6 things Christians should just stop saying

[cattledogkisses]

www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-mcswain/6-things-christians-should-just-stop-saying_b_2767507.html

6 Things Christians Should Just Stop Saying

It is time.

No, it is past time.

Christians must stop saying the following things.

1. The Bible is the inerrant, infallible Word of God.

It isn't inerrant and not likely even in the "original manuscripts."
But then, I cannot say that with absolute certainty, anymore than anyone
else can either.

Why? Because no such "original" manuscripts even exists. That's like saying, "We believe there are aliens on other planets!"

Good for you. Now, prove it.

As we have it, no matter what translation you favor, the Bible is
replete with errors. To pretend otherwise is your right. To say
otherwise is a lie. You are entitled to your opinions, your assumptions,
even your beliefs. What you are not entitled to is a misrepresentation
of the facts.

A corollary to this that Christians should stop saying is this:

2. We just believe the Bible.

That, too, is false. What you really believe is your interpretation
of the Bible. And the last I checked, the history of the Christian
church is the history of disagreement over "interpretation."
How else do you explain the scores of denominations within Christianity
alone? It would be patently more honest of Christians to say, "The
following represents our understanding and interpretation of the
Scriptures, but we are also aware there are many equally sincere
Christians who interpret the Scriptures differently from us."

A third thing Christians should stop saying:

3. Jesus is the only way to heaven.

What you are really saying is, "The way we interpret John 14:6 is
that Jesus was clearly drawing a line in the sand and telling his
hearers and the world: 'If you do not believe in Me, you won't go to the
Father when you die.'"

For this, I refer back to No. 2 above: what you and your group of believers really mean to say is, "It is our interpretation of John 14:6 that Jesus is saying that He is the only way to heaven."

There are scores of Christians, however, and I am one of them, who do
not interpret Jesus' words in John 14 the same way. Just because I do
not makes me no less Christian than you are. So stop drawing lines in
the sand, please, between equally sincere followers of Jesus.

When I read the 14th chapter of John, I see a context that yields an
alternative reading of the text. Instead of Jesus starting some new
religion here and saying, "OK, fellas, I'm going to go away soon" --
referring to his death -- "but, before I go, you should know that where
I'm going you, and others who believe just like you, will one day be,
too -- that is, of course, if they believe like you believe that I am
the only way to heaven. That is to say, if the people around you and who
come after you don't believe that I am the only way to heaven, then, of
course, they'll have to go to hell. Is all that clear?"

I offer an alternative interpretation: When Jesus spoke to them about leaving them, they were understandably shaken.

How could they not be? After all, they had left everything to follow
him. Now, just a year, or two, or three years later, Jesus is saying
he's getting ready to leave them?

But, of course, they're upset. So Thomas, speaking on behalf of the
others, asks, "But where are you going and why can't we go with you?
Furthermore, how will we know the way?"

Jesus responds in tender, reassuring ways. Sensing the fragility of
their faith, seeing the anxiety on their faces, he reassures them that,
in God's house are many rooms, "mansions" or places. Yes, He's going
away but where He's going they, too, will go. Just as He has led them
this far, He will lead them further still (and what follows in the
latter part of John 14 is the beautiful reassurance of the on-going
presence of God in the Holy Spirit).

So, for me personally, and many other Christians, too, Jesus is no
more pointing to himself as the "one-and-only-way" to God than Thomas is
expressing in his question concern for Hindus, Muslims or Buddhists and
whether they'll go to heaven? I can assure you that Thomas, and the
others, were only concerned about themselves. And yet, even at that
point, Jesus is tender in His care of them and seeks to reassure them
that, just as He and the Father were one, and just as they had trusted
the things He had been saying to them during his time with them, so they
could trust him and what he was saying at this time, too. Yes, he was
leaving them. But no, they would not be left alone. Where he was, they
would be. He had shown them the way to the Father. But, even after He's
gone from them, they will know the way then, too. The Comforter would
guide them.

And so, the Church is here today. But not because Christians declare,
"There is no way to go to heaven if you don't believe in Jesus." The
Church is here today because when people do trust the things Jesus said
about HImself, about HIs relationship to the Father...when people
believe and so live the teachings of Jesus they, too, are changed --
they, too, become "new creations in Christ," as Saint Paul put it (2
Corinthians 5:17).

