Why I am an "ism-less Believer".
Why I am an "ism-less Believer".
Jesus
has been depicted as the prime unshakeable icon of Christianity since
the man-made religion was established. Have you ever pondered the
possibility that Jesus wasn't a..."Christian"? Did Paul and other New
Testament authors paint Jesus as the icon and founder of Christianity?
Did Jesus view Himself the way religion has Christianized Him? I put it
to you that Jesus did not coin the word, hear the word, say the word,
invent the word, name His followers by the word, teach His followers to
be the word...CHRISTIAN...that so dominates the thinking of religious
people today. By the way...Jesus was not DENOMINATED either! He was not a
part of any ism group, He was "ISM-LESS".
I
do not deny that when we think of Christendom we think of Jesus, Christianity
is thought to be His creation. However I ask, was the "Christian
religion" a forethought of Jesus in the building of His Church? Did
Jesus come to start a religion called “Christianity”? I see no evidence
in the scripture that points to that conclusion. Christianity is more of
a religion to be followed than a transformation into the character of
Jesus. Though His followers were called Christian Jesus was never called
Christian or referred to Himself as a Christian.
Isn't it strange that Christianity embraces Jesus as its central iconic
figure...in that Christians claim to be followers of Jesus without Christianity being
validated and confirmed by the Jesus they claim to follow. If the
earthly Jesus were alive physically today, would He be pleased with such
iconic inference? Does the teachings of Religious Christianity line up
with the teachings of Jesus?
From
the record of scripture, Jesus was not religious oriented, nor
did He belong to any religious denomination. He came as the express
image of God His Father to reveal the grace, mercy and love of His
Father to the Community of Humanity by living His life in and through
the Community of the Redeemed in their daily living, He did not come to
start a new religion called Christianity where people are bound to
religious creeds, rules, bylaws and constitutions invented by man and
practiced in the Sunday-go-meeting service.
If
the term Christian means to belong to a particular religious
denominational name-tagged segregated group, follow a particular belief
system of man-made doctrines, or obey man-made rules as a measuring
stick to determine one’s relationship with God in order to be held in
good standing with the particular denomination of choice, then I would
prefer not use the word because it takes away from being a follower of
Christ. I also believe that if Jesus came once again and walked our
Sunday morning streets He would bypass all the name-tagged buildings
with towering steeples with a cross on the top and His name above the
door and go to the down-and-outers, the lonely and forgotten, the sick
and hurting, the dejected and rejected by being the Church as we all
sanctimoniously stand in the doors of our denominated sanctuaries and
say, "surly that is not Jesus...if it was...he would have come to our
worship service!
Jesus
is the Son of the living God, He is LOVE, and He loves all people. He
doesn’t see or favor people based on name-tagged denominations. He loves
people period. He sees people who need the love and acceptance of God.
The only way people are going to come to true fellowship with God is
through Christ…not religious Christianity.
It’s
time we stop looking to the organized religious world as the way of
becoming acceptable and pleasing to God. We need to look to Christ and
allow Him to live His life through us and let Him love all the people
that cross our path daily. It is not about getting people come to follow
man’s denominated doctrines, religious rules or belief systems. It is
about accepting people as they are by showing the love of Christ to them
and letting God work in them to accomplish His purpose.
Are
denominational-ism believers honestly following Jesus according to the
written word? And Jesus said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let
him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". "The
greatest commandment is love". "Love your enemies and do good to those
that despitefully use you". "Love your neighbor as you love yourself".
Being
a true believer is not about being a religious follower attending once a
week two hour Sunday-event-driven meetings, it is about being a
follower of Christ in the Community of Humanity in our daily living!
Does
that mean I am not a CHRIST believer...of course not...I certainly am,
but I am not a right or left-winged religious isim-Christian.
First let me explain what I mean by religion, followed by what being a Right-Winged and Left-Winged Christian entails.
The
dictionary meaning of re-li-gion\ri-´li-jÉ™n\ (noun) means essentially a
return to bondage, you have been granted a review by the patrol board
and you have been granted freedom, but instead you choose to return to
prison and remain in bondage, in this case religious-bondage. The word
religion is traced to the Latin re meaning “again” and ligare meaning
“to bind.” So religion means to bind again. To be bound again means
that one was bound before. What was the before that one was bound
too...the do's and dont's of the Law and religious rules and
regulations, by choosing to go back as a servant of the Law you are
returning to bondage of religion.
Simply,
religion means...any system that advocates something has to be added to
Grace in order to gain or maintain a relationship with God indicating
that the cross-work of Christ was not sufficient to meet God's standard
for salvation. Thus, man has to have his input to make the finished work
of Christ complete...that is complete and utter BLASPHEMY!
All
religion is man-originated, man-organized and man-overseen, To be a
religious Christian is to be manipulated, controlled and imprisoned to
man-made philosophies, creeds and doctrines by pledging allegiance to
one of the thousands of denominations under the religious left or ring
wing flag. Religion is a robber that robs people of spiritually and is
designed to keep them dependent on religious do's and dont's for a
relationship with God, when the fact is, religion hinders ones
relationship with God.
