I don’t believe in the finality of death, nor do I believe that a relationship with God is anything like the relationship one has with other people. I said its more comparable to what it was like when getting to know a friend for the first time, but even that’s not an accurate way to describe it. Of course you can’t have a relationship with a dead person – but the situation changes if death isn’t the end of the equation. Not that you should pay no regard to your life here and now, but I don’t see how exactly one could prove that this life is the be all, end all of everything there is.
I could go on and on (although considering how long I’ve gone up to this point, I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t want me to :P)... in any case, I’m really glad you took the time to tell me how you feel about the situation without being malicious about it.
ps – sorry if I sounded preachy throughout any of this – in no way do I believe I’m better than you Michael, or that I’ve got special powers or that I’m Mr. High and Mighty… I’m not. I’m nerdy, gay, unphysically fit, obsessed with my craft, and I guess a little too opinionated. In any case, I’m not better than anyone and not perfect… but I certainly don’t see any harm in centering my life around Someone who is
martin7
great journal entry Daniel, it’s said very well , peaceful and contemplative, and even if as a changed man i can’t agree with what was done few hundred years ago within christian church, many people already apologised for it. lets move on and spend our lives on following Jesus.
PS. to all atheists, – go to YOUR site and argue about what you don’t or do believe in , as far as links got me to here , this is LIVING CHRISTIANITY site of redbubble,
Daniel Rarela replied
thanks for your response, Martin, but please don’t be malicious towards anyone who comments on this journal that isn’t a believer – i posted this on BOTH the Living Christianity AND Atheist groups on Redbubble
as I said to deliriousgirl, the point of what Yancey was saying, and what I was saying, is that I empathize with people who distance themselves from anything they think represents Christianity because we as Christians have done such a lousy job trying to be like Jesus, and that I’m sorry for that because I know I’ve acted stuck up and arrogant about it more than once in my life.
this isn’t about one side verses another, Christians vs.Atheists or whatever – what I’m trying to tell my brothers/ sisters in Christ is that we need to take responsibility for what we’ve done as a church and actually begin to ACT like Jesus for once. And what I’m trying to say to atheists is that they don’t deserve to be written off the way many Christians have done to them in the past…. Jesus built bridges became friends with people that most “religious” members of society would have scoffed at, that’s why I posted it up on the Atheist group as well as the Living Christianity group. I’d rather hear what nonbelievers have to say about it when we as Christ followers finally begin to realize how much we’ve screwed up the gospel in many ways, as opposed to me merely “preaching to the choir,” as it were
deliriousgirl
The very immature little boy obviously posted it on both sites in order to create an argument. That’s all.
Estelle O'Brien
Daniel, it is a very well written piece. As for people who cannot bear dialogue or debate if it doesn’t follow their line if thinking…they will not understand your point anyway. What you say is very true…Jesus also hated religion, but loved people.
Michael Gatch
I’m just pleased to have a civil discussion and see another person’s point of view on these things. It is the justification of the way we all live that I find fascinating. We all get to where we are by different paths.
I did understand the possible meaning/interpretation of the fig tree story, it’s just an example of course and was a break for some humor in the discussion, as was the comment about david blain. Course I think if david blain went back in time he could out miracle jesus =P
Daniel Rarela replied
LOL HMMMM you wouldn’t happen to be referring to a certain espisode in South Park would you? hahaha I loved that one… well, if David Blaine busts out of his grave two days after he dies, as opposed to three, and also finds a cure for war/ AIDS/ cancer, then MAYBE I’ll concede, bro ;)
Damian
Hi Daniel,
I saw this in the Athiest group, and I’ll admit, I like the idea you have in the original journal post, and your idea to build bridges.
Certainly the hypocrisy of religious followers (as in the examples you’ve given) do not show a positive side to Christianity.
When I realised that a priest has fathered a child with a school girl where I grew up, that was quite a turning point for me, although by then it just another nail in the coffin.
Anything that tells me to believe something with no evidence and without being allowed to ask questions makes me cautious. Also, as a scientist I see evolution working every day.
For me, Christianity is one of so so many world creation beliefs (I’m being polite and not saying ‘myths’ LOL). Every culture in every time had one, so I don’t know why I should believe that the creation ideas from this one religion should be listened to any more than those of the Greeks, Norse, Chinese, Aboriginals etc etc etc. They were all designed to provide a comforting idea of life after death, and to explain how the world and everything in it came to be back in the times when people thought the Earth was flat, the Sun moved around us, and disease meant God was punishing you. Obviously those beliefs are far behind us.
