Why I am no longer a Christian.
Nov. 5th, 2004 04:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
substituteIn 1991 I underwent a religious conversion during a time of great personal stress. Since then I have been a Christian, but I’ve only gone to church for the first two years and very intermittently since. My particular faith is most easily described as “evangelical”.
The reason I haven’t had much to do with churches is that nothing about the culture of American evangelical Christianity is tolerable to me except the Gospel itself. This is a big problem, because you’re not just supposed to pray and learn, you’re supposed to interact with others. I’m instructed to be a member of a spiritual group and also to share the faith with others. At first it was just the problem of everyone being sort of corn-pone and not culturally aware, which is a lot more important when you’re in your 20s. Increasingly I ran into disagreements about science and politics that were a bit worse, and I stopped spending a lot of time with churchy people. After this election, though, I’m through. I’m walking out.
It’s time I stopped describing myself as Christian. I can’t do it. I look at the people who claim an evangelical faith and they make me physically ill. I can’t break bread with them.
The first thing that happens after a fellow believer discovers my spirituality is congratulation and a big smile.The second thing that happens is some political or theological litmus test. We are all supposed to support the war, support the current government, love capitalism, despise “liberals”, hate homosexuals, and deny the last 300 years of Western civilization. I am not to agree with the theory of evolution. I must support not only my own government’s wars but all those of the state of Israel. I am supposed to care very deeply about unborn children but let them starve or be bombed once they’re born. I’m supposed to reject the last 200 years of biology and embrace crackpot pseudo-science.
I look at the people around me that I love and you want me to hate all of them. I refuse. Hate me too, instead.
You people physically disgust me. All of you. I can’t be in fellowship with a nation of murderous ignorant hypocrites. Go back and read Amos and Isaiah, and think on this: are you the prophet, or the faithless nation?
You can call me a “liberal”, and I’ll thank you. You can call me a “humanist”, and I’ll smile. You can even tell me, as you have been lately, that I’m un-American and unwanted in your country, and I’ll respectfully disagree. But don’t call me Christian. My conscience won’t allow it.
The reason I haven’t had much to do with churches is that nothing about the culture of American evangelical Christianity is tolerable to me except the Gospel itself. This is a big problem, because you’re not just supposed to pray and learn, you’re supposed to interact with others. I’m instructed to be a member of a spiritual group and also to share the faith with others. At first it was just the problem of everyone being sort of corn-pone and not culturally aware, which is a lot more important when you’re in your 20s. Increasingly I ran into disagreements about science and politics that were a bit worse, and I stopped spending a lot of time with churchy people. After this election, though, I’m through. I’m walking out.
It’s time I stopped describing myself as Christian. I can’t do it. I look at the people who claim an evangelical faith and they make me physically ill. I can’t break bread with them.
The first thing that happens after a fellow believer discovers my spirituality is congratulation and a big smile.The second thing that happens is some political or theological litmus test. We are all supposed to support the war, support the current government, love capitalism, despise “liberals”, hate homosexuals, and deny the last 300 years of Western civilization. I am not to agree with the theory of evolution. I must support not only my own government’s wars but all those of the state of Israel. I am supposed to care very deeply about unborn children but let them starve or be bombed once they’re born. I’m supposed to reject the last 200 years of biology and embrace crackpot pseudo-science.
I look at the people around me that I love and you want me to hate all of them. I refuse. Hate me too, instead.
You people physically disgust me. All of you. I can’t be in fellowship with a nation of murderous ignorant hypocrites. Go back and read Amos and Isaiah, and think on this: are you the prophet, or the faithless nation?
You can call me a “liberal”, and I’ll thank you. You can call me a “humanist”, and I’ll smile. You can even tell me, as you have been lately, that I’m un-American and unwanted in your country, and I’ll respectfully disagree. But don’t call me Christian. My conscience won’t allow it.
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(no subject)
Date: 2004-11-05 06:45 pm (UTC)Another post I think is great, and this one totally rings true within me. You know I highly respect you, Conrad, but I think you might be a bit emotional here.
I don't know what spawned this tirade against Christianity, and honestly, i don't know if it matters. I've always believed that religion is a personal relationship with your creator, whatever faith it may be. Unfortunately, the glory and happiness of this relationship can be very tempting to share, and as such, the "privacy" and personal nature of one's covenant with his or her creator has become a very public thing. Two people share in the same glory and want to compare notes, this continues to grow, and then the next thing you know, you have a whole room full of people all wanting to share the same message.. Well now you have a real problem, because you have a ton of people all itching to speak, so you have to elect some sort of leader to sort em out, and then that person starts organizing everything and then bam, you have Organized Religion... We all know its a tool to control the masses and the true message has been lost through the years.
So, now its 2004, and its been bastardized and bastardized and religion is almost just a political tool. Fear and Hate are common practice as love and compassion have taken a backseat.
But make no mistake. The people who practice these hateful views, confusing religion and politics aren't true Christians. They're automatons that believe whatever their told to believe. They are promoting the self-serving and self-preserving agenda, under the guise of serving the Lord.
This might be the greatest sin of all.
So, you tell me not to give up on the system of politics. I tell you not to give up on being a "Christian." Just challenge the hypocrites who call themselves a Christian yet purvey traits of hatred, bigotry, and intolerance.
As always your friend,
Assface McGee
(no subject)
Date: 2004-11-05 07:43 pm (UTC)Either way, if those missives are a sign of Christianity, then that's sad.