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Archive for the ‘Acceptance of Others’ Category

Can We Really Be at Peace with All

Posted in Acceptance of Others, christian living, Love of God, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 14, 2023|

by Jim Gordon

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone — Romans 12:18

To be at peace with all people, including believers and non-believers, it seems almost impossible in our world today. We have so many different thoughts and ideas, different denominations, interpretations and beliefs and all the different religions. It makes you wonder how it is possible to be at peace with everyone?

The dictionary describes peace as freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions; harmony in personal relations.

I have been thinking recently about how some Christian people act towards those who see things differently. I do not know why we can be so mean at times. We feel we have to prove our point to others and stand our ground when it comes to doctrine and interpretation of the bible. I am not sure why we feel it is our job to be the morality police. Why do we feel the need to force our views, beliefs and interpretations on others?

Rather than base our lives on following doctrine and interpretation, we are to follow the example of Jesus. He said to love God and love one another. There is no way to be at peace with others without loving them. We cannot love others without the Spirit of love living within us.

Often times when we meet new people, or even when we get together with current friends, if we could just see the person as a human being without any labels, knowing that God loves them, it is easier to be at peace with them. The problem often seems to be when conversations get onto the subject of politics or religion, things can get divisive. We quickly forget the good things and only focus on our differences. It is very sad to let politics, religion or a number of other labels cloud the good things we see in people.

I think what God is saying about being at peace with all is that we are to live in harmony with others, not allowing any oppressive thoughts or emotions to take control of our feelings toward them. In other words, we live in love. Just because someone does not interpret the bible the same way we do or go to the same church we do or does not go to church at all, we should realize that in regard to other believers, we are all wanting to love God and do what is pleasing to God. We are to accept one another in love and respect the fact that God is working in different ways in people. Just because it is not what we are used to does not mean it is not of God.

In regard to non-believers, we do not need to condemn them or force our beliefs on them. We are to let them see the love of God by the way we treat others. They do not need someone beating them down or twisting their arms to get them to believe like us. We are to love them as they are and let the Spirit do any work that needs to be done in their lives just as the Spirit does in our lives.

If we believers could understand that we are responsible for ourselves in the way we live for God. We are not responsible to live the way others do or the way others think we should. We are to allow the Spirit to work in our lives and follow the Spirit on the path we are on.

Our responsibility is to do what Jesus said, love God and love others. We are to accept them for who they are and pray that the Holy Spirit will teach us and guide us in the way we are to go. We are not responsible to force others to see things the way we see things. We are to love one another and accept one another as they are. Only by living in love can we live at peace with all.

Jim Gordon and his wife left the institutional church after spending over fifty years within the system. Jim wanted a way to express his thoughts and concerns about the religious system and why he and his wife decided to leave the institution but not their faith in God. Jim can be contacted by email at: jimgordon731@gmail.com

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We Must Rethink The Bible When It Comes To Gays!

Posted in Acceptance of Others, Bible, christian living, Love of God, tagged , , , , , , , , on August 6, 2023|

By Mike Edwards

I am going to focus briefly on the main issue as to why I think Christians must change how they view the Bible. There are many reasons. Women suffer violence because some claim the Bible says God wants women submissive to men in ways men are not similarly submissive to women. It doesn’t matter all men don’t take a mile when given an inch. Enough do! But perhaps even worse, Christian leaders condemn gays for being gay because the Bible supposedly does. I wish I had known 40 years ago what I know now!

It doesn’t matter even if you think God inspired the Bible!

It is natural to assume inspiration means God agreed with what the biblical writers claimed about God. If writers wrote God condemns gays according to the Bible, then Christians must do the same. I doubt God inspired everything written in the Bible about God, so the writers might be wrong about God. But even if you believe God inspired every word in the Bible and agrees with all written about God, not all biblical scholars interpret that Bible condemning monogamous gay relationships. See here. I understand condemning unfaithfulness according to the Bible, but we don’t need a book for such condemnation. But claiming God through the Bible condemns gays is subject to biblical interpretation. Your interpretation may be wrong, so stay openminded.

Being gay isn’t a choice!

