Christian Nationalism: maybe it's a good thing

I do not really think that there is anything good about Christian Nationalism.
However, I do see some good coming from the boldness of our current nationalist movement in the US.

The Christian Nationalist movement that we see now has always existed in a much more subtle form. It has existed in the God and Country services, in the congregational reciting of The Pledge of Allegiance at camps and vacation Bible schools, even in the quiet display of the American flag in churches across the country. 
Christian Americans have been trying to convince all Americans that we are a Christian nation in subtle ways for a very long time. 

Now that it has made the national spotlight and is rearing its ugly head at the highest levels of government, many mainline Christians are beginning to see it for what it is and are questioning or leaving their long time faith communities that support or are okay with this perverse type of Christianity. People are beginning to see that they have been following a religion rather than following Jesus and are waking up.
Yes. I said it. They are becoming "woke" and realizing that being woke is a good thing.

I do not, in any way, expect to see a large national revival of Christianity sweeping our nation.
I do expect to see, or rather feel, the subtle change in the spirit of a nation as more and more followers of Jesus begin to be less about following religion and more about following the actual teachings of Jesus.

Megachurches are just monstrosities build to glorify themselves and scream "Look at us! Look at us!" They are not temples built to honor God. They are what happens when capitalism corrupts religion. They have money, they have influence, and they have power. They have become their own gods.

People that follow Jesus will do so without fanfare.
They will take care of the earth and take care of each other and few people will take notice.
People that follow Jesus will encourage other people to do the same -- not by loud preachers and fiery sermons, nor with flashy worship services, but just by simple words of encouragement and actions of love.

I still have a few friends that are church pastors. I am not much of a church person myself these days, but I respect the work they are doing and the challenges they face. The world would certainly be a better place with more people like them and fewer loners like me.
This Sunday morning they will encourage gatherings of a few dozen to a few hundred people. They will encourage them to follow the Jesus of the Bible and not the Jesus of Christian Nationalism. They will love their people and encourage them to love one another.

I will sit on my deck, listen to the birds, watch the clouds roll in, and tap out meaningless words on my Chromebook.
Even as I write that the world needs more people like them and fewer people like me, I am not making plans beyond finding myself in this present of mine. I don't think I'll be a church guy anymore. It is far easier for me to hear God while I am tending to flowers than it is when I am in church.
I am hopeful that raising the mirror to see Christian Nationalism in our churches and in ourselves will encourage more people to seek the true Jesus and leave the religion and all of its idolatrous trappings behind.

Love God.
Love one another.

That's not the doctrine of Christian Nationalism.
It's the teaching of Jesus.

John

Thursday Theology

 There are far too many "Christians" with a political mindset and far too few with a Jesus mindset.

John

Sunday morning thoughts

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms and mothers!

     * * * * *

I've mostly enjoyed being lazy these past few days. The outside work that I have accomplished has been pretty minimal. I need to get busy. I haven't yet caught up on the work I missed while gone and yet new things are piling up while I'm going to baseball games or smoking cigars!
Unfortunately, I am unburdened by worry and it will all get done in due time -- or maybe it won't.
As I said -- I am unburdened by worry.

Thursday morning I began a Thursday Theology post that went unfinished and unpublished. I didn't delete it (yet) and I may get back to it at some point. It is difficult to express my thoughts on God and how all of the faith/spiritual stuff now figures into my life and personal being. It's quite far removed from how I once believed it all should. My personal deconstruction has gone much further than others that I have talked to about their own deconstruction journey, so it feels a little lonely out here. Heresy has few friends -- even among heretics.
I think I still have too many questions to be able to say that I firmly believe in something. Maybe I will continue the post by finding those things that I do believe in (for now) and work around the things that I will forever question.

     * * * * *

What are you reading?
I have read 24 books of my 52 book goal and am currently reading The Buddha and the Bee: Biking through America's Forgotten Roadways on an Accidental Journey of Discovery by Cory Mortensen (non-fiction), and The Watchmaker's Daughter by C. J. Archer (fiction).

Be well, my friends!

John

It's Easter -- and I have questions!

This isn't meant to be a heretical kind of post
...unless asking questions is an act of heresy.
Honestly, it does feel like that sometimes. People in control hate having to answer hard questions or defend their stance with something more than -- that's just the way it is, or because I said so. It's so much easier if we just accept what we've been taught and move on.

