A Christian Nation: Really?

Part One

Here is a scene I want you to imagine: You have just dropped off your three-year-old son for his first day in pre-school. You know you are going to miss him terribly for the next few hours, and it's hard to leave, so you tiptoe back to the door of the classroom, just for a moment, and press your ear against the door.

Mrs. Curry is speaking to the children. You can just make out her words:

"Welcome to your first day of pre-school, children. This is the book we will be using. None of you can read, so I am going to read this book to you and tell you what it means. I won't read all of it, of course, only the parts I want you to know. And if there are parts of it you don't understand, just remember that it is wrong to question me, because I am the authority on this book. And by the way, it would be very, very wrong for you to ask any other teachers what they think, or even listen to them talk about the book. You don't need to occupy your minds about this book, even after you learn to read. Especially after you learn to read. I will tell you everything you need to know. Your parents want it that way. I promise you, they do. I asked them and they told me so.

"Now I know you are curious about the book," she continues, "so I will tell you a few things we will find in it. First of all, you know those children down the street - the ones from that foreign family, that have that foreign religion? Well, all of them are going to hell! Their parents too. And you know those two men on your block who give you cut flowers from their garden to bring to your moms? They are going to hell as well! Your parents really hate all of those people. Those people are going to hell!"

You stand frozen, certain that you must have misheard Mrs. Curry. But there is more.

"Your parents love you," she continues, "but they know that none of you is actually worthy of that love. You are all very bad children. Sinners. All of you. You can't help it. It is in your nature to be bad, to be sinners. You should be grateful that your parents even pay attention to you at all. If you aren't better children, your parents have decided that when you die, they will not allow you to come into heaven with them. They will slam the door of heaven in your faces!

"But you aren't alone!" she shouts convincingly over the sound of sobbing, frightened children. "I'm not worthy of being loved by my parents either! We are all in this together. The only thing we can do is to keep trying not to be bad, keep begging for their forgiveness, and hope that when we die they will take mercy on us and let us come to heaven with them. Otherwise we will burn in hell!"

And now I have a question for you, standing there outside the door of that classroom. What is your next move?

Do you: A. Rush in and herd all the terrified children out of the room to safety, reassuring them that Mrs. Curry is wrong, and that nothing she said about their parents was true?

Or do you: B. Check your watch and see if you have enough time to go shopping before picking your son up from school?

If you answered A, then you might be interested in the rest of this piece.
If you answered B, then it is likely that you might benefit from reading this piece, but it is going to be difficult for you to do so. I hope you will give it a try anyway.

Most of you, A or B, have probably figured out where I am going with this, so I will probably be saying goodbye, now, to a few of the B's.

We have all heard the theory that children live up to what is expected of them. It is more than a theory, of course. We have all seen the truth of it in action. When you love and trust a child, give him responsibility, encourage him to make use of his God-given mind, and tell him he is becoming wiser and better and more wonderful every day, the chances are very high that he will prove you right.

When you tell a child he is irresponsible; too stupid to understand certain things; that it is in his nature to be evil; and that he is not allowed to question you, or other authority figures, the chances are very high that child is going to prove you right as well.

And yet for decades many of us, our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and back through the generations, have sent our children, and ourselves, into a room every Sunday where someone stands at the front of the room and tells all of us that we are not worthy of our Father's love, and that our Father hates the people down the street and is sending them to hell. And that our Father will send us to hell as well, if we don't do everything that person at the front of the room tells us our Father wants us to do.

If this is the kind of church you attend, think about that the next time you wonder why your three-year-old child is squirming and trying not to pay attention in church. Children are born with the knowledge that they are absolutely beloved of God, with no reservations. Your child is hearing his truth being ripped away. Your child is trying desperately to hold onto that truth.

