If you look around the world at RELIGION?S notice how they mostly reflect the people, & their customs & society in THEIR respective parts of the world. Created mostly, if not completely by MEN among them who were generally very good & WISE among them.
Religion was used as justification & weapon in the CRUSADES that killed/murdered many populations of our world. NO true GOD would sanction or approve of their actions.
Today religion is used as a weapon against people that are just a little different from us.
The hardest thing for MAN to deal with, is to know for a certainty that there is something / anything UNKNOWN or MAN can not fully comprehend, hense ORGANIZED religion.
Organized religion today is too often corrupted, hypocritical & sometimes even worse.
I do believe in GOD & especially the spirits, it is PRIVATE & PERSONAL to me!
I don't have problems with other religions. It's only Christianity that has ever been a problem to me. That's not to say that other religions aren't bad, I just don't have personal experience of being harassed by members of any other religion.
“There is a cancer in our religion. Until we confess the sin of Christian nationalism and ‘exorcize’ it from our churches, it will do a lot more damage to Christianity. There is nothing Christian about Christian Nationalism. It is the worship of power, of social power, economic power, and political power in the name of Christ. And it is a betrayal of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus includes. Christian Nationalism excludes. Jesus liberates. Christian Nationalism controls. Jesus saves. Christian nationalism kills. Jesus started an international movement based on mutual love. Christian nationalism is a sectarian movement based on mutual hate. Jesus came to transform the world. Christian Nationalism is here to maintain the status quo. They have co-opted the Son of God. They’ve turned this humble rabbi into a gun-toting, gay-bashing, science denying, money-loving, and fear-mongering fascist.
And it is incumbent upon all Christians to confront it and denounce it. Christian nationalists stormed the U.S. Capitol, killing police officers, while carrying crosses and signs saying ‘Jesus saves.’ Last year Christian nationalists on the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, allowing states to outlaw abortion, even in cases of rape and incest. And as we speak, Two Christian Nationalist billionaires are trying to replace public schools in Texas with private Christian schooling. We are closer than we think to a Christian theocracy. How did this happen?
The powers that be have been taming Christianity, domesticating Christianity, weaponizing Christianity, diluting it into something more palatable: pro war, pro-wealth, pro-white supremacist. The first followers of Christ didn’t call themselves ‘Christians’. they called themselves ‘The Way’. Their crucified teacher taught them a different way of being human, and they intended to follow it. The First Christians created a community built on radical love, a peculiar people who shared all their possessions and refused to participate in the economy, in the military, or the culture.
Christian Nationalism is pro- wealth, pro- war and pro white supremacy. A religion of sharing became a religion of greed. A religion of peace became a religion of violence. A religion of forgiveness became a religion of judgment, a religion of ego transformation became a religion of ego affirmation.
Today Christian Nationalists obsess over peoples’ private lives, while the planet burns. The Bible doesn’t mention abortion or gay marriage, but it goes on and on about forgiving debt, liberating the poor, and healing the sick. If this was a Christian Nation we would forgive student debt. We would guarantee healthcare for every single person. If this was a Chritian nation, we would love our LGBTQ neighbors.
Eight men own as much wealth as 3.6 billion people. The Bible goes on and on about forgiving debt, liberating the poor, and healing the sick. Christian nationalists like to say that this is a Christian nation. Not only is that historically inaccurate. Not only is it theologically blasphemous, but it’s also just not true. If we were a Christian nation , we would make sure that every single child in this state and in this country would be housed, fed, clothed, educated and insured.
If this was a Christian Nation, we would never make it a Christian Nation, because we know the table of fellowship is open to everybody, including our Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, and atheist neighbors. Jesus could have started a Christian nation. But love would never do that. The closest thing to the Kingdom to Heaven is a multi- racial, multicultural, democracy. Where power is truly shared, among all people; something that has never existed in human history. Christian Nationalism is not only a threat to the American experiment in democracy. It’s also a threat to the gospel of Jesus Christ. But love would never do that. There are so many ways to the Sacred. The Islamist mystic Rumi said: ‘Every religion has love, but love has no religion.’ God is not a noun at all. God is a verb. God is not a being. God is being itself. God is love.” ( James Talarico on Christian Nationalists)
Thank you so much Walter. I appreciate you bringing this important topic to your audience. I know you are considering reading my book, My Curious Life. I think you will appreciate what I say in my chapter about religion and the third appendix addressing my interpretation of several Bible stories. Also, I am a Secular Humanist. You might like to read our 10 Commitments. I look forward to getting your feedback.
I really appreciate you having it on your list. I think you will be surprised how aligned we are in our thinking. Looking forward to hearing your feedback.
When someone is a Christian they live in love and obey God's laws. I find it offending you accuse Christians of doing evil as the 2 cannot coexist since the moment they do such a thing they are not Christians anymore! Please change your title.
If you look around the world at RELIGION?S notice how they mostly reflect the people, & their customs & society in THEIR respective parts of the world. Created mostly, if not completely by MEN among them who were generally very good & WISE among them.