But...
That's not me.
At least, not anymore.

In my faith deconstruction I pretty much examine and question everything.
At this time of the Liturgical Calendar I wonder about the death and resurrection of Jesus.
In Catholic, Protestant, and Evangelical churches forgiveness is a necessary part of salvation.
I get that, but we are also taught that one must seek forgiveness in order to be forgiven.
And I'm not sure that is true.

If I can forgive someone that isn't sorry, why can't God?
Evangelicals teach that you have to admit you are a sinner and ask for forgiveness, but on the cross Jesus said -- Father, forgive them. They don't even know what they're doing.
How did the church come up with something so opposite?

Did Jesus have to die?
Substitutionary atonement has become the main salvation theology over the past few hundred years, but it hasn't always been that way. Did his death pay the price for our sins? Was that the condition for forgiveness from a God that loves us unconditionally?
Do you see why I have questions?

Here's another one --
How necessary is the resurrection?
When Jesus surrendered his spirit and said -- It is finished --what was he talking about?
Was it like -- That's it! I'm outta here! -- or something else?
Was his death necessary for our salvation and now he was dead, so it was (is) finished?
And if it was finished, is the resurrection necessary for our salvation?
Or was it just a cool God thing, you know -- God can't die, so I'm back! -- kind of thing?

Reconstructing faith after a serious deconstruction can be messy business. It's like going through a hoarder's storage unit and deciding if there is anything worth keeping. You might not even know why you have most things to begin with. There are probably some important things mixed in with the garbage and you need to find those gems and remember their value while letting everything else go.

I sincerely hope that you don't come here for answers. As the title of this post indicates -- I don't have answers. I have questions. Asking challenging questions shouldn't be an act of heresy. It is an opportunity for somebody to offer reasonably thought-out and defensible answers.
Teach me.

For what it's worth -- I like the stuff Jesus taught.
I like the idea that everybody is my neighbor -- even the people that religions or borders say shouldn't be.
I like that we should take care of each other and help people that are in need of a little help.
I like that we should forgive people and send them on their way without the burden of guilt or weight of a debt to be paid.
I like that heaven is here. It is within us. It is around us. 
I like that I can see the spirit of Jesus -- the spirit of God -- in the lives of others.
And maybe that is what the resurrection is all about -- being able to recognize the Christ that lives on in each of us.

Do you have answers?
Let's talk.

John

Good Friday

I'm sitting outside of an Ozark coffee shop this morning, sipping an Ethiopian drip and hearing (but not really listening to) the traffic at a steadily busy intersection near Hwy 65. I am feeling a little weird about not having any real feelings nor emotions about it being Good Friday.

I can't say that I was ever heavily invested in emotions or feelings around Good Friday. However, there was always an awareness that it is a special day in Christianity. I don't have that same feeling about it anymore. Neither do I feel a great importance towards Easter or even Christmas.
The more I look at the life and the teachings of Jesus, the less likely I am to worship Jesus as God or as a god, and the more likely I am to become suspicious of religion and all of its trappings -- like Christmas and Easter.
I honestly don't think that Jesus would have wanted it this way.

I don't believe that Jesus ever wanted his life and teachings to be used to control and manipulate others. I do believe that his teachings are to change us and individuals and as a collective society. 
The -- remove the plank in your own eye before helping your brother with the speck in their eye -- is a pretty big clue that it's about fixing ourselves and not others.
And yet nearly all of Christianity is focused on the sins of everyone else and controlling/motivating people based on the fear of what fiery hell awaits those that don't bow down and worship an angry god.
On the one hand we have Sunday school stories about three Hebrew boys that stand up to an evil king that insists everybody bows to his statue or get thrown into the fiery furnace and on the other hand we a (supposedly) good God that does the exact same thing.

Religion isn't just weird.
It's totally effed up.

Whether you celebrate the weekend as the death and resurrection of Jesus or you're just in it for the candy -- I hope you have a good weekend.
And we can all make it a good Friday -- just by being kind to one another.

John

Lessons Learned while Gardening

It is true that I spend a fair amount of time thinking about living somewhere near a beach in Mexico. However, it is also true that on mornings like this one, it is hard to imagine life being better than it is right here at our home in SWMO.

