The American Christian Movement – Leaders Should Follow Their Own Bible

Have you ever wondered if some of the people claiming to be leaders of the American Christian movement are in for a serious talking to at the pearly gates? I wonder, have some them even read their own bible? It doesn’t seem like it.

Galatians 5 (New International Version Bible)
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13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. Do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; instead, serve one another in love. 14 The entire law is summed up in one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you keep on fighting amongst yourselves and killing each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

“You, my brothers, were called to be free.” Did he mean free as long you do as someone else says? That doesn’t sound like freedom to me. Did he mean free to live as you see right and proper? Well certainly, but wouldn’t that apply to everyone? So if your neighbor views the world in another light or practices another religion; isn’t he also free to do so? Then, are we all free to make our own choices; right, wrong or meaningless?

“Do not use you’re your freedom to indulge in the sinful nature; instead, serve one another in love.” There’s a loaded statement. What is the sinful nature? Drink? Gambling? Hatefulness? Nosiness? Greed? More of the “L” word, too. This guy is starting to sound like one of those weirdoes who think people should respect each other’s differences and let the Divine worry about who’s right and who’s wrong.

Who decides what is sinful? Who is qualified to decide this? After all none of us is perfect or free from vice. Is it left to each of us to examine the teachings and decide for ourselves? Were we given that much freedom? Could it be we are meant to mull over the ever changing world and decide what is moral and just for ourselves? And not be told by another? Does the Divine have that much trust in the individual? If not why give us free will?

“Love your neighbor as yourself.” I don’t even know where to begin with this one. It doesn’t say love your neighbors if they agree with you, or if they live by your standard of morality. Love them in spite their flaws, spirituality or morality. Your neighbor like yourself is not perfect. Maybe the problem is people don’t like themselves much? Maybe he should have said, “Love your neighbor as you love your child, dog or cat.” Or maybe; “Love your neighbor and yourself unconditionally” would have left no room for doubt?

“If you keep on fighting amongst yourselves and killing each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.” That’s rather ominous. Sounds like if we are stupid enough to disregard the advice we have been given there won’t be any eleventh hour intervention from the Divine.

Could it be we have been given our guidelines and we are free to live by them and ignore them? But the consequences are ours to deal with?

Then there is the passage between Luke 6:27 and Luke 6:45. Which is chock full of peace and love, treat others as you would be treated, turn the other check, love thy enemies, do not judge others and forgive others.

Luke Chapter 6 (New International Version Bible)
www.biblegateway.com

Love for Enemies

27″But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you.

32″If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. 34And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. 35But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Judging Others
37″Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

39He also told them this parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.
41″Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 42How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

A Tree and Its Fruit

43″No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

All very sound advice, if you ask me, especially that last bit about the heart of a good man. I just can’t reconcile it with the rhetoric of the self-proclaimed American Christian leaders. I couldn’t find any reference that could be construed, by any sane individual, as advocating murder or assassination. I didn’t see anything that said God would dole out personal punishments in this life for bad choices.

All of this has left me wondering. If a lot of people are in for a serious heart to heart at the pearly gates. It sounds like hypocrisy was high on the sin list. Claiming to speak in the name of the Prince of Peace while calling for violence and tolerance seems contradictory, even hypocritical, too me.

Maybe those things aren’t contradictory in the minds of some. What should bother people who disagree with this contradictory interpretation of Divine advice is that the people spewing it are claiming to speak for all Christians and in the name of Jesus.

Since there is no protest from the Faithful, are the rest of us to assume that everyone who counts themselves an American Christian agrees with the bigotry and violence?

Maybe it’s time the True Christians started to stand up for their beliefs, and start setting right the harm done by those pretending to speak for you. Maybe it isn’t the Wolf that the Sheep need protection from, maybe it’s the Shepherd. It is, after all the Shepherd who decides which sheep is Christmas dinner.