And there are no questions allowed in some of our Christian churches. Some churches, not all of course, seem to want us to believe that the Bible is too difficult for ordinary men to understand, and has to be interpreted by authorities in their denominations. I have heard so-called authorities say that even to question their interpretations is to offend God. I have heard them say that our Father wants us to believe only what we learn inside the walls of their church, and that it is a sin to study any other religions or philosophies. I have heard those self-designated authorities tell their congregations that members of other churches, even other Christian churches, are being deceived, are under the influence of Satan, belong to a cult, and, of course, are going to hell.

I suspect that one of the reasons many church leaders discourage questions about their condemnation of other religions is that the very Bible which they cite quotes Jesus as saying, in no uncertain terms, exactly the opposite of what many churches claim about their own exclusivity. (Mark 9: 38-42); (Luke 9: 49-50). I hope some of you will read these very short, very important passages. I would be surprised and delighted if any of you had ever heard anyone claiming to be a church authority read them aloud to you.

What happens to the God-given mind of someone whose attempts at discussion, argument, and curiosity, about this book which plays such a large part in his life, are discouraged, belittled and reviled by someone he has been told to respect and believe without question?

Here is an example of the results:

A few days ago I was speaking to a friend about the Mars mission. "How wonderful if they discover life on Mars!" I said, expecting agreement and enthusiasm to match my own. But my friend disappointed me. 

"I hope they don't," he said. And then, before I could ask him why, he added, "If they do, it will mean that the Bible isn't true."

"Why would it mean that?" I asked, surprised. But he only shook his head and repeated, over and over, "It just would. It just would." It was obvious that he had no idea why he believed what he was saying, and yet his expression was a mixture of defiance, a bit of anger at me for daring to ask, and, strangely, pride.

"Did you learn that in church?" I asked, knowing the answer.

"Yes," he said. "Our pastor told us that, and that's good enough for me."

I do not have enough experience to say whether this discouragement of intellect and encouragement of trust in authority exists in other religions; and of course I know that it does not exist in all Christian churches. Some Christian churches welcome questions and discussion. But throughout my life I have studied various denominations of Christianity, and I have attended the services of many different denominations. At far too many of those services I have heard that the Bible should not be questioned, and that church authorities should not be questioned.

I have even heard some religious leaders say that ordinary men may not speak directly with God, or even ask his forgiveness for sins, but must use the religious leaders, or religious figures from the past, as liaison. And they say this in full knowledge that Christ taught the prayer which begins "Our Father," and told his followers to call no man Father but God. And Christ said that all men who believe shall be the sons of God. (John 1:12). And yet many self-designated religious authorities tell the children of God that they may not speak directly with their Father.

I have heard the claim that Christ brought a new covenant, and that the New Testament has the answers for Christians, while the Old Testament is valuable, but mainly historical. Despite such a declaration, I have heard self-appointed church authorities pick and choose, when it suited their purpose, parts of the Old Testament to use in their sermons. Unfortunately it often seems that the parts they choose are used mainly to condemn others, and to create more divisions among the children of God.

I have heard the so-called church authorities, and even members of the laity, scream in defiance when someone has countered with the logical observation that Jesus never discriminated or condemned, that instead he encouraged his followers, by his example of associating with all manner of men and women, to embrace all of mankind.

I have watched as church representatives put their own spin on everything from why it is a "sin" to dance to why it is a "sin" to sit quietly in church rather than showing off by shouting and waving hands. I have seen a congregation of friends split into two congregations of enemies by one specific self-proclaimed authority who used his bully pulpit to condemn those who sat quietly during the services, because, he claimed, those who worshipped in silence did not show true spirit. And he said this despite the fact that Jesus recommended that prayer should be silent and private, not done for show. (Matthew 6: 5-6)

Jesus chastised the Pharisees for creating arbitrary rules and for upholding rules that did not make sense. But the so-called heads of churches have always done this, and of course they still are doing this. And the rules they invent are then used to condemn those who do not comply, just as the Pharisees condemned Jesus for disobeying their rules.