The
religious system, knowingly or unknowingly, robs people's spiritual
identity and spiritual freedom by setting people up to convert to one
denominated camp or another, it then offers to sell spiritually back to
the people for 10% of their gross income. Can we keep our spiritual
freedom and spiritual rest in Jesus from being hijacked and held for
ransom? Yes, by giving up and rejecting religion. Isn't that dangerous?
It is to the religious system, but it is God’s passionate desire for us,
so much so, He sent His Son to reconcile ALL people to Himself. We are
use to thinking we need religion to keep us on the straight and narrow.
Even when people believe their relationship with God starts by grace
alone, they believe it is maintained by grace plus religious works.
Through the voices of New Testament writers, God pleads with us to
firmly place our confidence in His new way, not allowing even a hint of
religion to creep in.
"Right
wing" religious ideology is concerned about protecting and preserving
the entrenched traditions and man-made creeds and doctrines of the
established religious system and preserving traditional accepted
traditions, while rejecting change.
"Left
wing" religious ideology is more into change for the better by
challenging the right-wing religious establishments traditions and
man-made doctrines. It is a progressional change to bring one's beliefs
in line to benefit people for the better. Left-wing thinkers are on the
side of the people, in desiring equal spiritual rights for all and the
spreading of spiritual wealth among all, though that is much the way I
believe...left wingers are still man-led, man-fed, manipulated and led
by their denominated man-inspired isms.
Though
I do not consider myself a the left-wing or right-wing "ism
Christian"...I do consider myself a left-wing ism-less believer rather
than a right-wing ism-believer.
Fundamentalism,
Evangelicalism, Orothodox-ism, Charisma-ism, Pentecostalism and all
other ism's carry with it a high religious connotation that includes an
unwavering commitment to a set of ridged doctrines and beliefs marked by
strict literal-ism as applied to certain specific scriptures, dogmas,
and ideologies, and a strong sense of importance in maintaining a
literal interpretation of the Bible, leading to an emphasis on creating
purity for accepted man-made doctrines. Rejection of diversity of
opinion as applied to these established "fundamental or evangelical
doctrines" and their accepted interpretation within the group is
considered heretical.
So...I consider myself a left-wing ism-less liberal believer...just what does that mean?
"Glenn,
you really consider yourself a left-winger liberal believer"? Yes! I
know some people have me already assigned to hell fire because I say I
am not a Christian..."nobody gets to spend eternity in the presence of
God who is not a Christian," right? Does that mean that all people before Jesus and Jesus Himself, are not in
the presence of His Loving Father God? They nor He was a Christian. There were
no Christians in the world when Christ came to earth living in His
earth-suit.
I
am not an "ism Christian" because "ism Christianity Christians" do not
believe some central tenets of scripture. The tenet that Jesus said was
"The sum of the Law and all the prophets," "He fulfilled the Law" "to
Love God and Love your neighbor as yourself" are but a sample! And who
is your neighbor as He taught. A stranger, who held to a different
belief system, who was beat up and left for dead on the road while
religious people passed him by! The scripture is full of instruction
that this teaching isn't “just for individuals.” It's a universal
teaching that applies to ALL people.
When
Jesus walked this earth in His earth-suit He was an
"ism-less-liberal-believer, He was hated and killed by conservative
believing religionists. The Pharisees and the Sadducees were the
religionists of His time.
Right
and left-winged Christians" are wrong about Jesus, God and His Gospel. I
find in scripture, Jesus' ways are “Liberal”...I am siding with
Jesus...I am a liberated ism-less left-winged-liberal-believer and for
that I make no apologies.
People
who believe as I do are not '"New Agers" or "New World Order prepare-ers"
as the "ism-left and right-winged-Christians" accuse us of, nor are we
waiting for some anti-christ figure to come to set everything
right...Jesus, the Christ, already came and set things right, but the
rightness that He has set is kept at bay by the right and left-winged
"rightness" of ism-Christianity. When Jesus comes back, there will be no
doubt who HE is...even the right and left-wing Christians will come to
their spiritual senses and accept the truth Of His Grace and Love.
The
right and left-winged religious gospel focuses on Jesus’ birth, death, and
resurrection, neglecting the focus of the Gospel of Christ...His
earth-walk in His earth-suit! His life living is the greater part of the
Gospel, and is mean to be front and center now, not in some great
hereafter! Jesus was and is the "Living Word" of God during His
earth-walk as well as after His death and resurrection. Not only is what
Jesus "said" the Living Word of God, but what Jesus "did" is also the
"Living Word" of God...Jesus "Himself" is the living Word of God!
Observing His living we see that Jesus made room for those cut off from
the rest of society. Jesus put a priority on the forgotten, down-trodden
and the down-and-outer people. Jesus called us to carry our cross daily
and follow him. That’s what the Gospel is.
