For those wanting insight into progressive forward-thinking on Christianity, I highly recommend Faith after Doubty by Brian McLaren. I just finished the book and it is was an insightful thought-provoking and educational journey through the direction I believe modern Churches and Christianity need to take.
Take the time to get this and read it.
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? James 2:14 (NIV)
20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a
liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen,
cannot love God, whom they have not seen 1 John 4:20 (NIV)
39 And
the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew
22:39(NIV)
17 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will
reward them for what they have done. Proverbs 19:17 (NIV)
31 Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker,
but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. Proverbs 14:31 (NIV)
There is a theme here; to gain God’s love, you
must first love others and be kind to others.
Just wanted to put that out there.
Why did God create atheists? That was the question. The following was my response, semi-rant,
God did not create atheists, the corruption in and of the churches that man invented to worship and control people created them. If the people called out the pedophiles and drove them out of the ranks of ministry, the profiteers that run megachurches for self-enrichment and profiting off of God, and so many other issues of corruption, there would be far fewer atheists. Then get rid of doctrines of hate and exclusion and us better than them mentality and you might have something. But as long as there are built-in gatekeepers of Christianity to protect it and the riches and hate and exclusion, the rank of the "nones" will continue to grow. Just my humble opinion.
I am going to upset some people, but I am still going to say this. The Bible is not a constitution nor a law codebook that can be used to argue my case or your case justifying US while also condemning THEM. Rather, it is a library containing a treasure trove of poetry, arguments, insights, stories, models and so much more that should inspire us and equip us to be a positive protagonists in support of our faith and support all others in theirs as our ancestors did in their days.
We have become so comfortable weaponizing scriptures, and
our personal beliefs and faith the Bible have been turned into a guidebook or
game plan of hate, exclusion, and even war.
This needs to be reversed and it becomes a Book of Inspiration, Love,
and Harmony.
Christianity today often has very little to do with the beautiful movement Jesus started. I would say that all of us Christians down through the centuries all have a share in ruining the beautiful thing Jesus started and Paul developed. (From Faith after Doubt)
I find this to be one of the most accurate, honest, and profound statements about Christianity I have read in many years.
