by Michael Donahoe
I recently saw a news article about one group of Christians were picketing another church group. Supposedly they were picketing because they felt the church group, who allowed gays and women who had abortions into their assembly, was being soft on sin.
I can only assume that the picketers thought the gays and the abortion people were too big of sinners to be in with the religious folk.
Seems the church assembly was being more Christ-like to me, but the whole situation made me feel a little ashamed to be called a Christian. In fact, I think it is a good idea to give up being called a Christian. It is just another man-made religion, and I have come to a point in life that I am done with religion. Rather than being called a Christian, I think it makes more sense to say I am a follower of Jesus. He did not start Christianity and he did not come to start any kind of religion.
Being a Christ follower is a daily 24/7 lifestyle, not something to be done once a week in a building. It is not following a doctrine or a set of rules and regulations.
As a Christ follower, we accept all people and we love all people, like Jesus did when he walked this earth.
This does not mean we agree with everyone. It does not mean people can live anyway they want and have fellowship with God. Yet once they come to God, the Spirit comes to live within them, and he will guide them in their daily lives and actions. It is not our job to condemn others. Jesus command under the New Covenant is for us to love God and love others.
Like the picketers and church group mentioned above, a lot of Christians today spend more time fighting and arguing amongst themselves while the world watches and laughs.
As followers of Christ, we need to keep in mind that we, the Church, are the body of Christ in our world. We may be the only “Jesus” many people see. We should focus on Christ as our ultimate source and lay down our personal feelings. Our goal should be more of Him and less of us.
Michael Donahoe created Done with Religion after he and his wife left the institutional church after over fifty years within the system. He wanted a way to express his thoughts and concerns about the religious system, and tell why he and his wife decided to leave the institution but not their faith in God. They have now been outside the walls of religion for over fifteen years. He enjoys writing about his experiences and thoughts, and he wants to encourage others who are going through the religious deconstruction process. He also writes on Substack at https://deconstructiontrail.substack.com/ and https://personalmeanderings.substack.com/ Michael can be contacted by email at: jimgordon731@gmail.com
Done with Religion 