As
a ”Left winged ism-less believer"...I left the hateful judgmental-ism,
condemnational-ism, prejudice, and callous attitudes of ism-Christianity
behind; in search of Jesus wonderment in leaving the 99 in the fold, to
go find the people who were lost, ignored, excluded, overlooked,
abandoned, judged, condemned, downtrodden and the uncared-for...ALL “the
least of these.” I left hard-heartedness religion because I want to be
more like the Samaritan who stopped to care for people in need. It is
not as much about doctrine and dogma to me anymore, it is more about
understanding and loving people.
I
believe that human social justice...loving and caring for people no
mater their ism-Christian heritage that fostered their Christian
beliefs. I am more about believers sharing the good news of God's love
and grace, giving the "non-believer" hope in this life by improving their
condition beyond this life..
When
Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen to Him in the Garden they
took warring action by asking if they should strike with weapons, and
then used the sword on the servant of the high priest, cutting off his
right ear: What was Jesus response? “No more of this retributive
spirit!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him. That is how Jesus
treated His enemies. (Luke 22: 49-51)
And
the town did not receive him, because he was headed to Jerusalem. And
when his disciple James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou
that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as
Elisha did? But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, “Ye know not
what manner of spirit ye are of.” For the Son of man is not come to
destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.
(Luke 9:53-56)
Jesus
was not contaminated with the "Avenger Disease" that the judgmental and
condemning left and right ism-Christians of today are.
As
an ism-less believer I no longer get fired up about sin, hell and
eternal damnation that ism-Christians are so up-tight about. I accept
that sinning-sinners and sinning-saints are ALL trapped in the human
condition, and we all struggle with it. As an ism-less believer I want
to focus on behaviors that Jesus focused on while He was here in is
earth-suit...I want no part of the hypocrisy, organized oppression,
manipulative practices, exorbitant greed, self-righteousness,
judge-mentalism, selfishness, abuse of power, violence of the
ism-Christians.
Paul
defined the human condition well in: Romans 7: 14-25 “We know that the
law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not
understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I
hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is
good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin
living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my
sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot
carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I
do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want
to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does
it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right
there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see
another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the
law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within
my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body
of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord"
Too
many ism-Christians espouse a deeply ingrained code of written and
unwritten conduct and rules that shame, blame and drain drain people of
spiritual strength. The ism-less left-winged believer focuses on a
gospel to help people unmask the lies that keep them on a
works/righteousness treadmill; a message to help people discover the
liberation of the gospel, the grace in Jesus Christ, and the rest that
comes from what Christ has accomplished on the cross. Grace is a free
gift. It cannot be earned.
What are Jesus' commandments:
Hearing
that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One
of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher,
which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the
Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all
your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second
is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the
Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:34-40)
I
get accused by judgemental wrath and hell-believers
of “Cherry-Picking” the bible regarding the goodness of God by rejecting
the "dark side" of God. This is a ridiculous sentiment...darkness
cannot kill the light, light kills the darkness, Jesus is the light of
the work that dispels the darkness.
Left
ism-less believers believe that the obvious primary message of Jesus
was love...Love for God, and love for our All humanity, loving with all your heart, and with all your
soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost
commandment. And a second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbour as
yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the
Prophets. (Matthew 22:37-40)
A
new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I
have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will
know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. (John
13:34-35)
Whatever you want others to do for you, do so for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12)
But
love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return;
and your reward in heaven will be great, and you will be sons of the
Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. (Luke
6:35)
Whoever
wishes( to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever
wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of
Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life a
ransom for many. (Mark 10:43-45)
If
I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to
wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should
do as I did to you. (John 13:14-15)
Love
God and love people. Forgive people over and over again, as you have
been forgiven by God over and over again. Show mercy, as you have been
shown mercy by God. Help the weak, the sick, the depressed, the poor,
the jailed, the oppressed, the marginalized, the outcast...for one day
you could be weak, sick, depressed, poor, jailed, oppressed,
marginalized, outcast. It is also the only reasonable response to God’s
overwhelming lover and grace...sharing the same love and grace with
people in our sphere of influence.
Ism-less-believers
believe that John the Baptist wasn’t joking when he proclaimed the
coming of Jesus saying, “and "ALL" flesh shall see the salvation of
God.” We firmly believe that all means ALL. The exclusionary gospel of
the ism-Christians is foreign to God's good and retribution-less nature.
Jesus came to set the captives free and announce the arrival of the
peaceable kingdom of God where ALL are welcomed.
The
exclusionary tactics and demonization that is so frequently practiced
by ism-Christians is not of the Jesus of the bible. John the Baptist
said, “every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down
and thrown into the fire.” The tree of right and left ism-Christianity
all too often bare the fruit of anger, hate, judgment and condemnation.
It produces some strange fruit. Fruit that depress people because of
homophobic bullying. Fruit that condemn people to hell because they do
not agree with right or left wing theology. Fruit that divides and
segregates children of God. Fruit that aborts the abortionist. Fruit
that abandons the abandoned. Trees that bear these fruits, systems that
bear these fruits are not being nourished by Jesus the vine.
Pharisees...Ism-Christians...t
Ism-Christians don’t get that for some reason.
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