Many sermons, or even casual mentions of Mary Magdalene have somehow contained the claim that she was a prostitute, although there is nothing in the Bible to suggest that. But there is a great deal of discrimination against women in some Christian churches. It is sad to think that the patriarchs of some churches, in their enthusiasm for keeping women "in their place," might simply have decided to saddle Mary Magdalene with the implication that she was a prostitute, hoping it might diminish her status.

After all, it seems she was one of the first allowed to see the risen Christ. (Matthew 28:9) That must be difficult to accept, if one wants to make people believe that women are somehow inferior to men.

And it troubles me that those who have studied the Bible to such an extent that they believe they are authorities actually set themselves up in the position of authority. If they know the Bible so well, they know that Jesus spoke against his message being taught with authority to one follower by another. (Matt.23: 5-10) Jesus actually made it clear that he wanted equality among his followers, (Matt.23: 8), and in point of fact it seems as if he expected very small groups to come together when necessary to ask for his guidance. (Matt. 18:19-20) Other than that, Jesus recommended that prayer be private. (Matthew 6: 5-6)

Jesus knew, we can be certain, the kind of dangerous power that could be wielded by someone who claimed a position of authority and superior knowledge in matters of faith. The Pharisees were doing that already. Jesus surely knew that the sort of person who would seek power and authority over others might also be the sort of person who would seek to convince others that his divisive, condemning and disempowering opinions were the will and the word of God.

Since Jesus spoke against anyone claiming the role of teacher, it follows that he must have wanted people to discuss, question, and attempt to understand the word of God on their own. It is difficult to imagine a situation in which a man, studying the Bible, alone or with friends, would suddenly say, "Oh, this is difficult. God must not want his word to be understood. We must stop trying to do so."

But what if that man has grown up, perhaps since the age of three or so, in a church where every week someone claiming to be an authority stands in front of and separate from the congregation, and claims that his opinions are the only true opinions, and that it is sinful to question them? If a man has grown up in such an atmosphere, then he very well might give up on trying to understand the word of his Father.

So the seeds are planted. So the beautiful, intricate minds of trusting and innocent people are shut down. So children of God, all equal in his eyes, are duped into believing they are not intended to think for themselves, but instead are intended blindly to follow authority. And if that authority lies to them, or even misleads them unintentionally, they believe they must, nonetheless, accept that authority's words, and live by those words even when a still, small voice tells them those words are not truth.

All people are capable of discovering great truths on their own. It is what we are meant to do with our God-given minds. But far too many church authorities have for at least two thousand years tried to shut that exercise down - to condemn it and to make it shameful. This is a very great wrong.

So why do they do it? Why do they discourage people from thinking for themselves? Why do these so-called men of God stand apart from their brothers and sisters and claim authority in the word of God when Christ said not to do so?

By now, if you have read this far, even those of you who have been taught since childhood not to question, not to use your God-given minds, have probably glimpsed the obvious reason. . . the reason that Christ's admonition against one person placing himself in the position of authority, or of teacher, is the best kept secret in the Christian church.

The harsh reality seems to be that those who are blatantly doing what Jesus spoke against doing, who are presenting themselves in a position of authority above their fellow man, who are spewing poisonous opinions Jesus never had, who pretend a closer relationship with God than their fellow man, who are making arbitrary rules such as Jesus warned the Pharisees against making, who are creating divisions among us where Jesus wanted unity, and who are telling millions of God's children that the Bible is far too difficult for them to understand, have chosen money and power over the word of God.

And they are terrified that we will one day read the Bible on our own, and ask those questions, and come to understandings on our own, and finally recognize the actual message Christ came to earth to tell.

Because once we do, all of the power they have pretended for two thousand years to have over us will be gone.

Although many religious leaders have long insisted that Christ came to earth mainly as a blood sacrifice, because mankind was so evil, and although they have chosen, from out of his life of miracles and wonders, the image of his death on the cross as the preferred symbol for Christianity, it is clear that Christ had another message for us, which has been given less emphasis over the years.