Now, I took longer with this one thing Christians need to stop saying
because many Christians seem stuck here, thinking that there's only one
way to interpret Jesus' words about being the way. It is my hope these
Christians will know there are equally sincere Christians like myself
and others who do not believe Jesus was drawing a line in the sand
between him and some new religion he was creating and all the other
religions of the world.

Again, it's your right to "believe" or, more accurately, interpret
Scripture as you wish. You do not, however, have permission to
arrogantly assume your way of interpreting the words of Jesus are the
only way to understand His words. Last I checked, no one's
interpretation of anything is infallible. Not yours. Not mine.

A fourth thing Christians need to stop saying:

4. The rapture of Jesus is imminent.

Again, if you want to believe in some secret rapture of Christians
from the earth just before the Tribulation, if you want to believe in
and carry around in your hip pocket detailed charts and graphs of how
its all going to happen, then so be it. But do the rest of us a favor
and stop saying so in public.

So far, your record of correctly predicting the future earns a
flunking grade. And I and scores of other Christians are frankly tired
of apologizing for your arrogant -- and so far, absolutely wrong --
predictions as to when it'll happen.

My recommendation? Burn up your charts and go live like Christ. Quit
masking your real fears by calling them faith. It isn't faith that leads
you to sell all you have, give the proceeds to some wacko, and go camp
out on Mount Horeb as you await the rapture. It's stupidity instead.
It's embarrassing, too. It makes thoughtful Christians have to apologize
to the world and explain that we're not all off-our-rockers, at least,
not yet, anyway. So, please, please. If you want to believe in the
charts that Hal Lindsey and Tim LaHaye and other
"get-rich-off-the-stupidity-of-Christians" have duped scores into
believing, then have at it. Just stay out of the news please! Go quietly
to your campsites and do your waiting.

I'll mention two more things Christians should stop saying. Many of these things I discuss at length in "The Enoch Factor: The Sacred Art of Knowing God":

5. Homosexuality is a chosen lifestyle and it is a sin against God.

This one issue, my friend, is on the outs. If you don't know that,
you are more blind than the Republicans were in the last election. They
misinterpreted the political environment and so completely blew it when
it came to getting their candidate elected. And you, my friend, are
misinterpreting the moral, spiritual and religious environment -- and
the changes that are coming.

My son said it well the other day. We were discussing homosexuality
and same-sex marriage and he observed, "Dad, it's your generation that's
hung up on these issues. Once you guys get out of the way and the
younger generation moves into the decision-making arena, these issues
will disappear. The day will come when, just as slavery is unthinkable
in our consciousness today, it will be equally unthinkable to deny
anyone the right to be who they are or the right to same-sex marriage."

You can still revere the Bible, my friend, but move beyond the
prejudice of Paul or anyone else. You don't need to make Saint Paul
infallible to treat the Bible as important.

Finally, please, please Christians stop insisting that...

6. The earth is less than 10,000 years old.

If you want to believe that Genesis is a scientific description of
the origins of the universe, then have at it. Just stop insisting that
those myths be taught in our public schools. You do no service to the
Bible nor to the morality of this country by demanding school
administrators include textbooks that teach that nonsense or by
demanding courts hang the Ten Commandments on chamber walls or classroom
walls.

If this democracy is going to survive, get over your silly,
misinformed notions that our forefathers were all Bible-believing, Bible
thumping, Genesis-affirming Christians who came to this country to
establish your kind of Christian nation and then expect everyone else to
conform to your misguided assumptions.

Whew! I feel better. Thanks for letting me get a few things off my chest.

Now, there is one thing I think all Christians, including me, should
remember -- no, should practice (and we should practice this between
ourselves first, too) -- and that is the one simple thing Jesus once
said would be the one-and-only thing the world would know us by...

Not our beliefs.

Not our doctrines.

Not our denomination's distinctions.

Not even our declarations.

Jesus said, "They will know you are my disciples by your love" (John 13:35).

When we love, what more needs to be said?

[pixy0stix]

I've never said any of those.

[mominatrix]

Or, to boil it down...

Stop trying to apply your religion to anybody else.



Sent from my SGH-T999 using proboards

[pixy0stix]

Here's one for everyone else - Stop lumping all Christians together.

[Deleted]

I know plenty of Christians who don't say these things. The wackadoodle minority that do, do not speak for the rest of us.

