Today I renounce the label Christian.
I did not come to this decision lightly. After much internal deliberation, conflict, arguments, I no longer want to have that as something that defines me.
What caused this mighty shift of eternal consequence?
Many things, but not the least of which is other Christians.
I’m sick of trying to differentiate myself from those who picket the funerals of murdered homosexuals, from those that bomb abortion clinics, from those who believe most people will suffer in eternal torment because of less than 100 years of mistakes.
I’m not like that.
But I am not a non-Christian either. I don’t want to be defined by what I am not.
I believe God created this world & loves ALL that he created, not just those that “believe” in him. That is bullshit. And if I hear you saying just cause God throws people into flames for eternity it doesn’t mean he doesn’t love them, then please, pull the other one.
I believe Jesus’ life is the best example of how we should live our lives. I want to spend all my days trying to be Jesus in my situation. I want to care for the marginalised, speak for the voiceless & love the unloved.
Jesus put it pretty well when he said the most important things in life are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind & strength, & love your neighbour as yourself.
I don’t fully understand how to love God (since I can’t see him or hear him), so I figure the best way is to be grateful & try to do the second bit as best I can.
So there it is. Nick the Human has arrived.
I feel better already!
Nick the Human? but hasn't most of the world's evils been wraught by humans? :P
ReplyDeleteHave wondered wether I'd feel better if I did the same thing. I don't want to write off christianity because it is meant to be the family of people that follow Jesus. That family has been responsible for so much good in the world in starting aid organisations etc. It's also a family that is responsible for much hate and destruction. That's a lot of baggage to take on.
The family seems to be fracturing these days, not surprising really when there are folk that claim to follow Jesus and then hold up a sign that says 'God Hates ...'
Sounds like you are more growing up and leaving the nest than just abandoning your family. Proud of ya mate for standing up for what you believe in.
Yeah, humans, eh? What a waste of space.
ReplyDeleteI hold no ill feelings towards those who call themselves Christians. As you said there are lots of great things being done by Christians.
I happen to believe most people calling themselves Christians are really good people, perhaps not as thoughtful or active as they could be, but good people non-the-less.
But so many people have a warped view of what a Christian is, so what's the point of the label. I will always fight for the good news that the story of Jesus brings, but as Soren Kierkegaard said, "once you label me, you negate me."
So not only do I not want to label others, but I don't want to have any labels of my own.
But I've struggled with this for a while, & totally agree that allowing people to slag off Christians is a bad thing, as there are heaps of great ones.
This is not the end of the journey... questions & conversation will continue.
I remember why I came to call myself a Christian. It was full of meaning in that I was choosing to acknowledge Jesus in my life and choosing to live life the way I thought God wanted me to live it. That hasn't changed. How has the meaning behind the label changed so much for me in the less than a decade I've been calling myself a Christian? I find it bewildering that my faith is stronger than ever but that my desire to call myself a Christian is weaker than ever. Please help me Dr Nick, I am confused.
ReplyDeleteProbably we're just growing up & seeing complexities that we didn't see before.
ReplyDeleteProbably because good news doesn't sell, whereas a priest abusing someone does. Even if there are 10,000 priests who will go about every day of their life doing good. It's the bad one that gets the press.
Probably because people hate hypocrites, & when they see people who are meant to be good screw up, they point the finger and say "see, they aren't better than anyone else!"
Probably because in the past these stories were disbelieved, because priests were held in such high regard that they couldn't possibly do this sort of thing.
My feeling is that the stronger your faith, the more questions & complexities your faith can withstand.