"Right now, I am in Fallujah. I am in Darfur. I am on Sixty-third and Park having 공식 만찬, 저녁 식사 with Ellen Barkin and Ron Perelman... Right now, I'm on Lafayette and Astor waiting to hit 당신 up for change so I can get high. I'm taking a walk through the Rose Garden with George Bush. I'm helping Donald Rumsfeld get a good night's sleep...I was in that cave with Osama, and on that plane with Mohamed Atta...And what I want 당신 to know is that your work has barely begun. And what I want 당신 to trust is the efficacy of divine 사랑 if practiced consciously. And what I need 당신 to believe is that if 당신 hate who I love, 당신 do not know me at all. And make no mistake, 'Who I Love' is every last one. I am every last one. People ask of me: Where are you? Where are you?...Verily I ask of 당신 to ask yourself: Where are you? Where are you?"
- 예수님 Christ, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot 의해 Stephen Adly Guirgis
Being Agnostic doesn't preclude me from loving and admiring Christ, in the same way that being Hindu didn't stop Gandhi from doing the same thing. In fact, the famous humanitarian once said: "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." While this is a sweeping generalization certainly not true of the Christians with whom I choose to associate, it is sometimes an accurate portrayal of how some can miss the point.
I believe that in the modern world with the way things are, it is easy for anyone to lose their way, regardless of faith 또는 beliefs. It's easy to get caught up in the details and be quick to speak, slow to listen and quick to anger. With politics, cultural differences, and varying opinions and viewpoints, it's easy for Christ to transform from being a symbol of the best of humanity to an excuse and a shield for whatever personal viewpoint we may hold.
Consider the extreme example of the Westboro Baptist Church. There is not a Christian I know, regardless of their views on homosexuality, who doesn't publicly denounce the horrible actions of the WBC, who protest funerals of soldiers and victims claiming it is "God's punishment" for homosexuality. As I said, this is an extreme example, but we all use Christ to our own advantage every day, whether it's arguing that He doesn't like homosexuality (but loves the sinner of course) 또는 whether it's arguing that He cries for aborted fetuses. Instead of a role model, instead of the lessons He taught us, we use Him as an easy witness for "Our Side" of the argument. Liberals do it, too. They argue things like "Jesus was 더 많이 socialist than capitalist" citing how He cared for the poor, 또는 that "Jesus was a community organizer." I've done this. I've used this argument.
But this is not what Christ means to me. I don't think this is really what Christ means to you, either.
If we really look at Christ - who He was, what He stood for, and what He taught us - we see that Christ is, really, on everyone's side. This is exactly why I began this post with that quote from Stephen Adly Guirgis. Christ loves everyone without exception, even the most wicked and evil human being 당신 can imagine - Bin Laden, Hitler, even Judas Iscariot himself. Christ is not a talking point, 또는 proof that your opinion is the "righteous" one, 또는 an easy excuse to point to when trying to prove a point. He's 더 많이 than that. He's better than that.
I do not believe in the divinity of Christ, but I do believe in the message that He was trying to send - the message that, 2000 years later, still gets 로스트 somewhere in the shuffle. The Christ I believe in doesn't care whether 또는 not 당신 believe in evolution 또는 Creationism. He doesn't care about your politics, 또는 what 당신 preach. He doesn't care about your skin color, sex, identity, nationality, whether 당신 are rich 또는 poor, 또는 even your religion, 또는 whether 당신 call yourself a Christian at all. He cares about your actions, because actions speak louder than words. He cares about whether 또는 not 당신 truly 사랑 your enemies. He cares if 당신 would be willing to lay down your sword in the righteous battle against the Atheists, Muslims and Scientists and embrace them as family. He cares that 당신 care about people. He doesn't care if 당신 are right 또는 wrong, He cares if 당신 are humble. He cares if 당신 사랑 the way He loves. He doesn't care about your sins 또는 anyone else's 당신 may point at, because He loves 당신 anyway, unconditionally. He cares that 당신 forgive, the way He forgives us.
I may not believe in the divinity of Christ, and I may not be a Christian, but I certainly believe in His message of love, forgiveness and compassion. I practice this message every 일 in every way I can. I try to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. I try to be among the peacemakers, who I believe are blessed 의해 their own acts. I try not to cast the first stone, and I try to spend time with those I am most afraid of so that I won't be afraid of them anymore. My 프렌즈 are sinners, prostitutes, lepers and the poor and unclean. My 프렌즈 are the privileged, the righteous, and the arrogant. For if 당신 hate who I love, then 당신 do not know me at all.
I have my own problems, my own flaws, my own struggles. I have things that 당신 would identify in me as sinful that I do not. But this is not your place to point out my problems. God knows me, Christ knows me, and that's between us. It's your place to 사랑 me anyway, the way Christ loves me anyway.