It is warm enough to enjoy coffee on the deck in shorts and a t-shirt. 
The plants are back on the deck shelves from their winter spot next to the basement windows.
The trees along the treeline are beginning to bud and turn green.
The birds are being their loud and active selves on this sunny day.
And other than the distant traffic noises from the nearby highway, there isn't any human interference into my peaceful and serene start to my day.

After posting about short sleeping, I have to admit that I slept an additional cycle last night. It was a wonderful seven and a half hours of restful, restorative sleep. 
Some yard work is more strenuous than on other days, and yesterday was one of those days. I am working on restoring a flowerbed that was neglected last year and it will take several days at my retired-guy pace. Any garden work that includes shoveling soil in SWMO is work for this fat, old guy. As much as I generally hate getting started, it's really not bad work. Imagining how it will look in a month or so is good motivation.

Gardening and working in the soil has become a kind of meditative spiritual practice for me. The connection to the earth connects me to the Creator in a way that I really can't describe. Making that Creator connection while trying to figure out the nature of plants and what makes them grow is way more peaceful and fulfilling than trying to do that with people. 
But caring for the plants teaches me about dealing with people.

Different plants require different care.
Some require richer soil and some seem to thrive anywhere.
Some need lots of sunshine, while others need shade.
Some need plenty of water and others get by with very little.
Some do better with occasional pruning  and care and others are best if left alone.
Some grow best where they are planted. Others do well with a guarded start and transplanting.

Some plants are favorite foods for the birds and bugs.
Some provide food for people.
Some smell nice and are beautiful to look at.
Some are dangerous to touch.
Some are medicinal.
Some are deadly.

Do you see what I mean?
I think learning to deal with plants can teach us a lot about dealing with people.
But I am a slow learner, so I think I'll be spending lots of time in the garden.

I'm going to have another cup of coffee and then it will be time for the lessons to begin.
Be well, my friends.
I hope we all learn something today.

John

State of Mind

When I look at the state of the United States of America I become disheartened by the politics, the division, and the overall lack of regard for the well-being of the country and the global community. I am truly embarrassed by the bullshit coming from our nation's capital.
When I look at the state of religion I am equally disheartened. Radical, nationalized Christianity is no different than radical Islam and in no way resembles the beliefs and practices of its origins.

People suck.

I'd like to say that I am encouraged by the good acts of people that stand up for each other and are kind to one another. But in truth, the good deeds of good people barely make a dent in the evil deeds of the powerful.

I will spend another day away from people. 
I will work in the yard and listen to music from the past (classic rock).
I will celebrate the seeds going in the ground and the flowers that are emerging.
I will wait patiently for the return of the hummingbirds and migrating butterflies.
I will connect to the Creator through creation.
Today is a day of self preservation.

Yeah, it is sad when one's personal religion means staying away from people and from the news that impacts the world. Unfortunately, this is my current state of mind.
My new religion of Be Kind and Do Good from earlier this week will have to wait while I bulk up for the exposure to the world outside of my small 5 acre plot in Highlandville MO.

Maybe Fr Rohr's words are more hopeful and less discouraging than my own. Even so, they do convey a frustration with religion and religious people.

Be well, my friends.
Take care of yourselves.

John

My New Religion

 At 47,000+ Christian denominations it is obvious that we have many differing opinions of how we are supposed to believe, behave, or just be. This doesn't even count the other 4,000 to 10,000 distinct religions in the world. While it might be obvious that they all can't be right, it is possible that they are all wrong.

I can understand how we have so many different ideas about just what following Jesus looks like. In talking to others about their religious (Christian) deconstruction, I am finding that their journeys and mine are also very different from one another. 
Many hold fast to some core beliefs while dismissing behaviors and traditional practices, while others completely abandon what they have been taught. 
Sometimes there is a type of reconstruction or new faith that is obtained. Oftentimes there is not.

Personally, I struggle more with the reconstruction part. 
Having dismissed the controlling bullshit part of religion -- What am I left with? and What do I do now?
I don't know if -- Be a good person and do the right thing -- is a religion, but I think it should be.

I am no longer burdened by the threat of hell, nor enticed by the hope of heaven. I will let God and eternity deal with those things. I am just going to work on what I can do ... today.
I'm going to meet someone for a quick lunch, run some errands (buy coffee), and do a few things around the house. It isn't much.

Maybe I will find a way to be an encouragement to somebody.
I don't know. 
I often say that I am a non-productive member of society. It goes with the territory of staying the f**k away from people. But I am also a non-destructive member of society. At least I try to be.

