Thursday Thoughts

It's a little coffee shop kind of morning -- El Cafecito in Springfield.
(For non-Spanish speakers -- el cafecito translates to the little coffee shop!)
I only had enough coffee at home for a single cup, so a morning coffee shop run seemed to be in order.

With so much Christian nationalism and so many conflicting Christian messages and behaviors, it is of no wonder that there is so much distrust of Christianity and especially conservative, evangelical Christianity.
Even without the secular parts of Christian nationalism, the basics of evangelical Christianity offer enough conflicts to make a discerning person wonder -- WTF?

For example:
God loves you, but will condemn you to eternal torment if you don't do exactly as He says. (gender specific patriarchy intended) 
God's grace is a free gift but you have to do certain things to obtain it.
God's love is unconditional (certain conditions apply).
Jesus died for everyone, but only if you say he died for you.
God created you perfectly, but won't accept you if the church decides you don't fit into their expectations of holiness and acceptability.
Jesus turned water into wine, but drinking alcohol is a sin.
And on...
and on...
and on.

I'm sure that a comprehensive list would be much longer than anyone would care to read. It would definitely be much longer than I would care to research and write!

It has been a number of years since I set aside the whole religion scene.
I am still a believer in God and a follower of Jesus -- just without the structure of any kind of organized religion.
In fact -- the further I got from religion, the closer I got to God.
I accept (even embrace) the heretic label that may come my way from those that find my inclusiveness to be offensive. 

One of the most telling lines I've ever heard is -- There is no hate like Christian love.

Just thoughts rolling around in my head this morning.

John