- 예수님 Christ, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot 의해 Stephen Adly Guirgis
Being Agnostic doesn't preclude me from loving and admiring Christ, in the same way that being Hindu didn't stop Gandhi from doing the same thing. In fact, the famous humanitarian once said: "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." While this is a sweeping generalization certainly not true of the Christians with whom I choose to associate, it is sometimes an accurate portrayal of how some can miss the point.
I believe that in the modern world with the way things are, it is easy for anyone to lose their way, regardless of faith 또는 beliefs. It's easy to get caught up in the details and be quick to speak, slow to listen and quick to anger. With politics, cultural differences, and varying opinions and viewpoints, it's easy for Christ to transform from being a symbol of the best of humanity to an excuse and a shield for whatever personal viewpoint we may hold.
Consider the extreme example of the Westboro Baptist Church. There is not a Christian I know, regardless of their views on homosexuality, who doesn't publicly denounce the horrible actions of the WBC, who protest funerals of soldiers and victims claiming it is "God's punishment" for homosexuality. As I said, this is an extreme example, but we all use Christ to our own advantage every day, whether it's arguing that He doesn't like homosexuality (but loves the sinner of course) 또는 whether it's arguing that He cries for aborted fetuses. Instead of a role model, instead of the lessons He taught us, we use Him as an easy witness for "Our Side" of the argument. Liberals do it, too. They argue things like "Jesus was 더 많이 socialist than capitalist" citing how He cared for the poor, 또는 that "Jesus was a community organizer." I've done this. I've used this argument.
But this is not what Christ means to me. I don't think this is really what Christ means to you, either.
If we really look at Christ - who He was, what He stood for, and what He taught us - we see that Christ is, really, on everyone's side. This is exactly why I began this post with that quote from Stephen Adly Guirgis. Christ loves everyone without exception, even the most wicked and evil human being 당신 can imagine - Bin Laden, Hitler, even Judas Iscariot himself. Christ is not a talking point, 또는 proof that your opinion is the "righteous" one, 또는 an easy excuse to point to when trying to prove a point. He's 더 많이 than that. He's better than that.
I do not believe in the divinity of Christ, but I do believe in the message that He was trying to send - the message that, 2000 years later, still gets 로스트 somewhere in the shuffle. The Christ I believe in doesn't care whether 또는 not 당신 believe in evolution 또는 Creationism. He doesn't care about your politics, 또는 what 당신 preach. He doesn't care about your skin color, sex, identity, nationality, whether 당신 are rich 또는 poor, 또는 even your religion, 또는 whether 당신 call yourself a Christian at all. He cares about your actions, because actions speak louder than words. He cares about whether 또는 not 당신 truly 사랑 your enemies. He cares if 당신 would be willing to lay down your sword in the righteous battle against the Atheists, Muslims and Scientists and embrace them as family. He cares that 당신 care about people. He doesn't care if 당신 are right 또는 wrong, He cares if 당신 are humble. He cares if 당신 사랑 the way He loves. He doesn't care about your sins 또는 anyone else's 당신 may point at, because He loves 당신 anyway, unconditionally. He cares that 당신 forgive, the way He forgives us.
I may not believe in the divinity of Christ, and I may not be a Christian, but I certainly believe in His message of love, forgiveness and compassion. I practice this message every 일 in every way I can. I try to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. I try to be among the peacemakers, who I believe are blessed 의해 their own acts. I try not to cast the first stone, and I try to spend time with those I am most afraid of so that I won't be afraid of them anymore. My 프렌즈 are sinners, prostitutes, lepers and the poor and unclean. My 프렌즈 are the privileged, the righteous, and the arrogant. For if 당신 hate who I love, then 당신 do not know me at all.
I have my own problems, my own flaws, my own struggles. I have things that 당신 would identify in me as sinful that I do not. But this is not your place to point out my problems. God knows me, Christ knows me, and that's between us. It's your place to 사랑 me anyway, the way Christ loves me anyway.
This does NOT belong to me. I heard it at a church camp. It comes from a book somewhere. May be slightly different.
As fellow believers, what is the best thing we can do for one another? A teacher once asked this to his Bible class. Some of the suggestions were: being a friend to someone, sticking up for the bullied kid and handing out Bible tracts.
But a point was made that 당신 wouldn't necessarily have to be a Christian to do these things. Then a girl spoke up and suggested praying for someone. They discussed this idea and found that it was the best answer.
Now why is praying the best thing we can do for someone? It is because we are offering them God's help, instead of human help. There is only so much humans can do, but God can do anything. So pray for a friend today!
As fellow believers, what is the best thing we can do for one another? A teacher once asked this to his Bible class. Some of the suggestions were: being a friend to someone, sticking up for the bullied kid and handing out Bible tracts.
But a point was made that 당신 wouldn't necessarily have to be a Christian to do these things. Then a girl spoke up and suggested praying for someone. They discussed this idea and found that it was the best answer.
Now why is praying the best thing we can do for someone? It is because we are offering them God's help, instead of human help. There is only so much humans can do, but God can do anything. So pray for a friend today!