Recycle, reduce, reuse -- right?
Do no harm.
Plant flowers for the birds, bees, and butterflies.
Mind my own business.
Making the world a better place by staying away from people.

It's not very religious.
I might make it my new religion anyway.

Just some thoughts in my head this morning.
John

No Labels

It has been quite some time since I have done a Monday morning meditation post. Typically, I have been working overnight during the cold-weather shelter season. I have continued with Monday morning breakfasts even on warmer nights when the shelter is closed.
However, this week my breakfast partner had other plans, so I am back to my Monday morning coffee and quiet time.

As a part of my 2026 Lenten observance, I have been examining my spirituality and my overall life as I try to come to grips with who I am and who I am becoming. Initially I was just looking at the spirituality and just where my faith deconstruction has brought me, but I really don't have a spiritual persona that is different from who I really am. I don't think that has always been the case. Recent conversations have helped me to sort that out.

Past identities may have labeled me as an air traffic controller, an evangelist, a preacher, a magician, or a number of other labels. Today I feel like more of an anonymous retired guy -- and I like that the best. I am happy to exist in the world without feeling like I have to be somebody. I do strive to be a good and kind person, but I don't know that it's that important for others to see me that way. It's just important to me as I struggle to live life with the love that Jesus talks about in the gospels.

I've never accepted the "What you see is what you get" or "It's just the way I am" lines as excuses for bad behavior, but they don't sound as bad when they are reasons for kindness. I think that is worth striving for. But that's more of an internal goal. It's who I want to be more than who I want others to think I am. There is a great deal of freedom in not living to please everyone else.

One realization of not really caring what others might think of me is the reciprocal understanding that most people don't care about what I might think of them! There are, of course, exceptions to both sides of that, but I think it holds true in most cases.
Just as I don't want to live to please others, I can't expect that others are going to live or to change how they live to please me. 

"Live, and let live," sounds easier than it is.

Signed,
Anonymous retired guy

Coffee time!

I enjoy -- not just like -- but really enjoy a good cup of coffee. 
There is a guy at our church that roasts and sells coffee as a side hustle. It has been a little while since I have bought coffee from him (mostly because I don't actually go to church very often). A week ago I saw his wife and asked if he was still roasting coffee and she responded by telling me that he was at home roasting as we were speaking. I said if he was roasting Ethiopian beans, I wanted some.

He was and Tuesday morning I picked up a double order. 
Yesterday, I finished the last of my bulk Ethiopian beans from Mama Jeans, and I am now enjoying my natural washed, freshly roasted, freshly brewed Ethiopian beans from my friend. 
If you haven't already figured it out -- yes, Ethiopian origin coffees are my favorites!

Good coffee makes me happy.
It's not a jump up and down, celebration kind of happy. It's more like a sip and enjoy, contented kind of happy. That's what I am feeling this morning.

It is a grand way to begin a day!
Plus today is the second of my scheduled conversations with religious leaders about deconstruction. I am looking forward to it. 

The sun is shining and the temperature should make it to the mid 60s (17-18c) today. 
I have a lunch meeting planned, I might get a little gardening work in this afternoon, and I might just make it to Barchurch this evening.
It is shaping up to be a pretty fine day in the life of John!

John
#40DaysofGoodShit

Deconstructed Faith Bros

Where are the deconstructed faith bros of Southwest Missouri (SWMO)?
One of the weird things about looking for religious leaders to talk to about their new faith walk is realizing that the "out" leaders are mostly women.

I'm wondering if the men are just quietly going along their ways solo (kind of like me) or if there just aren't that many in this highly patriarchal, highly misogynistic, religiously fundamental corner of the world?

I know I don't have a large following at all, much less here in SWMO, so if anybody knows of deconstructed male leaders that are here in SWMO I would like to know about them too -- even if they are no longer in the religion business. (Can we be honest and admit that religion is really just another business?)

I had a recent conversation with an older (my age) gay man that said he didn't come out to himself until he was 50. He is now retired and still struggles to come out openly to people because of the religious backlash that exists in this fundamentally conservative and homophobic area. 
Maybe coming out as deconstructed produces a similar fear. I know that I lost a large number of "friends" and acquaintances over speaking up against injustices of churches and for not bending to the political leanings of church people. Critical thinking is not a friend of those that control religious people.

