More About Religion

I mentioned in the last blog how there were three types of religious followers that annoyed me. But I had left off those three that really annoy most of the world.
So, let's get to those three.

The Hypocrite, the Self-righteous Do-gooder, and the Everyone-Else-Will-Burn-in-Hell-But-Me.

Instead of getting specific right now, as all three are related to each other, let's address the main problem. These three (especially when found in Christians) are those religious folk who don't understand their own religion. Most religions at the core (and I am not counting the ancient Mayan ones or the religion of the people who worshipped Baal who believed in human sacrifice) are peaceful. Most religious groups are about being kind to others.

So it really bugs me when people who claim to be Christian do unkind (if not downright malicious) things because I had always understood the word Christian to mean a person who chooses to follow the teachings and example of Jesus the Christ (which is another word for Messiah for those who don't know).

See, I am pretty sure Jesus Christ said as recorded in Matthew 5:44, "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;" (That site, by the way, has several translations... but none of the verses are as thorough as the King James Version except the Aramaic Bible in English... which bugs me because the KJV is quite specific about what it actually means to love your enemy and the others are so vague.) So I wonder if those so-called followers of Christ actually read or studied what he did or said.

Here's the thing.
Christianity, historically, began all right. The peaceful Christians were constantly turning the other cheek...which the Romans found annoying so they threw them to the lions. But apparently that did not last. The original 12 apostles of Christ ended up dying pretty violent deaths. People were making up lots of different sects. And soon original Christianity got so overwhelmed with catechisms, and debates,  and doctrine and practices changed that it shifted into a huge organization with lots of priests with a huge influence on government. And that, of course, led to holy wars and the Spanish Inquisition (This is why atheists blame religion for the world's troubles, by the way).

Well, obviously a lot of people who actually read what Jesus Christ had been all about (those who could read, because back then most people were illiterate) got fed up with all that garbage and started the Protestant Reformation. This led to a heap load more Christian sects. And this led to a lot of people bickering over who was right. And then the bible was translated into English (which a lot of people died for).

(OK. Take a deep breath.)

But at Christianity's core, it is still all about being kind and not selfish. Not one of those groups are human sacrifice cults (as far as I know at least). And as far as I know, not one of the actually preaches that Jesus said it was ok to hate your neighbor. However, a lot of traditions got heaped over that and the true message has been lost for several of its followers who get all hair-splitting over doctrine.

So, with that history out of the way, I still believed that anyone who truly claimed to be a Christian was devoted to following Jesus Christ's example. And to call someone not a Christian because they have doctrinal difference over whether or not the Son of God had long or short hair, wore sandals or went barefoot--or in some cases, believed in the Nicene Creed rather than an earlier Christian comprehension of God--was just ridiculous.

Ok, now down to specifics.

The Hypocrite, the Self-righteous Do-gooder, and the Everyone-Else-Will-Burn-in-Hell-But-Me.

Lets start with the Hypocrite. The word itself is from the Greek, which means actor. These are those people who want to put on a show, but when alone do whatever pleases them, no matter how bad it is. What kills me about a hypocritical Christian is that anyone who has read the Bible knows Jesus Christ spoke against hypocrites...ALL THE TIME. The phrase Hypocritical Christian always felt like an oxymoron to me. You can't be a real follower of Christ and be a hypocrite at the same time. They void each other out.  However, C.S. Lewis disagrees with me. In his book "Mere Christianity" he said that being a Christian was more like being a gentleman...but he explains it like this:

"The word "gentleman" originally meant something recognizable; one who had a coat of arms and some landed property. When you called someone 'a gentleman' you were not paying him a compliment, but merely stating a fact. If you said he was not 'a gentleman' you were not insulting him, but giving information. There was no contradiction in saying that John was a liar and a gentleman..."
"Now if once we allow people to start spiritualizing and refining, or as they might say 'deepening', the sense of the word "Christian," it too will speedily become a useless word. In the first place, Christians themselves will never be able to apply it to anyone...We must therefore stick to the original, obvious meaning. The name "Christians" was first given at Antioch (Acts 11:26) to 'the disciples', to those who accepted the teaching of the apostles. There is no question of its being restricted to those who profited by that teaching as much as they should have. There is no question of its being extended to those who in some refined, spiritual, inward fashion were 'far closer to the spirit of Christ' than the less satisfactory of the disciples. The point is not a theological or moral one. It is only a question of using words so that we can all understand what is being said. When a man who accepts the Christian doctrine lives unworthily of it, it is much clearer to say he is a bad Christian than to say he is not a Christian." source

So, Hypocrites are bad Christians in this case.

Next up... the Self-righteous Do-gooder.
These are the in-your-face, I'm-so-good-I-want-you-to-see-it kind of people that annoy most other believers. The thing they forget is that Christ always talked about doing good in secret. He's the one who preached not to 'do your alms before men.' (in this case men means human-kind. Back then people were less silly about language than we are now. Don't get me started). He's also the one who said not to, basically, toot our own horn. Doing good is fine, but showing off and saying "I am so good" is counter to what Jesus Christ was about. In fact, he often snuck off because fame was not his thing, no matter what that play Jesus Christ Superstar, tries to make him out as.

Ok, lastly, the Everyone-Else-Will-Burn-in-Hell-But-Me, person. Honestly, this is the person who misses the point entirely. I mean, this is entirely counter to the 'love your neighbor', 'love your enemy', 'in my Father's house there are many mansions', kind of thinking Jesus Christ taught. I mean, he sought out those people who were sinners and spoke with them, encouraging them to change. He is the one who healed the sick, both physically and spiritually. He is also the one who said to forgive 'seventy times seven'. And to be frank, I don't think he expected his followers to count up that high when forgiving people. It is like someone saying 'bazillion times' today. Compassion is the trait that this kind of person lacks. And to be frank it reminds me of the verse that is really too long to recite, but must be mentioned. But it is Mathew 25:40 where it sums up..."And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." the entire context is here. Basically, we can't B.S. our way into heaven.

So, what does this all mean?

Uh... be sincere and earnest in whatever you do. And for pity's sake, be kind.

There is this old Jewish tradition of hospitality to strangers, but to be honest I think it is good for anyone around us. The best reference is in Hebrews 13:2 "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."

Just saying...