If I was a Christian, for Easter

[sophiaserpentia]

I am a spiritual refugee, exiled from my home forever. I could be a Christian if not for scripture, if not for doctrine.

If I was a Christian, this is what I would believe.

That Jesus believed in us.

That Jesus wanted us to see that no matter what we had experienced or done before, that we could rise above it by living in accord with the spirit of compassion and love for the divine.

That Jesus wanted us to understand that we are all in this together, and that together we could make anything happen. There is no "us versus them," there are no enemies; those who limit or oppress us are lost in their own nightmare and suffer their own limitations, and there is always hope of helping them to wake up.

That Jesus wanted us to stand together in solidarity and love in the face of brutality.

That Jesus refused to cower in the face of persecution, and was killed for challenging injustice.

That Easter is a clear sign from God that resistance against wrong and limitation is not futile -- that living in perfect love and perfect trust is the key to victory over death and fate.

That Paul wanted us to understand that the Resurrection is a promise that God is on our side when we work to transcend the limitations of fate.

That Paul wanted us to play our part in the reconciliation whereby God will become all in all.

crossposted to my journal and crossposted to convert_me

Comments

[firinel.livejournal.com]

If that's what you believed then you wouldn't be considered a Christian

And why is that? Can you cite anything to back that up?

[logos801.livejournal.com]

I use the term "Christian" to denote mainstream Christianity, i.e. the Church in all of its various denominations. The part I see as not fitting in with mainstream Christianity is "...that we are all in this together, and that together we could make anything happen. There is no 'us versus them,' there are no enemies..." Obviously this all follows Jesus's quote "whoever is not against us is for us".

Most denominations don't practice this creed. Throughout history, Christianity has always been its own worst enemy. If you want I could cite dozens of examples of inter-denominational bickering, bloodshed, warfare, even genocide. One quote that has always stuck in my memory comes from the Albigensian (sp?) Crusade - when the Catholic church tried to wipe out the Cathar heresy. When a soldier asked how to tell Catholics from heretics, the local bishop replied, "Kill them all. God will know His own".

Even today, most denominations still view each other as rivals. This has affected me & my family personally. For example, a leader at a large Baptist church recently told my 8-year-old daughter she wasn't welcome there because she couldn't attend full-time. My oldest daughter lost several friends to the local Church of God, whose youth ministry teaches its members not to associate with or even talk to non-members. One close friend of mine is a member of a Jehovah's Witness family - the only time I really talk with her offline is when I go to their religious events. The Church of Christ is even worse about segregating its members away from society and family. It's as if they all have the attitude of "let the dead bury the dead".

Personally, I belong to a non-denominational church with strong Gnostic leanings. It's the only church I've been in that has given me a strong, positive, rewarding experience. I'm sure all of the other denominations offer positive some value to their members, but if they aren't teaching the greatest commandment (Mark 12:28-34) then they're so caught up with being Christians that they've missed the true essence of being a follower of Christ.