I May Be Stoned

So I was reading a post today by a blogger I really like and it had to do with Christianity vs atheism.  The blogger once was a believer but isn't any longer and she was stating her reasons why she found that she simply couldn't believe any longer.  I'd like to quote her directly but I didn't ask her permission (I'm a new reader to her blog and she doesn't know me from Adam) but I would like to use some of her thoughts to state my views against.  The reason is because sadly, I think there are many people out there who look at Christianity in the same negative light because of the way it was presented to them.



As many of you know, I wound up in a situation at church a couple of years back, where anyone from the outside looking in, would probably have sworn off Christianity forever, it was that ugly.  So how on earth can I blame people for deciding that they just can't believe?  Christians can be scary, condescending, judgmental, narrow-minded people, and that is just to name a few things we can be.  I've known many who are; I hopefully have not been one of them, but I'm sure there have been times I've slipped before my beliefs became more ingrained.



I have been blessed to have had several people pass through my life in the last few years, who have opened my eyes to spiritual possibilities that just make so much sense to me.  There are going to be people who read this, who are not going to agree with what I believe, so please take note that I am not saying that what I believe is "the Gospel truth".  It is simply what makes sense to me.



Here is part of what I know:

 

• God does not control us.


• God does not NEED our money.  Churches, however, do need money if we want to keep worshiping there as there are bills to pay.  In many ways, church is like a home or a business; there is still a mortgage, electric and gas bills and those bulletins need paper on which to be printed.  So, if you chose to worship in a church, the money piece is helpful to the church to keep it running.  God doesn't need it.  We do.


• Though we are supposed to tell people about Jesus, there is not a one of us who can bring people to him on our own.  We do not have that power, only He does.


• We have free will and since the fall of man, we live in an imperfect world.  There is disease, there is poverty, there is crime.  God does not cause these things.  Could He stop them?  Yep.  But these things are simply the results of our using our free will.  We create pollution and chemicals and all the other things that are not healthy for us, that cause us to be unhealthy.  God can't give us free will in some instances and take it away in others. 

Okay, so that seems harmless enough, right?  Now stay with me because this next one may be a stretch for many.  Again, it just makes sense to me.



I do not believe that people who do not believe in God are going to be plunged into the fiery furnace and burn in hot oil for the rest of eternity.  I don't believe it.  I CAN'T believe it.



Why?



Remember the story of the prodigal son?  The father who has two sons and gives them money and junior runs off and spends his share on wine and women and parties?  Then when he is so broke and destitute, he returns to dad to beg his forgiveness. 



For years, I thought this story was about returning to God.  I thought it was about turning our backs on things that are fun and return to our Creator.  But thanks to some amazing teachers in the last few years, I don't see that story in the same light anymore.



What I see instead is a story about a loving, waiting and forgiving father.  Before this runaway son could even repent for what he had done, his father ran to him and embraced him and then threw this huge party for him, because he had come home. 



What if the parable is about God the father?



If we are all His children, every single one of us, whether we believe in Him or not, would He want any of us to burn in hot oil for eternity?  What if you had ten children and two of them gave you all sorts of trouble?  Could you banish them to live the rest of eternity in pain and suffering?  Of course not.



And I don't think God would do that to any of His children either.  No loving Father would.  And I believe that God is love and that He loves us unconditionally. We've gone astray.  We lie, cheat, steal and kill, but I believe he still loves every single one of us.  He doesn't care what our sexual orientation is or how far off the path of goodness we have strayed.  We're His kids!  Would he like to see us do better?  I'd imagine he would but you know what?  He already knows what we are going to do before we ever do it. 



And you know what else?  He can take that thing that He knows we are going to do before we even do it and turn it into something wonderful.  We may not see it.  The wonderful  may not be for us, but maybe for someone else we don't even know who heard about this thing we did.



I am often asked in those silly little surveys that float through the internet and Myspace "what is your biggest regret?"  My answer is always that I don't have any regrets because from every experience, I have learned something.  If I can learn something from my own experiences, I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that God can use something I have done wrong to teach someone else or show them something. 



Now, I also think that a person can deny God even when this life is over.  I think that they can come face to face with Him and decide that they didn't need Him in life so they don't need Him in death.  And I think this breaks God's heart.  He wants a relationship with all his kids.  But not accepting Him after this life doesn't mean you go to jail, do not pass Go, do not collect $200 either.  It may mean that you are separated from Him, but you are not burning in a fiery pit either.  He wouldn't want that for His kids.  Those who didn't believe in this life and then come face to face with Him in the next life, are met much like the father with his lost son; with hope and arms wide open.  Welcome Home. Please stay.  Then the choice is ours, even in that moment. 



I don't know if I'm right and none of us are going to know if we are right until our time on this earth is over.  I just know these things make sense to me in this life.



These are the reasons I have so much trouble with Christians who say they can't tolerate certain acts or sins.  God tolerates all of it with us and loves us at least as much as the person who loves us the most.  So what right do I have to pass judgment on anyone else?  What right does anyone have?  I don't believe that God holds certain sins in higher contempt...I don't think He holds any of them in contempt because if He did, then what was Jesus for?  Jesus washed it all away.  He didn't just die for people who stole things or killed people.  He died for the sins of the world.



There is this little spoken piece in a Casting Crowns song that I love and wanted to share as a final thought.  I just love what it says.



"People aren't confused by the Gospel; they're confused by us.

Jesus is the only way to God, but we are not the only way to Jesus.

This world doesn't need my tie, my hoodie, my denomination or my translation of the Bible.

They just need Jesus.

We can be passionate about what we believe,

but we can't strap ourselves to the gospels,

because we're slowing it down.

Jesus is going to save the world,

and maybe the best thing we can do is just get out of the way."



How true is that?  It's not about us and about our way.  I wish more Christians would remember that and stop fighting about God and what He wants.  We just need to do the best we can and know that we are very much loved.