Pseudo-Christian (Are You A Fake?)

The 2016 Presidential election season has exposed a lot, not just about the broken political system, but the religion called Christianity (American form) has placed its cards on the table and it’s not a pretty hand.  American Christianity has proven to a great bluff and begins to make me question what I have learned while in the faith.  No matter how much you tell yourself or others, faith not followed by actions is not faith all.  The Bible says that it’s dead (James 2:14-26).   This election season has exposed Western Christianity for a sham of a religion to the world; Gandhi’s quote about liking Jesus and not Christians is even more relevant today than it was when he said it.  From the fight for justice for fellow Americans to the stand against the continued mistreatment and subjugation of Native Americans to the unwelcoming attitude towards those seeking safety and asylum, mainstream, conservative American Christianity has led the charge in holding up the injustices against humanity.  Moderate and progressive Christianity is not without blame and is actually complicit through silence.

Founders of the world faiths have taught mutual love as one of the key components or tenets of the faith.  Jesus was not an exception.  Western Christians, as a norm, live anticipating a future return of the Messiah.  With that in mind, why are we not living as if that is going to come to fruition?  Here’s a thought, what is Jesus has already returned as a Native American in protest of the taking of their sacred lands or as a displace homeless individual suffering from mental disorders or as a Mexican immigrant seeking safety and security for her family or as a displaced Syrian refugee found among bomb-ridden rubble?  The white male, blonde hair, blue-eyed Jesus may never be a reality.

How will we answer G-d’s line of questioning, “Why did you not receive the stranger, my gift to you?  Why did you not show the transgender woman the same love, grace, and mercy I showed you over and over again, despite what others thought about you?  Why did you not stand with your black brothers and sisters as they cried out against the injustices perpetrated against them over and over again?  How can you say that you loved me when you could not even show compassion and empathy for the rest of humanity, created in my image, not my physical image, but my spiritual image?  You had no right to reject my creation; by doing so, you rejected me.  How could you profess your faith and allegiance to me, but show complete disdain for your Muslim, Jewish, Atheists, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, and Baha’i brothers and sisters?  You didn’t truly understand John 3:16 as it was meant to be understood.  You didn’t take the story of Lazarus and the rich man to heart!  Now here you stand in the same predicament as the rich man.  Heaven has no religions, no denominations, no racial, no gender, or ethnic lines.  Your time on Earth was meant to prepare you for eternal life.  How can I allow you to worship among the very ones you rejected?  Why should I?  Give me one good reason.”

While you have the chance, I challenge you as members of the human race to prove yourself worthy of being able to stand boldly before G-d and say that you did your best to be loving, compassionate, just, and merciful to all and if you fall short, it was not because you didn’t try.

Stop going to church week after week, listening to message after message and taking no action to make this world a better place and taking no action to put an end to the suffering of humanity.

My philosophy of all sacred scripture is that it is the word of G-d, for the people of G-d, for the work of G-d, for the glory of G-d.  Let all that you say and do be for the glory of G-d.

Blessings and peace be upon you.  Let’s make this world a better place!

Rev