As one culture absorbed another, their creation beliefs were absorbed as well. Any book on world cultures can point to examples. The Egyptians have stories of a man who died and three days later was returned to life (although they aren’t the only religion, or even the first).
So to me, I’m not going to follow this religion (or any other), and it’s not at all about whether or not Jesus was a decent bloke. I can honestly say I’m happy for you in your choice, and I’d hope you could say the same of me, without wanting to tell me I’m wrong, or a firey hell awaits me (that was popular with the priests while I was at school, and obviously inspires eye-rolling, LOL)
Cheers,
Damian
toolesque
Yes. I enjoyed reading this.
I think a lot of what you said to me a few weeks ago. And lately I have been thinking, perhaps I am so down of this religion and some of it’s people… because I truly do NOT know who Jesus Christ is. I mean I have heard of him, and have even went to church a good portion of my life. But never understood the connection between these people worshiping Him.. and upon leaving the church, showing me who they really were, many of them abandoning the words of Christ that we all just nodded our heads to and amen’d. Let it Be??? Well we can’t very well, unless we ourselves practice these beliefs… and do what we tell others we believe. So, in that Daniel, I have realized, I really DON’T know who this Jesus is. And I’m sorry I pissed you off by saying it, but it goes deeper than my cruel sense of humor. I don’t know who Christ is, and I am SURE it is because he has been POORLY represented, and might even be ashamed of how his followers portray him upon leaving the sacred walls of church. Religion has been made a mockery of for so long and it is rare for me to run into someone whom practices true blue Christianity. Thank you for writing this, as it ties into what my thoughts have been lately, and was not going to write you, only because I see you don’t respond to my comments anymore, but I just couldn’t resist. Like I said, I am so glad you wrote this! :)
Daniel Rarela replied
Hi Charleen!
First off I wanted to apologize for not responding to all of your comments – I get quite a few, so its hard to really sit down and take the time to read/ respond to every single one I get. Don’t think I’ve been ignoring you – life has just been hectic (I DID just survive a really bad car accident last sunday, after all)
But I guess I oughta knock it out as it comes:
1. I kind of live near Asuza, yes – Upland is probably just a 20 minute drive east of there
2. Thanks for the kudos on having two buyer’s booth photos on the home page at once! I didn’t see it as too big of a reason to whoop it up though, since most people who post buyers booth pics make it onto the home page eventually anyway. Still, your encouragement to me does not go unheard, even if I don’t respond to it immediately – remember that! :)
3. Don’t worry about when you asked me “Who’s Jesus?” It didn’t piss me off at all when I found out you weren’t being sincere in what you were asking – I was just a little puzzled as to how you thought people would think it was hilarious that you pretended to not know
And finally, yes, you’re right – Jesus is very poorly represented in the media, and a lot of people who claim to know and follow Him, I think it’s safe to say that many of them don’t truly know what they’re saying. I’m no exception- you might say that I’m trying to live by true blue Christianity, but the bare truth is that I still feel like I’m finding out something new about God every day. So for every single truth that I’ve been able to find out about Jesus, there are a million more that me and the rest of the world still has left to discover. Even the authors of the Bible understood that:
And I suppose that if all the other things Jesus did were written down, the whole world could not contain the books
John 21:25
Nobody will have all the answers until after this life is over, but as I said before, I couldn’t see the harm in trying to love/ get as many answers as I possibly can about Christ while I’m still here :)
Just don’t let a pastor/ priest spoon feed you the Word of God – just as Damian pointed out, even they have their flaws and are fair game to Satan as far as hypocrisy and scandal is concerned. What another man says should never be taken as law, and while the Bible was inspired by God, it was still written by men, so if answers are what you’re looking for, I’d say its best if you read the Bible for yourself, and be willing to ask people from all theological standpoints what a certain verse means when you don’t understand it (I promise you, there will be many incidents such as this) – THAT’s when the real answers begin to start pouring in
again, I’m really really sorry for not immediately responding to all of your comments – thankfully, the mini firestorm I think I caused with this journal was enough to make me really sit down and absorb what people have been saying about it so far