Just some observations.
Anyway, if you know of someone drop me a message or leave me a comment. Comments posted to the blog (not Facebook) are moderated so they won't be made public if you tell me the info is just for me personally.

It's only Day 3 of Lent.
How are you doing?

John

Ash Wednesday

Ashes to ashes
Dust to dust

If I'm being honest, I've never really understood the ashes part. If we're looking to the Bible I can see that we were created from the dust of the land, but ashes? Where did that come from? 
(answer -- The Book of Common Prayers)

I don't think it really matters. It just reminds me that the whole Lenten season is more made up, controlling church bullshit. Ash Wednesday became the beginning of 40 days of fasting (not counting the 6 Sundays) leading up to Easter that we call Lent. While pre-Easter fasting was a thing for a few centuries, this particular Papal decree began in the year 601 of the Common Era. The 40 days are representative of Jesus' days in the wilderness.

I don't think that the Lenten season is without merit. Reflection and repentance are good things. I plan on purposefully doing both this year -- examining my spiritual life (which is really just my life) and repenting (the biblical changing how I think) where I need it.

I have reached out to a few pastors or spiritual leaders that I respect and will meet with them to ask questions about areas where I have been struggling. I would like to find someone for each of the six weeks of Lent and may continue the practice beyond the Lenten season.
Fasting is no longer a common practice among Christians, nor is it a common practice in Western culture. It has been quite a number of years since my last serious fast, but is something I am considering.

I am going to participate in Nadia Bolz-Weber's #40DaysofGoodShit (a Lenten practice for cranky people). It's really creating awareness of the good people and things that are in our everyday lives that we often overlook.
My Day 1 is waking up on the deck after sleeping outside last night. The temperature was just a couple of degrees below 60 (15c) and I slept well. It was the second night this month that I've slept outside. Yes, I am looking forward to spring!

There isn't anything here to qualify for a Wednesday Wisdom post. I could probably find a meme or quote to slap on it, but I think I'll let it slide this week. 
Or offer these simple words of comedian Emily Catalano -- Life is short and we are ... butt dust.

John

Current contemplation: To Lent or not to Lent?

I haven't been very religious for the past decade or so. I haven't been a practicing Catholic for much, much longer than that. I generally don't even think of myself as "Christian" anymore. I'm just a guy trying to follow the teachings of Jesus and figure things out.
However, I find myself considering a somewhat traditional observance of Lent this year. I'm not talking about a give up something/suffering for Christ thing, but I am trying to figure out some kind of daily practice to help me to grow spiritually.

Naturally, I am thinking about things like daily reading of the Bible or other writings of a spiritual nature (currently reading some early Merton stuff).
Regular mindfulness practice like meditation is something I need to get back to doing.
I'm thinking about maybe contacting several pastors or religious leaders to meet with them and discuss practices for spiritual growth and perceptions that they have towards it.

But I am also thinking that 40 days of purposeful exercise and healthy dieting is a worthwhile and mindful spiritual practice. Taking care of the temple is an area that my entire being has most definitely neglected for most of my life. 

I am hopeful that whatever I decide in the next few days will be something that incorporates both the physical and the metaphysical aspects of life and will give me something to continue beyond the 40 days of Lent.
Ash Wednesday is this week, February 18, and marks the beginning of Lent.

How about you?
Are any of my more religious readers planning any kind of Lenten observance?
Just wondering.

John

Eleven Years

Today marks eleven years since the official end of my career as an air traffic controller. 
As much as I enjoyed the ATC gig, being retired from it is way better! I haven't engaged in supplemental income through contract work as an instructor or staff at any facility and don't understand why others have. I am apparently much less driven to have more, do more, or be more than many of my former coworkers. My pension, Social Security, and Thrift Savings Plan are enough to support my simple retirement lifestyle. 

My retirement from the evangelist/gospel magician gig came a few years later when we were unceremoniously invited to leave the church where we had served for a couple of decades because we didn't object to allowing a transgender woman to be a part of the fellowship. 
Wow! Talk about blessings in disguise! 
Admittedly, I kind of miss the magician part -- more than the ATC gig, and definitely more than the church/religious bullshit. In fact, these days I rarely make an appearance in church of any kind, and when I do it is with a small group from church that meets at a brewery!

