I think that Christianity divorced from Reason is one of the most destructive forces on the planet. And the brand of religion that makes people choose between faith and rationality has been on full display since this most recent school shooting that shattered the lives of 17 different families. It is basically this idea that “God’s ways are higher than our ways, “ and “God is in control,” and “Everything happens for a reason,” and countless other pieces of utter BS. I’ve spent too much time today watching fake christians make irrational argument after irrational argument while arguing with people who are calling for reform on America’s gun control laws. They are people calling themselves “christians,” who — when backed into a logical corner — would rather fall back on “His ways are higher than our ways” than actually reexamine their own flawed belief system. And they are dangerous as hell.
I understand that they don’t *think* they’re fake christians… But they are. They are fake christians, worshiping a fake god who — if he was real — could never ever be called “good.” Anyone who looks at pictures of terrified kids hiding under desks and says, “Nothing can be done” is a fake christian. Anyone who sees twenty first graders massacred in Newtown and says, “Guns don’t kill people — People kill people” is a fake christian. Anyone who thinks we can legislate transgender people into the bathrooms of their assigned birth genders, but believes we are powerless to do anything to stop the daily cycle of gun violence is a fake christian.
James said, “Faith without works is dead.” As dead as those 17 kids in that Florida high school…
We are NOT powerless to change the world, and any religion who tells you we are is garbage. There is one christianity that believes everything is crap and nothing can be done. It the christianity that has been waiting 2000 years for an apocalyptic event which is going to bring an end to the the spiraling shit-storm that has been building and building over centuries. It is a christianity that responds to irrationality by reminding people that “His ways are above our ways.” It is a christianity that encourages people to “turn off their brains,” and it ensures the pews are filled with the dangerous sorts of people who are willing to turn off their brains. It is christianity divorced from Hope and Reason and Love… And I want nothing to do with that garbage religion.
“I prayed for twenty years, but received no answers until I prayed with my legs.” ~ Fredrick Douglass
There is another Christianity which tells us there is Hope beyond some divine post-death retribution. It is a Christianity which can see that — Yes, things are broken… But there are things we can do together to make them better. It is a Christianity which believes that something CAN be done. It is a Christianity which looks at history and sees evidence that things are actually getting BETTER. It is a Christianity which looks at science and rationality as evidence of God, rather than something to be ignored in the name of “faith.” It is a Christianity which is filled with HOPE… A Hope that moves beyond the punishment and destruction of our enemies into the REDEMPTION of our enemies.
One is fake.
One is real.
This is not an “agree to disagree” situation. This isn’t “everyone has a right to their own opinion.” This is just right and wrong. And it’s especially easy to tell the difference between the two by looking at how people respond to tragedies like the one that took place in a Florida high school this week. The fake one says “Nothing can be done” and offers up nothing more than “Thoughts & Prayers,” prayed to a God who COULD, but doesn’t. It is impotent and worthless. But if Christianity is to be worth ANYTHING, it must be based on ACTION. Followers of Jesus don’t just pray for the hungry… We FEED the hungry. We don’t just pray for the sick… We WORK to get sick people healthcare. We don’t just pray for the poor… We work to DISMANTLE the systems which create poverty and inequality.
One is a christianity based on what you believe… The other is a Christianity based on what we actually DO. One is basically worthless. The other is at least worth something… Even if it ends up being “wrong.” I’d rather have a rational, moral person praying to Boba Fett than someone using the name of Jesus who can’t see the clear evil of continuing to elect leaders who are bought and paid for by a terrorist organization like the NRA… Or people who rationalize a “christian” president who cheated on his third wife with a porn star who he paid $130,000 to not tell about it. Fake, FAKE, FAKE!
The kid who killed seventeen high schoolers in Florida couldn’t buy BEER… But he could buy an AR-15 and as much ammunition as he could afford. Anyone who can’t see the clear irrationality of that situation has no business talking about which interpretation of the Bible “makes more sense.” Any religion that forces people to choose between faith and rational thought isn’t worth a shit. The same goes for any religion that casts its hopes on a deity “setting things right” by destroying everything and making a “new Earth.” “For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” If Christianity is to be worth anything, it must be based on rational thought and moral action. Anything less is just fake…
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