Families. Can't live with them and can't drown them in sacks (Updated)
The US go to the polls in about eight days - Vote Obama - - and one of the candidates, Sarah Palin, is a Christian. Which is a Good Thing ™ right?!
But, as the Christian family is as diverse as any other family. And I didn’t choose them and they didn’t choose me. But in signing up for the God Thing, I signed up for them as well.
According to Palin’s Wiki entry, she is:
“A lifetime member of the National Rifle Association (NRA), she believes the right to bear arms includes handgun possession, and is against a ban on semi-automatic assault weapons. … She supports capital punishment. In a 2006 gubernatorial debate, responding to a question asking the candidates whether they would support teaching creationism in public schools, Palin stated that she supported teaching both creationism and evolution. … Palin opposes same-sex marriage and supported a non-binding referendum for an Alaskan constitutional amendment to deny state health benefits to same-sex couples … Palin has called herself "as pro-life as any candidate can be" and has called abortion an "atrocity." Palin has stated that abortion should be banned in nearly all cases, including rape and incest, except if the life of the mother is endangered. Palin has stated that she does not support embryonic stem cell research. She supports sex education in public schools that encourages abstinence but also discusses birth control”.
Um … er … yeah. My beliefs are, pretty much, the exact polar opposite of the above. Palin and I agree on the fact that Jesus is Saviour and Lord. And that's about it. But our understanding of the working out of that is (probably?) very different.
There are aspects of Christian belief that I find hard because I am by (loose) definition associated with all of them, and considered to possibly believe those things even if I say I don't. (Because if I say I don’t, I am possibly in denial or lying):
(Some of the above list is taken from a post of Esmeralda's on Ship of Fools as her list is the same as mine! Others are ones that I added on the 29th October after a long and rather drunken conversation with Mr T. Others are taken from "I'm fine with God ... It's Christians I can't stand Why do I get the feeling that this list will be updated regularly as I give free reign to my Inner Victor Meldrew?! I've added in some bits about why).
That there is only one true Church - the one you belong to - and all others are apostates and heretics.
No one has a monopoly on truth - and there's always something to learn and new insights to be had.
The belief that God created the vast majority of human as destined to be tortured for eternity.
Goes so nicely with the message, "God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die". (John 3:16, CEV). Not.
The belief that one group of people - women for example - are created specifically to be subservient to another group.
Men and women - different but complementary. Eve is described as a helper for Adam, not a slave.
The belief that normal human feelings are actually sinful passions which must be resisted.
Being gay or having sex before marriage is not a guaranteed one way ticket to hell.
The belief that the most important thing about our faith is our doctrine or opinion on key Christian issue of the day or doing liturgy correctly or which version of the Bible you use. And if that isn't right, we are already condemned.
I hate the way that people will use things to decide who’s in or out. The job of sorter of sheep and goats is taken! And sometimes I wonder if these things that we give so much weight too are the same ones as God does. I can’t help feeling he’s more concerned about suffering, injustice and the like.
Belief that Jesus was superhuman and never burped or farted or had unwanted sexual thoughts.
He was a man. QED.
That the the Bible works in the same way as the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and contains quick, simple answers to difficult questions and is the final authority.
To paraphrase John Smith, if God had wanted to make things easy for us, he wouldn't have given us books of history, mythology and poetry rooted in very different cultures, he would have given us a three page tract. And any Bible passage has to be read with the understanding that "A text without a context is a pretext” and in conjunction with Cresswell's Law - a Bible passage is not the end of a discussion, it's the start of one.
And then there’s the whole question of authority - for most Christians, the Bible is the final authority - to be used in conjunction with commentaries, common sense, church tradition and wiser bothers and sisters. But as not everyone views the Bible in the same way, “Because the Bible says so …” does not give anyone the final word.
That Christian morality has to be imposed on others - by fair means or foul.
It is not possible to make people do the right thing or bully people into the Kingdom. It’s about following treating others as you would like them to be treated - and remembering that God came for everyone.
That being a Christian means completely disengaging with the world and living in a Christian bubble with no meaningful contact with society.
Being salt and light means Getting Out There and mixing! And alot of Christian art, imo, sucks.
Prosperity Gospel.
Jesus did not come to make anyone rich or powerful.
Christians who either do not know what they believe or think they have a monopoly on truth.
The Bible says that you “always need to be able to give a reason for the hope you have” which suggests that God expects us to engage our brain! But no one has all the answers - including Christian leaders who are just as human as the rest of us.
I think what it really boils down to is that I don't like Christians who make the rest of us look bad. (But all of the above is purely my opinon. Others will draw those lines differently. And sometimes I will be on the wrong side of that line). Or who decide that God needs a little help in the judgement department and, as he hasn't arrived to do the job himself yet, they may as well fill the gap.
For many Christians, A Christian is Someone Who Believes the Same Things About God as Me. Finding out just how diverse the Family of God is can be a shock. To me, it’s the diversity that makes things interesting. (And challenging)
Being part of a family that includes me, Mr Tubbs, Steve Chalke, Tony Campolo and Jim Wallace and Palin, Fred Phelps and Steven Green is a challenge. (No, I’m not linking to the websites of the other two. Some things don’t deserve to be publicized!)
To me, Palin and her ilk are a bit like the mad aunt you invite to weddings and funerals and avoid for the rest of the year - and would probably refuse to come anyway as she’s fallen out with you over something or other! But they’re still your family …The challenge is love them as Christ loves me. (No one said anything about liking them or agreeing with them). But if I truly believe that God loves, forgives and accepts me, I also have to accept that God loves, forgives and accepts them. (Which, to be frank, is hard). A family Christmas where we all gathered to celebrate in the same place would be interesting to say the least.