My life today is much different that what I might have imagined it to be eleven years ago. 
But I am a much different person than I was eleven years ago, so it makes sense. 
Life happens.
People change.
People grow.
Or maybe people stay the same and you (or I) grow.

I am at peace.
I think I've always been able to find the centering peace within me, but it is helpful to be truly aware of oneself and to be able to purposefully find the calming, peaceful, almost magical presence that connects us to everything around us. Perhaps mystical is a better word than magical.
I wish I had been paying attention to that voice rather than allowing myself to be controlled by the church voices and others that speak and teach from outside of myself. 

If I were ever to go back to preaching, that is what I would teach -- that the Spirit of God lives within you. Find that voice.
Nurture that part of your being -- feed it, exercise it, help it to grow.
Learn to recognize that same spirit in others. 
Let the spirit connect us to each other and to the world around us.

Think about the philosophy that we are not bodies with souls, but rather we are souls with bodies. When we begin to view life from a spiritual perspective rather than a physical perspective everything changes.

Earthly status doesn't matter in the spiritual realm.
Wealth doesn't matter in the spiritual realm.
Power  doesn't matter in the spiritual realm.
Skin color doesn't matter in the spiritual realm.
Gender doesn't matter in the spiritual realm.
National borders don't matter in the spiritual realm.
Even the religious beliefs of us humans don't matter in the spiritual realm.

Find and strengthen the God spirit within yourself, then look for and connect with the God spirit in others.

I don't think it is a message that will preach well in our world today. Too many want to cling to the perceived power or control that their current beliefs give them.
Fair warning!!! -- Following Jesus is way harder than worshiping Jesus.

There!
I said what I said.
Now you know why I don't preach anymore.

John

Brrr...

Much of the Ozarks is waking up to frigid temperatures this morning. "Feels like" -4 (-20c) means that it's coffee by the fireplace for me today. I will have absolutely no reason to venture out into the cold until this evening when I will make my way into the shelter to keep a few dozen people and their pets company throughout the night. 

I haven't felt like writing much lately, but I have been reading. 
It has been a long time since somebody has talked to me about reading The Bible, but one of the overnight guests at the shelter asked if I'd ever read through the complete book before. 
I have, but it has honestly been some time since I have made it a part of my daily habit. I am not going to read through it from beginning to end again. I can't think of a single reason to do that. But I am going to read through the new testament with a different perspective than I have in the past.

It is difficult to set aside nearly all that I was taught about The Bible as I read through it again, but much of what I learned was weaponizing the ancient text to control a society into blindly serving some made up, bullshit religion and worshiping a god of its own design. I'm pretty much over the religion of Christianity that worships Jesus, but fails to do -- even actively opposes -- the things that he taught concerning how to live in harmony with one another. 
Studying the life and teaching of Jesus without the cloak of religion is both challenging and freeing, but takes a little more time and effort than simply reading the gospels. I am hoping that I will have the persistence to see it through.

     * * * * *

Switching topics to Things I Learned This Week

Did you know that the word myriad once represented a specific number of things rather than being a countless quantity?
To the ancient Greeks a myriad was ten thousand.

Did you know that poecilonym (PEE-sill-oh-nim) and polyonym are both synonyms for synonym?

Both from my Word Nerd calendar.

Have a great week!
John

December Deck Time and Thursday Theology

There aren't many December mornings that I get to spend time on the deck. Today is peculiar in that this morning's temperature is the warmest of the day and the day will be getting colder as it progresses.

Speaking of progress...
I've been considering religion a lot lately and I am wondering if questioning ones beliefs is a mark of a strong faith or a weak one. I really don't expect everybody's faith journey to be like mine, but I wonder about people that have no faith journey -- only a faith that remains the same for year after year and decade after decade. 
Nothing is challenged.
Nothing is questioned.
We believe what we have been taught without examination.
Nothing changes.

Is that faith?
It sounds more like indoctrination.

I've said it before and I will say it again:
The farther I got from religion, the closer I got to God.

My path is not your path.
But maybe you would benefit from challenging what you have been taught.
Check sources. 
Check the origins of the stories that your faith is based on.
Question everything.

Or don't.
If you are happy in your current state, be happy.
If your happiness is dependent on you condemning others, then you have a weird faith and a strange god.

John

Bah-humbug, and all that stuff!