If we concentrate on only the words and deeds of Christ himself, and not on someone else's interpretation, we read that Christ says he came to earth to bear witness to the truth. (John 18:37). His words and deeds, for most of which we have four separate, very similar, accounts, consist of teachings, miracles, healings, raisings from the dead, and, of course, Christ's demonstration of power over his own death.

Among his words and deeds as well are Christ's statement that the greatest commandment is that we love God and love all of humanity, (Mark 12:29-34); his assurance that anyone who believes in him will have everlasting life; his assurance that all things are possible for those who believe, (Mark  9:23; Mark 11:23-24; John 14:11-13); and his assurance that everything he has done, and more, can be done by anyone with faith as a grain of mustard seed. (Matt. 17:20).

"Faith as a grain of mustard seed." These words have always intrigued me. I have always wondered what kind of faith a mustard seed would have. I have heard some self-appointed church authorities say that Christ meant our faith only had to be as big as a mustard seed, but I have never agreed with that. That doesn't seem like quite enough faith to allow someone to perform miracles. I thought about it for a long time, and let my God-given mind reach its own conclusion.

A mustard seed would have the faith that, since it was a mustard seed, it would grow into a mustard plant. By the same token, if children of God have that same simple faith, that they will grow into their ultimate potential, then the children of God will become Christ-like beings.

I believe that this faith is there when we are born, and that if it is not denied to us in some way, taken away from us, overwritten in our souls by lies and fear, we will grow to become like Christ. When Christ's apostles asked him who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, Jesus brought a little child, said that we must become as little children, and that we must not offend the little children who believe in him. (Matthew 18: 1-7)

But in far too many cases the faith with which we are born has been undermined by those who have placed themselves in positions of authority, and used that authority to tell the children of God, over and over and over, that they are sinners, first and foremost, and not worthy of God's love. 

It is easy to see why many who call themselves church leaders would not want people to think too long and hard about Christ's actual words. It is easy to see why they would want people to focus on the blood sacrifice, and only touch lightly on the rest. They fear that people will realize that Christ's message, all along, is not that he came to be a blood sacrifice because we were such terrible sinners, but that he came to demonstrate and explain to us our true legacy.

And I believe that it is our legacy. When Christ said that we would be able to do everything he did, and more, with the faith of a mustard seed, one thing he had done was to be born the son of God, in human form. We have all done that as well. We have all been born the children of God, in human form. We are seeds of Christ. It is time for us all to understand and believe that.

We are not going to do anything evil once we realize and accept who we are. No one will ever have to threaten us with hell. We will have no reason to commit sins. We will have no time or desire for that. Why would we want to do anything but heal the world? The beautiful world our Father gave us, which we have nearly destroyed in our ignorance of who we are. Why would we not want to accept such a magnificent legacy? Why would we not want to claim the power of love and the unity of mankind that Christ came to earth to show us, and which he asked for us from God. (John 17:20-22)

I would never expect those of you who have read this far to accept without question the things I have written. I do hope you will be brave enough to think about them. I hope you will realize that our incredible, God-given minds were created for that very reason.

And I hope you will give some thought to what our world will be like when we realize there is no division among the children of God except what we have put there in our own blind error. We are all the same, and we have the unlimited power of unity and love for the very taking. How wonderful our world will be when we decide to rely on the actual words of Christ, rather than those who claim to speak for him, and when we begin to approach what he has shown us is our potential.

As for those self-designated authorities and representatives of God, they are our brothers and sisters as well. And it is likely that they, too, had the knowledge they were born with - the reality of their true legacy as children of God, their faith in the way they were meant to grow - ripped away from them at a tender age just as children today are being denied knowledge of their own legacies.

Their hearts will turn toward truth when they glimpse that truth again. It is not too late for them, or for any of us. We must help mankind remember.







Part Two will follow shortly.