It seems like only yesterday I was suckered into seeing “The Passion of the Christ.” We all have that friend who is obsessive about something. Some people take up running or line dancing. Others become fundamental Christians and insist on everyone else coming around to their way of thinking. There was an interesting program last night on ABC about Heaven. Among the many segments, one was specifically on fundamental Christianity. Long story short, if you aren’t one of them, then you’re going to hell.
I was taken to Mel Gibson’s blood orgy of a film by just such a person. I’m sure it was done under good intentions. She was, after all, “on fire” for Christ. For fundamentals, that means attending church at least twice a week and avoiding anything that might be remotely deemed offensive. They claim that they are fulfilling their savior’s will. What I’m missing is the part of the Bible where it tells you that, as Christians, you must get together at least twice a week with other like minded people and reinforce your beliefs. I missed that chapter.
What I have seen among the fundamentals is fear and greed. They believe there are mansions in heaven. Actual physical mansions and not the metaphor Jesus no doubt meant the teaching to be. So if they are going to church every week for some monetary reward (in this life or the next) doesn’t that go against everything Jesus taught about false God’s and the pursuit of wealth. The other half of the fundamental motivation is fear. They fear spending eternity in hell. I will not pretend to know what happens when we die. No one can say for certain, but I would seriously doubt that a loving God would want us to follow him ONLY to avoid punishment.
So if heaven is gold-lined streets full of fundamentalists with mansions and hell is where Adam Sandler, Gandhi and the Dali Lama are going to be, then how does that inspire faith? Good people who have never heard Christ’s message burn for all eternity and pedophiles who make a death bed plea get an eternity of bliss. Religion is ultimately about understanding the world around you and the forces that drive everything.
A good faith teaches you to be kind to others and not always put your own selfish needs first. The “faithful” who wait for the lottery winnings of eternity or fear an infinite after life of being sodomized with a hot poker are missing the whole point of being Christ-like and radiating God’s love. That’s just my 2 cents worth. I would be more likely to trust someone who admits they don’t have all the answers but still strives for love, peace and kindness than someone who definitively thinks they know it all and of course, this gives them a get out of jail free card.
Oh yes, my whole point of this was to explain why I lost interest in "The Chronicles of Narnia." C.S. Lewis was a good man and wrote good books. He even fell in love with a Jewish divorcee. Many "religious" circles would look down on that. It was a great disservice to his legend to lump his movie in with "The Passion" and it's marketing plan. That alone has made me boycott the film.
I was taken to Mel Gibson’s blood orgy of a film by just such a person. I’m sure it was done under good intentions. She was, after all, “on fire” for Christ. For fundamentals, that means attending church at least twice a week and avoiding anything that might be remotely deemed offensive. They claim that they are fulfilling their savior’s will. What I’m missing is the part of the Bible where it tells you that, as Christians, you must get together at least twice a week with other like minded people and reinforce your beliefs. I missed that chapter.
What I have seen among the fundamentals is fear and greed. They believe there are mansions in heaven. Actual physical mansions and not the metaphor Jesus no doubt meant the teaching to be. So if they are going to church every week for some monetary reward (in this life or the next) doesn’t that go against everything Jesus taught about false God’s and the pursuit of wealth. The other half of the fundamental motivation is fear. They fear spending eternity in hell. I will not pretend to know what happens when we die. No one can say for certain, but I would seriously doubt that a loving God would want us to follow him ONLY to avoid punishment.
So if heaven is gold-lined streets full of fundamentalists with mansions and hell is where Adam Sandler, Gandhi and the Dali Lama are going to be, then how does that inspire faith? Good people who have never heard Christ’s message burn for all eternity and pedophiles who make a death bed plea get an eternity of bliss. Religion is ultimately about understanding the world around you and the forces that drive everything.
A good faith teaches you to be kind to others and not always put your own selfish needs first. The “faithful” who wait for the lottery winnings of eternity or fear an infinite after life of being sodomized with a hot poker are missing the whole point of being Christ-like and radiating God’s love. That’s just my 2 cents worth. I would be more likely to trust someone who admits they don’t have all the answers but still strives for love, peace and kindness than someone who definitively thinks they know it all and of course, this gives them a get out of jail free card.
Oh yes, my whole point of this was to explain why I lost interest in "The Chronicles of Narnia." C.S. Lewis was a good man and wrote good books. He even fell in love with a Jewish divorcee. Many "religious" circles would look down on that. It was a great disservice to his legend to lump his movie in with "The Passion" and it's marketing plan. That alone has made me boycott the film.
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