Note to readers: After proofreading this I realize that it is more negative than I generally post and considered deleting it. But then I decided it's my rant and posted it anyway. Feel free to skip today's (or any day's) post.
JH

Christmas is an interesting time of year for a deconstructed evangelical Christian. While I still consider myself to be a follower of Jesus, I tend to view most religious things with the skepticism of a non-believer. Christmas as the celebration of the birth of the Christ-child just doesn't get it for me anymore. If I am being totally honest with myself, the whole "reason for the season" shite is just a saying to cover for the real reason of buying gifts and getting together with family and friends. 
And those are grand reasons to celebrate, I'm just having a difficult time transitioning to the secular Christmas that I struggled with in my Catholic childhood and evangelical adult life.

In my warped head I am thinking that Jesus is probably thinking WTF? as he looks down on a world that doesn't seem to care about glad tidings and has little (if any) goodwill among men.
For quite some time I have wondered what Jesus would say about a religion that celebrates his birth, but does little to actually follow his teachings. Something tells me that he never really wanted people to worship him the way religion has conditioned us to do, but just wants us to be kind and love one another.

Admittedly, there is a lot of good being done by a few churches and faith families. It is kind of sad that it isn't enough to really overcome my anti-church/anti-religion bias. It's probably accurate to say the good is being done by a few people in a few churches, but that may just be my negatively biased observation. 

I am going to go along to get along throughout the season. I am going to enjoy exchanging gifts with family and going to enjoy our time with the kids. I'll (semi) embrace the secular celebration and even give a religious head nod to Jesus, but I'd be lying to say my heart is really in it.
There is an abundance of good energy during the Christmas season. The world needs some good vibes. That's something I can celebrate.

However you choose to observe the season, do it well!
Merry Christmas
Happy Holidays
Whatever

John

Thursday Theology

I know -- this meme over simplifies the issue of religious control over its adherents. That's kind of what memes do. They are not comprehensive thoughts; just brief bits to make you think.

So let's think about it.
Although only three characters are mentioned, there are four men pictured. I am guessing that the fourth is representative of the Jewish religion and is supposed to be Moses. I don't know that. It's just an assumption on my part and an apparent afterthought of the meme creator.

I have read the teachings of some Buddhist monks and teachers.
I have read the gospels and the teachings of the New Testament.
I have not read the Quran nor many Islamic teachings. I probably need to.

As a follower of Jesus, I do need constant reminders of what he taught. Reading and understanding what he taught versus hearing what religious leaders have to say about it is often tricky and contradictory.
Many of the teachings of the Buddha and Jesus are very similar. As I have said, I don't really know much about the teachings of Mohammed. 

There are many more people that have influenced large and small sections of humanity with philosophies of how to live with one another. Some (like Buddhism) tend to be more philosophical than religious. And there are, of course, humanists that are more focused on using science, reason, and compassion to live ethically and achieve the best by everybody making contributions to living in society and community with one another.

The Christianity of most of my life taught me to believe certain things, say certain things, and to judge people and life based on what eternal reward or punishment one might receive after death. But as I read the gospels without the controlling bullshit of religion, I find that the teachings of Jesus are more about how we should live with one another daily than they are about what happens when we die.

There is a derogatory saying about Christians being too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good that brings that thought to reality. Following Jesus today (for me) is more about how I live and love today and less about what is going to happen when I die.
Even my concern for others today is more about how they live and love (and even hate) today than it is about what will happen to them when they die. 

What would happen if we were less worried about what happens after death and more concerned with the world we live in today?
I hope that whatever guides your life will lead you to live well -- today.
I hope that it will lead you to love well -- today.

John

Following Jesus

In the bible, Paul tells the church in Corinth that they can just follow him since he is following the Christ (Jesus). I can see where that makes some sense back in the day. The Corinthian church didn't have the bible to teach them what Jesus taught, only the few people that taught what Jesus had proclaimed.
That's not the case today.
If you want to follow Jesus, you don't have to (and probably shouldn't) follow a person that claims to be following Jesus. In bible-speak we would call that idolatry. 

I mention this today because I see a lot of that type of idolatry within the church in the US these days. Honestly, it's always been there. 
Pastors know that oftentimes they are idolized by their congregations and do little to discourage it. Perhaps they secretly enjoy that kind of admiration.

Back when I was doing pulpit supply (filling in for pastors) I would often find myself preaching at churches where only a few people knew that the pastor would be gone. Pastors figured that if they weren't going to be there, the people would also take the week off from church. Perhaps the great tragedy from that is that if the people don't show up, neither does their money.

