To help Ms. Daughill, I shall quote what many Christians quoted me when I would ask stupid questions about the sanity of their decisions, or I would be shot down by a Christian woman on the grounds I was not a Christian:
"Don't worry. The Lord will provide."
or a variant
"The Lord has a plan."
Hopefully, this will assuage any concerns she has about what lies in her future. Because I have been reliably informed multiple times by multiple Christians that not only did god intend this to happen, he was doing it to test Ms. Daughill.
end/sarcasm
I will say this again for the cheap seats. There are good Christians out there, many of which are friends of mine. But a higher and higher percentage of Christians are merely "joining a club" to get the benefits of belonging to a club and couldn't give a damn less about the teachings. The benefits include not just social benefits, but a mental sickness that provides their mind the rationale to avoid reality, live in whatever reality they choose to, and ultimately avoid responsibility for their actions, let alone the consequences. It has become the ultimate food source for rationalization hamsters because bad decisions are no longer the individual's fault, it's "the Lord's plan."
Just like Islam, I think Christianity is in dire need of another reformation, one that purges these abusers of the religion.
You will, however, still be able to find me in bed watching cartoons come Sunday morning.
6 comments:
Good points.
Let me start with what I call "playing church". Yes, it's a social club where you pretend how good, how "religious" and how devout you are. Yet it's all a show and a pretense. Meanwhile, behind those plastic masks of pretense, the facts are that everyone is a rotting corpse of sin, pain and struggle in need of support, grace and forgiveness.
Second, I agree about "Lord will provide" and "the Lord has a plan" and "God is allowing you to be tested" bunk.
None of this absolves the believer from making ongoing efforts to find his own way consistent with God's principles.
Nor does it mean that the believer shouldn't work to provide for themselves to improve their lot in life.
Nor does it mean one isn't responsible for one's actions or for making reparations when one screws up.
So, we have the gospel of avoiding responsibility through rationalization.
Let me add some that are even worse - some believe that any setback, illness or bad thing that happens to you are because you have sinned. You must confess that sin now before you will recover.
A another is if you aren't upper middle class with all the trappings of success you aren't living according to God's will. If you follow his will faithfully and fully, you will be rich.
Here we have the gospel of condemnation though judgement.
And while we're on dysfunction, it is interesting how few churches actually have ministries serving the downtrodden, the jobless, the homeless, etc. That's where the proof is - how willing are church people to get their hands dirty serving. You can fault the Salvation Army in some ways, but you can't fault them for their willingness to serve parts of our society that most Christians don't have the guts to serve.
Whatever happened to the simple things that God requires of us - to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God?
I more or less agree with Ben Franklin when it comes to religion. I think it's a good thing in the sense that some people need it to be moral. Not everyone is capable of doing the right thing just because it is right. I don't think God is out to punish us, don't think he needs endless hours of worship, and prayer pretty much benefits the person praying on a psychological level. I also haven't darkened the door of a church since the uppity new preacher of the church I grew up in pissed me of by lying and having a completely un-Christian attitude about other denominations.
Real Christianity is just about dead. What has risen in its place is Churchianity. The Churchians go about the motions but lack the understanding of the principles of Christianity and the Churchianity clergy care more about membership numbers and donations than providing a moral framework for their followers.
Now that was funny!
Well you have to admire their money making ability. Organized religion rakes in a lot money. And they don`t pay taxes.
I am a proud Christian, and everything I do is done with a motivation to serve my Lord. I go to church because I want to go, the morality I practice is practiced because I wish to practice it. I have a relationship with my God, and I don't have to go to a steepled building every Sunday to be a follower of Christ.
I share your concern, captain, that the christians in our society have become too complacent, not so much spiritually as much as they choose not to speak up about political and economic issues that impact our country. Many seem content to, as you say, hide behind the phrase "The Lord will provide.". That is true, but to use that as an excuse for moral cowardice is appaling.
Many Christians disagree with the way things are and have been going, but either through ignorance, apathy, or plain cowardice, seem content to stick their heads in the sand and pretend everything's alright.
Hi Indiana Gol,
You better start cracking some skulls and pull some JC stuff he did when everybody starting using the church as a market place, because that's what it's all become.
I personally have more respect for the Muslims because either they;
a - are devote Muslims
b - are aggresive males using Islam as a means to dominate their enemies.
The Christians are nothing more than mere fashion bugs, putting little crucifix necklaces around their necks as they go and nail every other guy, but still claim to be Christian.
I pity you because it's your problem, not mine.
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