Okay, so the title of this post was meant simply to grab your attention. I don't claim to know what Jesus would dis, and I'm not speaking for him, I'm speaking for me. But what follows is a list of "Christian" things I think fail to stack up against Jesus's message of the Kingdom of God. To be fair, even the messed up stuff can still be a part of the Kingdom, even when it doesn't match the spirit or goals of the Kingdom.
So without further ado...
1. The "Religious Right"
I hate this phrase for a couple of reasons. First, I don't care for the word "religion" and it's practice. Religion, to me, is what we do instead of going after God. It is the stuff we feel obligated to do: ritual and routine, works and legalism. Religion is made by man, not by God.
I also hate the implications that A) all "religious" folks share a political ideology, and 2) that ideology is on the right (directional) end of the spectrum, or "conservative" as we often describe it. Have you ever heard of the "Religious Left"? Me neither, but the truth is that even people who are not into religion are usually still religious. We all have dogmas, rituals, and obligatory activity borne out of our guilt. To use some stereotypes, a religious lefty would be someone who supports conservation because they feel guilty about destroying the planet. They drive a Prius and observe Meatless Mondays. How is their legalism any better or worse than the religious righty piously voting for the candidate who stridently "supports life"? Both are misguided; not necessarily wrong, but misguided.
2. Christian Music
I like what Norman Barnes, an English preacher, says: "There is no such thing as secular music and Christian music. There is only good music and bad music." From my experience, most "Christian" music falls into the bad category. Thanks a lot K-LUV.
3. Focus on the Family, and Dr. James Dobson
See item 1 for a synopsis. I just want non-Christians everywhere to know this about James Dobson and his organization: they don't speak for me. Sometimes we may agree, but generally I don't want this group and this guy to be representative of Christianity. Way too political.
4. Dave Ramsey
I don't think Jesus has a beef with this guy, it's just me. But if I hear one more person say they are "Doing the Dave Ramsey" I might flip out. From what I've gathered, "Doing the Dave Ramsey" means you have a budget and you follow it. News flash: Dave Ramsey did not invent budgeting, he just popularized it. And on Fox News no less. That alone is reason enough for him to make this list, and is a great segue into...
5. Fox News
Way too many Christians watch this channel, for reasons outlined in Item 1. I can't understand what is probably the most widely held justification for watching Fox News, that since the rest of the Media are liberally biased, a conservatively biased channel is necessary. This is a conspiratorial and self-defeating perspective. If what you really want is unbiased news, don't turn the channel to Fox, go find a good news source. But then again, most on the "Religious Right" believe every other news source to be "liberally biased." Catch 22 I guess.
What I really hate about Fox News is the that Fox News hates so many people. It is just full of hateful talking heads. I absolutely fail to see how anything on this channel promotes the Kingdom of God. And also I find the formats, camerawork, design, graphics, and personalities to be objectionable, if not downright obnoxious. But the other 24-hour news networks do not get a free pass; my beef is with the form itself. Fox just happens to be the most objectionable of the form.
6. The Republican Party
See item 1 again.
7. The Democratic Party
See item 1, but substitute "Left" for "Right" and "god" for "God". I'm joking, sort of.
8. America, the "Christian Nation"
This notion that America is or ever was a "Christian nation" should horrify believers everywhere. No matter how much good citizens of this country have done at any point in history, to think that our country somehow represented or represents God is to totally demean who God is. The last thing I want people to associate the United States of America with is my God, because if they did they would believe the lie that God is vengeful and destructive and constantly visits wrath on people who don't obey Him.
The only evidence we have of any nation representing God is in the Bible, and that nation is the Nation of Israel. And man did they screw up time and again, even with God so intimately involved in their affairs. Last time I checked, Thomas Jefferson was a Deist and our constitution prohibits the State from establishing a religion. That is all the evidence I need to understand that we are not a Christian nation.
I think what people are trying to say when they adamantly defend this notion is that our nation was founded on principles agreeable with the faith of Christianity. This is still specious, but somewhat legitimate. However, it principally fails to establish fact in the argument that we are a nominally Christian country. And thank God we're not! It would be worse than you think!
9. Eschatology
While Jesus probably has no issue with eschatology, which is the study of the "End Times", I do, mostly because it becomes an obsession with people. Why are so many Christians scared of Armageddon? Why has there been so much of an uproar over President Obama, as if he is the Antichrist? If Armageddon comes, if the end of the world happens tomorrow, it's a win-win for Christians. What is there to fear for a believer in death? Nothing! What is there to fear for a believer in life? Nothing! So what's the problem? And why are so many Christians crazy?
I just want to assure everyone that we are indeed living in the End Times. And if humanity makes it another 6,000 years on this planet (or on another one, for that matter), they will be living in the End Times, too. Because, signs or no signs, no one knows when the End is coming. So get over it and enjoy today, because "this is the day that the Lord has made."
10. WWJD
Besides the fact that this acronym and idea have become cultural tropes; besides the fact that the whole fad of WWJD makes Christians look plain silly; and besides the fact that people actually wore bracelets or T-shirts of bumper stickers that said "WWJD", it's a stupid question because it implies that there is a list somewhere of what Jesus would in fact do. Now, I know that the scripture makes clear that Jesus experienced life on earth and was still perfect, and so he knows what we're going through (temptation, emotions, spiritual warfare, etc.). But my beef with this WWJD nonsense is that it further engenders an image of Jesus as a lowly, meager, barefooted pacifist who never hurt anybody's feelings. The whole thing is so Beaver Cleaver-ish it makes me kind of nauseous. At it's root the idea of asking Jesus what he would do is a good one. But does it need to become a pop idea? The slang-ification and popularization of this cheesy slogan just diminishes the real strength and power of Christianity. It turns Jesus into one of the Hanson brothers. Remember Hanson? Exactly.
Got anything to add to the list?
No comments:
Post a Comment