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So what exactly is my problem? You mean; what exactly is my problem with Christianity and why do I keep banging on about it? Apart from the fact that I think that someone has to? Let me reiterate that if Christianity works for you, more power to you. My only goal is to start some interesting discussion and get the heathens – and I include myself in that category - thinking about expanding our nation’s idea of spirituality. I’m certainly not out to convince Christians to change their beliefs or convert them to my way of thinking. Criticising Christianity. It’s a tricky one. Somewhere along the line, before my time I would venture, a tacit agreement was made that we’re not allowed to question Christianity. Maybe it’s because on some level we all remember ‘last time’ during the Reformation of the 16th Century. Let’s face it; no-one’s really up for being the guy or girl on the bonfire any night of the year, and that includes me. One of my main problems is that Christianity presents itself as the only path to God and anyone not believing so has a one-way ticket to the one hot destination where nobody wants to go. No-one’s allowed to question the religion, because if they do – they’re going to hell. Anyone believing in any other religion, well, they might be nice people, but they’re going to hell. A person can be a good, honest, kind, compassionate, helpful and loving individual their entire life, but if it’s not done in the name of Christianity, then once again, it’s to hell for them. Is anyone other than me detecting a theme yet? The thing is; I don’t believe in hell. Not the fire and brimstone and burning-for-eternity kind at least. I have a definition of hell, it’s more the kind of personal hell that some of us experience on Earth; alcoholism or drug addiction being two good examples. But the idea of our whole complex universe being as black and white as ‘Christians go to heaven, everyone else to hell’ doesn’t work for me on any level. I never did like being forced into one choice or one course of action. I’d go as far as to say I have issues with authority and institution, especially if it’s forced down my throat. Maybe that’s why the offer of ‘repent and go to heaven, any other choice results in hell’ meant that I had to just try it my way first. Consider it my spiritual teenage rebellion. We’ve already covered intolerance towards non-Christians. There’s also intolerance towards homosexuals. Additionally there’s intolerance towards anyone who thinks that safe sex outside of marriage with two consenting adults is a sane and healthy thing to do. So we have intolerance towards all kinds of people doing all kinds of things. It all looks and smells like a lot of condemnation and judgment to me; a way to divide, not unite people. Christianity is presented as the only club that we really must be in, except that actually it’s the worst kind of clique that excludes many before they’ve even finished writing ‘Adam and Steve’ on the membership form. The touting of the Bible as the ‘Word of God’ is something that I struggled with for years. Reading the Bible literally is hugely off putting to me because I simply don’t buy it. Take the story of creation. With so much scientific evidence leading us to the real and actual origins of our universe I am much happier with a spirituality that says there was a Divine Intelligence behind the Big Bang than one that insists that God put it all together with a few clicks of his fingers in seven days. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll disagree with the science too; when it suits me; I don’t take anything on blind faith. I prefer to believe things that make sense to me. In my experience I’m not the only person that finds the Bible so off-putting. So how come we don’t discuss that actually, no God wrote the Big Book. It was written by a whole bunch of guys over a period of hundreds of years. Bits were even written, missed out and found later, but we don’t talk about that either! Did you know that reincarnation used to be part of Christianity? Historical evidence shows that references to reincarnation were declared to be heresy by Emperor Justinian at the Council of Constantinople in the year 553 A.D. After that date, there were no further references to reincarnation in Christian theology. Why was it removed? I wasn’t there, but I’d venture a guess that the church being presented as the only option to save our souls might have been under question had we all known that we got a few tries at this whole ‘life’ business. Some might argue that the church would not have been able to become such a financial and political power had they not had such control as to suggest that we get one go, one life, and we’d better make it a Christian one and follow their doctrine or we’re screwed. When I can actually question and find explanations for the parts of Christianity that drive me so crazy it makes me more open to the idea of Christianity and religion in general. Don’t get me wrong, it would have a really, really long way to go and change before I’d sign up, but I’m far more understanding and accepting of it when it matches more with what I feel to be true and logical and sane. When I can read passages or quotes from the Bible but understand their meaning symbolically as opposed to literally there is usually a sentiment that I can get fully behind. Call me a heretic if you want, but it’s this kind of open pick-and-mix attitude towards religion that I need. I simply can’t take somebody else’s word for it; I have to do my own research and come to my own findings. I had to be able to reject Christianity in order to be able to find my own spirituality and I don’t think that I’m the only one. I think that everyone finding their own philosophy that works for them personally is far more important than everyone having to walk the same path. Having a spirituality or philosophy is about becoming a more authentic, better, more compassionate person, living a life more in line with what one really wants and needs. If more of us were like this we’d be living in a better world. I think that to achieve that end-result – a better world - is more important than trying to force it to happen through Christianity. |