UNBELIEVING CHRISTIANITY
I am a Christian. I came to Christianity on a very strange path. You see, most of my life I was an atheist. Though my road has led me to Christianity I must admit that I still believe in unbelief.
It was unbelief that makes me what I am today. I am doubtful, skeptical and sure of only the fact that I will never be sure. This does not mean that I believe in nothing. Quite the contrary, I believe that the truth is everywhere and can be seen. I just have come to the happy moment of understanding that I will never see it all, never hold truth in my hands and, therefore never know what truth is. Even if a miracle revealed to me the truth today, I am sure that by tomorrow I would find more truth waiting for me. Different truth. Tomorrow’s truth.
Now, you would think that unbelief would lead one away from and not to Christianity, but you, I believe, would be wrong. my unbelief led me to certain…um…beliefs:
1. If no one has the whole truth, then no one deserves to judge or be judged by the truth.
2. We all have a part of truth within us. Everything has a part of truth within it.
So my non-belief led me to become a non-judgemental pacifist. I thought about becoming a vegan, but that seemed rather animalist. Who knows that plants enjoy death any less than a cow?
Which leads me back to Christianity. I found more and more, that Jesus was a non-judgemental pacifist who said we should all be non-judgemental pacifists because we live forever no matter what.
Not that I believed it. Not that I didn’t believe it. I didn’t know. I did find that it was a cool way to live. Perhaps this is a little too utilitarian. Perhaps, but then the materialists can see where I’m coming from too.
Since I’ve become a non-believing Christian I have Pagan, Hindu, Athiest, agnostic, Muslim, Jewish friends. All who have and share their truth with me. I share mine with them. Many of them are pacifists and non-judgemental (though, by all means they don’t have to be) I can only hope that one day the world will be full of non-judgemental pacifists who live as if life would never end no matter what their creed, what books they read or who or what (remember, no judging) their friends are.
With God’s help, it will be so. This I believe.
Michael Callahan
April 8th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
I hear ya brother - you make perfect sense.
I’m a Republican who believes in big government, lots of taxes and universal health care. I’m a pacifist who is going to sign up tomorrow to go and fight in Iraq. I’m a pro lifer who would like to see all abortuaries shut down. I’m a vegetarian who loves a good stake every week. I love the fact that Jesus was non Judgmental and a pacifist. Proof of this is found in His comments like:
.Woe to you who are rich for you have already received your comfort
.Woe to you are well fed now for you will go hungry
.Woe to you who laugh now for you will weep and mourn
.I speak in parables so that unbelievers will hear but not be able to understand
.If anyone is ashamed of me and my words I will ignore him at the time of judgement
.If you cause a child to sin it would be better for you to not even be born
. If someone rejects a servant of mine it will be more bearable on judgement day for the town of Sodom
. You brood of vipers. You white washed tombs. You Pharisees are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people. Hypocrites! I will punish such men most severely.
. I’ll tell you who to fear. Fear Me for I am able to destroy both your body and your soul.
. I have come to bring fire on the earth. Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.
. Unless you repent of your sins you will parish.
. They will say to Me, “Jesus you are my Lord,” and I will reply, “Get away from Me for I never knew you.”
. Those who do not believe in me will be thrown out of My kingdom to where there will be weeping and nashing of teeth
. If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, yes, even his own life He cannot be learn from Me.
. I will judge you by your own words you wicked servant
. Jesus made a whip and drove the money changers from the temple area
. It will be better for the one who betrays Me if he had never been born.
. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown into the fire and burned.
. Unbelievers will be cast into hell and the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. There is no rest day or night.
Don’t you just love the words of nonjudgmental pacifists like Jesus?
April 10th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
The last statement, about unbelievers is quite wrong.
The condemnation of hypocrites and the “brood of vipers” came from John the Baptist…not from Jesus.
Jesus drove out the money changers because they were interfering with the people’s relationship with God. Money puts up an incredible wall. He does not condemn them…or kill them. When confronted with a rich man he says that he should give all his money to the poor. Money distracts from the search from truth. When you look for money and “value” you cease looking for “truth”. This is what he meant when he said it is easier for a Camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. How can you find truth when money is most important to you.
There is nothing wrong with saying “Woe to you…” etc.
Wrong thinking often leads to bad outcomes. It is the same with the parables of what the kingdom of heaven ‘is like’. Those who are selfish, and self-centered often find themselves cut off from happiness and joy.
Blessings be with you.
From one un-believer to antoher.