Religion was used as justification & weapon in the CRUSADES that killed/murdered many populations of our world. NO true GOD would sanction or approve of their actions.
Today religion is used as a weapon against people that are just a little different from us.
The hardest thing for MAN to deal with, is to know for a certainty that there is something / anything UNKNOWN or MAN can not fully comprehend, hense ORGANIZED religion.
Organized religion today is too often corrupted, hypocritical & sometimes even worse.
I do believe in GOD & especially the spirits, it is PRIVATE & PERSONAL to me!
I don't have problems with other religions. It's only Christianity that has ever been a problem to me. That's not to say that other religions aren't bad, I just don't have personal experience of being harassed by members of any other religion.
JAMES TALARICO: SERMON ON CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM
“There is a cancer in our religion. Until we confess the sin of Christian nationalism and ‘exorcize’ it from our churches, it will do a lot more damage to Christianity. There is nothing Christian about Christian Nationalism. It is the worship of power, of social power, economic power, and political power in the name of Christ. And it is a betrayal of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus includes. Christian Nationalism excludes. Jesus liberates. Christian Nationalism controls. Jesus saves. Christian nationalism kills. Jesus started an international movement based on mutual love. Christian nationalism is a sectarian movement based on mutual hate. Jesus came to transform the world. Christian Nationalism is here to maintain the status quo. They have co-opted the Son of God. They’ve turned this humble rabbi into a gun-toting, gay-bashing, science denying, money-loving, and fear-mongering fascist.
And it is incumbent upon all Christians to confront it and denounce it. Christian nationalists stormed the U.S. Capitol, killing police officers, while carrying crosses and signs saying ‘Jesus saves.’ Last year Christian nationalists on the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, allowing states to outlaw abortion, even in cases of rape and incest. And as we speak, Two Christian Nationalist billionaires are trying to replace public schools in Texas with private Christian schooling. We are closer than we think to a Christian theocracy. How did this happen?
The powers that be have been taming Christianity, domesticating Christianity, weaponizing Christianity, diluting it into something more palatable: pro war, pro-wealth, pro-white supremacist. The first followers of Christ didn’t call themselves ‘Christians’. they called themselves ‘The Way’. Their crucified teacher taught them a different way of being human, and they intended to follow it. The First Christians created a community built on radical love, a peculiar people who shared all their possessions and refused to participate in the economy, in the military, or the culture.
Christian Nationalism is pro- wealth, pro- war and pro white supremacy. A religion of sharing became a religion of greed. A religion of peace became a religion of violence. A religion of forgiveness became a religion of judgment, a religion of ego transformation became a religion of ego affirmation.
============================================================
Today Christian Nationalists obsess over peoples’ private lives, while the planet burns. The Bible doesn’t mention abortion or gay marriage, but it goes on and on about forgiving debt, liberating the poor, and healing the sick. If this was a Christian Nation we would forgive student debt. We would guarantee healthcare for every single person. If this was a Chritian nation, we would love our LGBTQ neighbors.
Eight men own as much wealth as 3.6 billion people. The Bible goes on and on about forgiving debt, liberating the poor, and healing the sick. Christian nationalists like to say that this is a Christian nation. Not only is that historically inaccurate. Not only is it theologically blasphemous, but it’s also just not true. If we were a Christian nation , we would make sure that every single child in this state and in this country would be housed, fed, clothed, educated and insured.
If this was a Christian Nation, we would never make it a Christian Nation, because we know the table of fellowship is open to everybody, including our Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, and atheist neighbors. Jesus could have started a Christian nation. But love would never do that. The closest thing to the Kingdom to Heaven is a multi- racial, multicultural, democracy. Where power is truly shared, among all people; something that has never existed in human history. Christian Nationalism is not only a threat to the American experiment in democracy. It’s also a threat to the gospel of Jesus Christ. But love would never do that. There are so many ways to the Sacred. The Islamist mystic Rumi said: ‘Every religion has love, but love has no religion.’ God is not a noun at all. God is a verb. God is not a being. God is being itself. God is love.” ( James Talarico on Christian Nationalists)
really enjoyed this; thank you
gonna be thinking about it for awhile
Thank you so much Walter. I appreciate you bringing this important topic to your audience. I know you are considering reading my book, My Curious Life. I think you will appreciate what I say in my chapter about religion and the third appendix addressing my interpretation of several Bible stories. Also, I am a Secular Humanist. You might like to read our 10 Commitments. I look forward to getting your feedback.
https://americanhumanistcenterforeducation.org/ten-commitments/
That sounds fantastic Robert. I have two books ahead of yours but yes, I’ll read it!
I really appreciate you having it on your list. I think you will be surprised how aligned we are in our thinking. Looking forward to hearing your feedback.
Agreed 💯💯💯💯💯. I put half a dozen in my stack everyday
When someone is a Christian they live in love and obey God's laws. I find it offending you accuse Christians of doing evil as the 2 cannot coexist since the moment they do such a thing they are not Christians anymore! Please change your title.