True Christianity is Unique Among all Religions...

If one is to look at the various world religions one finds a common core.  It is centered upon the notion that one must perform in a certain fashion and in doing so work their way into the good graces of their particular deity.  Of course this notion in Buddhism is that such leads to good karma in the next life.   

This is often described as a works theology.   Of the many problems attendant to such a notion, three are as follows.  To begin with if acceptance is based upon good works, then those incapable of same are immediately eliminated.  Second, is the matter of what constitutes an acceptable good work.  Who really knows?  Then there is the quantity problem in that no one is quite sure how much is necessary.

There is but one exception.  That exception is found in genuine Christianity. 

To be sure there are many facsimiles of Christianity which in reality are distortions of the genuine.  The problem is not with what Jesus Christ taught and lived nor is it with what the Bible teaches.  The problem lies with what man has attempted to add.   In some sense it is the idea that one can improve upon genuine Christianity.

This amalgamated "christianity" does two things.  First, it simply does not work as God had intended and thus eventually will self destruct and fail.  History teaches such is so.  Second, it presents a wrong picture of what Jesus was all about and thus gives much fodder to His critics such as Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, and the like. 

Mahatma Gandhi was such a critic.  Upon his departure from South Africa he said, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”   Jesus Christ was genuine, while the Christians Gandhi had in mind were the facsimile. It is said that he frequently read the Sermon on the Mount and had in his immediate possession a copy of the New Testament.

What sets the unique and genuine Christian faith apart is this.  One does not add some performance or another in order to work his way into a right relationship with God (salvation).   Such is quite impossible and most certainly leaves a wrong impression of what being a Christian is all. 

However, having said that,  there are expected changes in behavior.  One such change is the move from "selfishness" to "otherness."  As a part of that change a person begins to look outward from himself.  In that "otherness" one sees and is touched by the needs of others.  Thus his behavior toward other people moves from a selfish intention to that of the best interest of the other.  History is replete with example of those who gave their all in service of another.

A study of such things will reveal that almost all of the helping agencies and social movements are the result of such Christian "otherness."  Even leaving Christian "otherness" aside for the moment, few if any helping organization start without a concern for the needs of others.  They all pretty much began with an "otherness" attitude. 

The summary is this. The performance of good works is not to earn one’s way into the good graces of the Divine but it is the expected outcome, indeed the change that takes place when one enters into that right relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

More to follow...

"god" Making

My Pseudo-Neighbor

I do not like my neighbor—never mind that he does not exist.

Let me tell you about that non-neighbor.  He is self serving, does not care who he inconveniences, parks his cars and boats all over the neighborhood, his dogs bark all hours of the day and night, and he is narcissistic, sociopathic, psychopathic, and much, much more.  He walks into my house all hours of the day and night, leaves his “stuff” all over my yard, and that is the good that he does.  The bad is far worse.  I simply do not like this neighbor that does not exist!

The God Who does Not Exist

The point is this.  How can I not dislike and not believe in a person that does not exist?  This is the logic of those who create a god out of their biases and misperceptions and then claim that such a god does not exist.  They are right!  He does not exist and that says nothing about the God who does exist. 

God Making

Each person is vested with the power to make choices.  That is anyone can choose to believe what they choose to believe.  Thus they can choose to believe that good is bad, light is dark, up is down, etc.  Of course, believing those things in no way makes them true.  So it is with formulating erroneous beliefs about God.  Just because one believes them in no way makes them valid or even logical.  In fact many of the claims such people make do not stand up under simple logical consideration!

God Making From Where?

From where does such originate?  These beliefs come of a mindset that has at its center the individual.  This is the notion that one’s belief system is valid because that person believes it.   Their own notions, ideas, and beliefs come to occupy center stage in their truth paradigm!  Such does not mean it is genuine, just that it is what they have come to believe.

Unintended Outcomes

There is an unintended consequence of such a thought process. 

What is the eventual end of such a mindset?  Well, there is no end to it!  However, owing to the very basic tenants of such a mindset there a continuing process.  Pushed out further and further, one arrives at the narcissistic, sociopathic, and even psychopathic individual.   This is the person who is insatiably preoccupied his their own pleasure without consideration of its effects upon others.

The reason for such is that the self has every potential of becoming ravenously selfish.  Such a person is selfish without there being some restraint.  The insatiable self leads to a greater and greater need for satisfaction.  Soon the individual becomes of such paramount importance, so self-centered that nothing nor anyone is of any importance.  All are there to meet the needs of the individual and any inconvenience or challenge must be discarded or ignored.

Refashioning God

In the process of what has just been describes there is another process that has been set in motion.  That is the individual begins to refashion God into a god who seldom is far above that persons moral proclivities.  Such a person humanizes God into being god. Instead of creating man in God's image, now we have a god created in a man's image.  Why?  Very simply the God who is has becomes very, very inconvenient.

There then comes the illogical part of the process.  It comes with the declaration that the god of one's creation does not exist.   Well, matter of fact, they are right.  How could any other conclusion be reached?  Simply stated, it is just like my non-existent neighbor in whom I do not believe.  Such a person has created a non-existent god and then set about disproving and disapproving of him.

However, such a mental exercise says absolutely nothing about the God who does exist!