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Yes, and then some.

Published by Allison July 7th, 2005 in Spirituality & Religion, Culture

Badchristian (another blog I highly recommend) said it well today. Here’s a sample:

You say that pop culture icons are our new spiritual mentors.

…you may be right. I probably would sleep better at night knowing that instead of looking up to Jerry Falwell, Joel Osteen, or whomever the next big pastor is, we’re worshipping in the First Church of U2. Singing Coldplay praise tunes…the thing is, Bob Dylan’s touched my soul like no Sunday School teacher ever has.

As time goes on, I am honestly very glad that I spent years away from being “churched.” Last night, while at my parents’ house, Hal Lindsey and his take on Biblical prophecy was on TV. He spoke of the certain coming war in Israel, and my father nodded sagely when my grandmother mentioned how bad things are in the Middle East. “It has to get worse — because there’s going to be a war.”

UGH. I’m not a prophecy scholar, nor do I have any desire to become one. Really, I don’t give a shit about the prophecies that prove that Jesus was the Son of God, either…who he is/was showed through how he conducted his life (and death). I’ve seen fatalism become the downfall of many people (myself included) when it comes to taking the reigns of their own lives. Telling themselves “it’s meant to be” becomes an excuse for neglecting the harder work of questioning, analyzing, and making intelligent choices.

For me, I know that I’ve “fallen” for a guy way too quickly in the past simply because I thought “he must be the one.” How much more powerful (and yes, more frightening) to admit that there may not be such a thing as “the one,” but rather, whom I align myself with is a choice! In the same way, I think that expecting (and perhaps encouraging) a war in the Middle East is downright irresponsible.

Back to badchristian’s post, yeah, I often find more spiritual edification from song lyrics, poetry, the beauty of nature, and life itself than I ever did in a church.

Beyond that, the most important way that I believe a Christian can live his/her life is to treat others well. It’s almost like I have more in common with Buddhists and their belief in karma than I do with rightwing Christianity!

2 Responses to “Yes, and then some.”  

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  1. 1 Steve F. Jul 7th, 2005 at 10:36 pm

    I’m with you 100%. Thank God for some walks down dark, secular roads to keep me from becoming one of “them.”

    My most recent experience with this was clicking through the local Chicago radio stations, and hearing this quote on a program with the improbable title of “Grace to You.”

    I take you back to Deuteronomy 21:18 to 21, “If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that when they have chastened him will not listen to them, then shall his father and his mother lay hold of him, bring him out unto the elders of his city unto the gates of his place and they shall say unto the elders of his city…This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice, he is a glutton and drunkard.” (By now you can tell he’s at least a teenager.) “And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones that he die.”

    Take his life. Why? Because the infection of this in the nation is devastating, an infection we experience even at this time.

    So, says Deuteronomy 21:21, “You shall put away evil from among you, and all Israel shall hear and fear.” You see, God knew the preservation of that nation was bound up in the parenting process in the obedience of children.

    Yup…you read it right. Got a stubborn and rebellious kid? Just stone him to death. After all, “The Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it,” right?

    Don’t believe me? Follow this link and read down to about the middle of “side two.”

    In the community of recovery, sometime “Christians” get blamed for more than the Nazis…and sometimes, I think it’s entirely deserved.

  2. 2 Steve F. Jul 7th, 2005 at 10:37 pm

    I’m with you 100%. Thank God for some walks down dark, secular roads to keep me from becoming one of “them.”

    My most recent experience with this was clicking through the local Chicago radio stations, and hearing this quote on a program with the improbable title of “Grace to You.”

    I take you back to Deuteronomy 21:18 to 21, “If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that when they have chastened him will not listen to them, then shall his father and his mother lay hold of him, bring him out unto the elders of his city unto the gates of his place and they shall say unto the elders of his city…This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice, he is a glutton and drunkard.” (By now you can tell he’s at least a teenager.) “And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones that he die.”

    Take his life. Why? Because the infection of this in the nation is devastating, an infection we experience even at this time.

    So, says Deuteronomy 21:21, “You shall put away evil from among you, and all Israel shall hear and fear.” You see, God knew the preservation of that nation was bound up in the parenting process in the obedience of children.

    Yup…you read it right. Got a stubborn and rebellious kid? Just stone him to death. After all, “The Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it,” right?

    Don’t believe me? Follow this link: http://www.gty.org/broadcast/transcript/1949.htm , and read down to about the middle of “side two.”

    In the community of recovery, sometime “Christians” get blamed for more than the Nazis…and sometimes, I think it’s entirely deserved.

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