I have been trying to think why I am staying part of the movement of Jesus. There are not many compelling reasons to.
For months now, I find myself alienated from the bulk of Christians and the common ground we share is so tiny that any journey therein is virtually meaningless. Most expressions of the Christian faith I find triumphalistic, shallow, self-absorbed, excessive and irrelevant. Church is far more a cozy, comfortable retreat from the world than a place to encounter and reflect on its problems and sufferings. I’m not into evangelism, bible study, worship or prayer and when I last spoke at a church I was banned thereafter.
Yet I still believe. And it is not because I am convinced there is a heaven, or a hell, or even particularly concerned. It’s not because I am convinced that the bible is infallible as I don’t think it needs to be: neither the bible nor Christians have a monopoly on truth or spirituality, that should be very evident. It’s not because I worry about whether God loves me or not, it’s not because I think it is only through conscious affirmation of Jesus’ uniqueness that man can be saved. Or woman.
Here is why I am still committed to the way of Jesus.
1. Jesus was a historical figure. We know that. We also have a reasonable idea of his teachings and what he said – even if you want to allow for a large percentage of distortion and collusion, you can still get an idea of what he was on about with reasonable accuracy.
2. People are spiritual. That’s a fact – the majority of the world’s people believe something, and even most white, western, post-modern atheists when pressed reveal some spiritual values.
3. The way Jesus talked about spirituality is cogent, compelling and convincing. The spirituality he described and advocated does not ever justify or recommend violence, physical or spiritual. It advocates openness and inclusion, freedom, not coercion.
It describes a spiritual life of mutual accountability and endorses the search for truth as paramount, and the practice of justice and charity – but determining what these things actually mean, here and now, should occur in mutual, humble conversation. They are not codified, which would of course lead to tyranny. (– a note here: Paul does codify. He starts describing what is right and wrong, what is allowable and what isn’t. Jesus doesn’t do that. That’s why I am skeptical of Paul and the writings of the other apostles. Maybe we would be better off if all we had was the four gospels…)
With the probable exception of Buddhism, (and maybe Indigenous Dreamtime beliefs and Native American beliefs are similarly constructed, but I don’t know enough about them), any other major religion if taken to its logical endpoint, ends up in tyranny and totalitarianism. They have to, if people are serious.
The evidence of that is everywhere.. .Of course, Christianity has been construed thus, also and currently is, by many Christians, worldwide. But a careful and honest reading of the spiritual life as advocated by Jesus cannot ever justify that.
Unfortunately, mostly, the Christian faith ends up looking like any other faith, religion, club or sport, with the rules set up and the aim being to defeat the opponents. Jesus would spin in his grave, if he were there.
