My isn’t that a sad statement that is far, far too grounded in reality.
This is true for so many believers, and the institutions that claim to speak for God in any form have blood on their hands, greed in their heart, and power and profit as their goal. I think that this very issue is why so many disengaged observers of Christendom view “The Church” (a corporate thing), and “Christians” (as individuals) as hypocritical.
What is heart breaking for me is that most Christians I know are decent and kind and at least trying to do good in this world (they, to be fair are also trying to do well but I do not begrudge them comfortable incomes and lives). But I find very few who think for themselves, all the ones I know are guilty of the worst kind of group think, and when you are part of a mob there has to be an enemy.
So it is an us against them culture war and with very few exceptions (in my experience) the them never meant to be part of a war or even be disagreeable. They just look at the world and state their true sincere belief (I believe a woman should be able to choose, or stem cell research could save lives and ease suffering for millions and the damn cells are just gonna die anyway, or whatever) and now they are in a war.
If the Christians knew who Jesus was, respected His teachings, and followed His example – the amount of conflict in the world would nearly half over night. If they worked with their “enemies”, if they loved them as Jesus instructed – who knows what we could accomplish together. But no, it has to be fights over birth control and sex ed.
You know, abortion was NEVER a Christian issue (outside of the Catholic Church of Rome) until the 1980’s when Surgeon General C. Everett Coop co-wrote that book with Francis Schieffer, What Ever Happened to the Human Race. Until then the big concern of the religious right was segregation. If you doubt me read that Du Mez book I recommended above, or there is an even better one on how sincere believers are being manipulated by politicians posing as Christians, Katherine Stewart’s The Power Worshipers.
We agree to this degree- humans are violent, and petty, and jealous, and we all have several other character flaws, and Christians a human (if you will allow me the joke: more or less). But we have proven over time that we don’t have be all those bad things all the time. If Christians would stop listening to these charlatans that are corrupting and using them to promote their agenda – and instead focused on living as Christ like a life as possible without worrying about what anyone except themselves are doing, it would be a wondrous change for the better in my pompous, condescending, and pedantic view. (Again from the hip and I am going to regret it: it is somewhere in Matthew I think- the remove the board from your own eye before taking the speck from your brother’s eye.)
I kind of want to ask all true believers this question:
If an aggressive extra terrestrial species appeared on earth and tried to exterminate humankind so they could take over – could we cooperate long enough to repel the invaders? Or do we have to abolish abortion first? If every woman agrees to never have an abortion- even if she does not believe in God or His Bible, then can we band together and repel the evil space invaders? Or do we need to secure the border first, outlaw birth control, put the Ten Commandments in every court room?
How is it that some believers cannot comprehend that freedom means being free to live your own life as you see fit without complying with the beliefs of any other, but it does not mean having the freedom to insist every citizen lives by the rules they want to live by? Even if they believe their rules are the best and only moral rules, surely they can see if others do not choose those rule they can never have the free will God wants them to have. They are all up in arms over mandated masks or vaccinations – those are BAD! But mandating that every citizen defer to their moral code is cool. I cannot go on (well, boy could I go on) I will be even more insulting and saddened.
Okay, one last appeal. I am trying to say to all believers (and the ones on this board need this thought the least): decide what is truly important. Is it freedom and human dignity and mutual respect? Or is it abortion and Second Amendment rights?