I get it. 
We get used to how a particular person teaches and preaches and that is what we want to hear. But we need to ask ourselves -- Are we going to church to worship God or for some other reason like worshiping the pastor or being with certain people? 
In my own mind, those alternative reasons are okay as long as we are honest about it. I don't think The Venues calls their Sunday morning gathering a worship service, maybe just a service -- probably some kind of church-y language to let non-Venues people know this is when they meet. When I do actually attend on Sundays (which isn't very often), I can honestly say it doesn't feel like I've been to church -- at least not in the way that going to church once felt like. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not. I am sure that it works for a lot of people -- especially for people that have been hurt by churches and church people.

My following Jesus today looks much different than it did when I was trying to convince others to follow Jesus. Today I follow Jesus because I believe it is a better way to live rather than a better way to die. I see being a Christian as embracing the Christ-spirit within me, within others, and within the world around me on a moment by moment basis rather than waiting to die to be in His presence.
I don't go to church to sense the presence of God.
I sit here on my deck, surrounded by plants, looking out at the field and the trees beyond it.
I breathe deeply.
I hear the nearby bluebirds and sparrows, and the distant crows.
And I sense the presence of the Creator.
This is my church.
This is where I connect with God.
From here, I follow Jesus and his teachings.

I know it is not a theologically sound way of Christianity, but I'm only sharing it as my own. There isn't enough room on my deck for very many others so you will need to find your own way to connect to God. And if you are interested in learning what Jesus taught, I'd recommend starting with the beatitudes from The Sermon on the Mount. You can find them here.

John

"Who loves ya, baby?" -- Kojak

I know.
I'm old.
Many readers have never heard of Kojak or the actor Telly Savalas that played the NYPD detective that sucked on lollipops and and always used the line -- "Who loves ya, baby?"

I started by thinking about -- Whom do you love? and How do you show it?
I could ask -- Whom do you hate? -- but people would just lie about that. 
So how about this -- Who loves you, baby? 
And how do you know it? What do they do to demonstrate their love for you?

I ask these questions because it seems that so much of what people say these days doesn't match up with what they do. Christians often use the line -- Love the sinner, hate the sin -- but they don't really love the sinner. They exclude people with certain sins from their fellowship. They vote for politicians that actively oppress those sinners. Their actions tell their truths while their words are just lies that they justify with some bullshit made-up religious garbage.

There is no hate like Christian love.

Is it really fair to say you are not a racist when you support, follow or defend someone that is?
Can you really say that you love a queer person when you support legislators and legislation that actively oppresses them and may even make life less safe for them?
If someone is working against your best interests, would you think that person loves you?

Honestly, today's John doesn't even care if you claim to be a Christian or not. I would stand with, work with and defend a hundred persons of different faiths or of no faith or atheists that actually care about and love their fellow humans rather than stand with the hypocrites that claim to love in the name of Jesus but do nothing to prove their words true.

If people knew you, if they watched you and you couldn't tell them anything -- would they feel like you love them?

It is a struggle for me to spend a lot of time with people. I am learning to see good in people and that isn't really the issue. I think that oftentimes it is more about whether or not they will see the good in me or will Ugly John make an unscheduled appearance and destroy what I have built on the ashes of that old, judgmental creed that I have set aside.

The funny thing about growing past your past is that it is always back there lurking and waiting to drag you back -- even if only for a moment. I suppose it is a good reminder that I was there and that I need to have grace for those that still are, and hope that they will evolve or grow, as well.
I believe that as I have become more contemplative I have also become more caring and more loving. I am grateful for the privilege to have the time and means to be contemplative and meditative. God knows (and so do most people that know me) that I have a long way to go. 

Figuring out who loves me is way easier than demonstrating love towards others.
I'm going to go ahead and post this now, on Saturday night. Tomorrow is National Back to Church Day and while many churches have been busy inviting people and will be hoping to welcome large numbers of people back to church -- The Venues isn't doing church tomorrow. We will be being the church. 

No church service tomorrow, just community service. We will gather together early at The Venues and then disperse throughout the city and take care of different needs in our community. Then we will meet back at The Venues around lunchtime and we will have a party. 
Serving the community and having fun.
James, the brother of Jesus said something about showing our faith by what we do. I think it also works if you take out faith and put in love.

John