[Deleted]

I have a few issues with this, but the most glaring to me is #5. The author really dropped the ball with this one. "Old people think dumb things that young people will phase out" is not a fantastic argument against this religious view of homosexuality. There are plenty of accepted theological, Bibically based theories to provide as counterpoint.

[EloiseWeenie]

Wow, I'm really glad he's got everything figured out. Jesus must be proud.

[cattledogkisses]

I read it as him telling the conservative, evangelical sects... the soozys, if you will... to sit down and shut it because you're making the rest of us look bad.

[soozy87]

Mar 1, 2013 12:57:34 GMT -5 cattledogkisses said:

I read it as him telling the conservative, evangelical sects... the soozys, if you will... to sit down and shut it because you're making the rest of us look bad.

I got a shout out! Awesome!

[soontobeka]

Mar 1, 2013 12:57:34 GMT -5 cattledogkisses said:

I read it as him telling the conservative, evangelical sects... (edited by soontobeka) to sit down and shut it because you're making the rest of us look bad.

Agreed with 99% of what cattle said. (I don't know the soozy backstory so I did not want it to appear that I was personally piling on).  1 is often said here but I live in Texas in the middle of some very hardline conservative, born again Christians (I hate the term "born again).  *I am not saying all Christians state #1.

[earlgreyhot]

I think the Christians who believe #1 will be unable to stop saying anything else. And if you press them on it (like point out the logical fallacy of believing the Bible because the Bible says so) they'll talk about faith and free will.

[Deleted]

The best way to get people to stop telling everyone what to believe is to tell them what they should believe?

I'd have more to say but that would be unChristian of me.

[ChillyMcFreeze]

Sidebar: @missusbee--your sig pic. Oh my gah. He is THE cutest baby I have ever seen. Ever.

[Deleted]

Mar 1, 2013 13:45:13 GMT -5 ChillyMcFreeze said:

Sidebar: @missusbee--your sig pic. Oh my gah. He is THE cutest baby I have ever seen. Ever.

Thanks I love him

[msmerymac]

These seem more like evangelical beliefs. Number 6 relates to numbers 1 and 2 (bible literalism). Plenty of Christians see much of the bible as allegorical. They don't LITERALLY think the earth is like 6200 years old. Only the actual crazy ones/denominations, which might be vocal, but are not the majority, IMO. CATHOLICS don't believe that the earth is less than 10000 years old, for example. Nor do they believe that only faith in Jesus allows you to go to heaven (you have to believe Jesus is your savior, but you also have to live your faith through good works), nor do they believe the stories of the old testament are all necessarily true in the way they are depicted. And very few denominations think the rapture is imminent. It's an eventuality. Only JWs think it will happen tomorrow.

[Deleted]

I know very few Christians who every say anything like this.

Then again, I have a coworker who preaches about gay marriage being a sin because the Bible/God/Jesus says so....she doesn't think there is a lot of room in the Bible for interpretation. so I asked her what they think of divorce (she just got divorced). She hasn't really spoke to me since.

[soozy87]

This article is very slanted. Just like you don't like people telling your what to believe you (or the author) shouldn't be telling others what not to believe.

[sushi]

None of these bother me. Probably because I'm not Christian so I'm not trying to defend my own identity. I can understand Christians of one type to not want to be grouped with those of another, which is how I read this post.

One thing I'd love for people to stop saying, though, is love the sinner not the sin. I've heard that shit since college, and it makes me so mad.

[soozy87]

Mar 1, 2013 14:52:06 GMT -5 sushi said:

None of these bother me. Probably because I'm not Christian so I'm not trying to defend my own identity. I can understand Christians of one type to not want to be grouped with those of another, which is how I read this post.

One thing I'd love for people to stop saying, though, is love the sinner not the sin. I've heard that shit since college, and it makes me so mad.

Why does that make you mad?

[annieblah]

Mar 1, 2013 12:45:23 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Here's one for everyone else - Stop lumping all Christians together.

Where's the fun in that? 

[druidprincess]

I feel a juvenile longing to yell, "You're not the boss of me!" at this article.

I don't tell other religions or sans-religions what to say. I'd like the same courtesy. That is all.

[wrathofkuus]

I like David Wong's article on cracked.com about things Xtians and atheists must agree on much, much better.

[gpw]

Mar 1, 2013 12:45:23 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Here's one for everyone else - Stop lumping all Christians together.

A-fucking-men.