Many Christians, worse leaders, are quick to judge in God’s name when one admits they are gay. Listen to the Podcast of one man’s journey: Blue Babies Pink by B.T. Harman. Hopefully, it will give you compassion as to the struggles growing up gay. We condemn stealing, murder, and gayness in the same breath. Stealing is a choice. Being gay is not a choice. Listen to their stories before judging. Stop with “love the sinner, hate the sin” speeches. It is impossible to feel loved and accepted when such words are used. Even if you believe the Bible condemns gays, do you tell someone overweight that “I love you but I hate your behaviors.” Look in the mirror for most of us. I’m not overweight but my belly fat is an issue. Anyway, most gays will tell you this is not a choice they have. This is who they are. Why would anyone choose a life of hostility and bigotry?

Please!

I am begging you to not condemn gays because the Bible supposedly does. Christian leaders – show some courage and change your stance. You may not agree with my interpretations, but I will admit my interpretation could be wrong if you will. Listen to each gay’s story and love them like you would want to be loved if you had the same journey. I believe if we at least stopped claiming certainty in God’s name regarding gays or women’ roles in marriage or in church, we would have more open conversations and reveal more the loving God we believe in.

Dear Reader: If you still think being gay is a choice and you must condemn gays in God’s name, I beg you to listen to Blue Babies Pink podcast episodes or if prefer more reading than audio see blog Blue Babies Pink

We Must Rethink The Bible When It Comes To Gays!

MikeEdwardsprofilepic125

Mike Edwards has been writing for Done with Religion for some time and has been a great addition to the site. Mike also has his own site where he writes that can be found at What God May Really Be Like  He can be contacted by email at: medwar2@gmail.com

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Is It Really Us versus Them Within the Church Today?

Posted in Acceptance of Others, christian living, Community, Ekklesia, institutional church, Jesus follower, Love of God, tagged , , , , , , , , on August 2, 2023|

by Jim Gordon

There are hundreds of various denominations within the Christian faith and thousands of various interpretations and doctrines based on the Bible. We seem to hear a lot about two of these groups, evangelicals and progressives, and they appear to be on the opposite ends of the Christian belief spectrum. Should we really make the differences out to be an us versus them way of life? My biblical reply is, my brothers and sisters, this should not be.

I grew up as an evangelical and spent nearly fifty years living with that belief. After many years of questioning my beliefs and what I was taught over the years, I became less evangelical and more progressive in my thinking. That does not mean I have suddenly become anti-evangelical nor am I an enemy to my brothers and sisters who follow the traditional evangelical way, I just do not go along with that way of thinking any longer.

Unfortunately, many times we get an us versus them attitude and fight and argue amongst ourselves over doctrine and interpretation of scriptures. Again I say, brothers and sisters, these things ought not to be. We are not enemies. We are not to be against each other. We are brothers and sisters in Christ with two different views of interpretation. As a verse in the Bible puts it, just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body and we all belong to each other.

We are to be a people that make up the one true Church which has many members, each with an equally important part to play and with Jesus as the head over all of us. This Church is not a building made with hands, but is each one of us who follows the example of Jesus. Just because we interpret scripture differently, just because we have a different view on what the Bible says does not mean we are enemies.

Rather than fight and argue over who is right or who is wrong, remember we are in this together as a family of God. We are one community of believers who want to serve our God by showing love to a hurting world. There are many ways of following the example of Jesus and living for God.

There are many people out there who are hurting, questioning and lost who do not know that God loves them. All they see are people who claim to know God who are fighting amongst themselves and who are condemning those who are different. Because of this they figure what is the use, there is no reason to become a part of this group of people. They are no different than anyone else.

Yet we who are followers of Christ are to show the world that God loves them. We are to do this by loving one another, encouraging one another and lifting one another up. We are to show the love of God to those who are hurting and who do not know that God loves them. We are to let the love of the Spirit of Christ flow from within us to touch others.

Rather than fight and argue amongst ourselves over doctrine, denominations and interpretations, we are to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us, teach us and love all people with the love of God. Remember that Jesus told us to love God and love one another. He never said to judge, condemn, discriminate nor exclude anyone.

Jim Gordon and his wife left the institutional church after spending over fifty years within the system. Jim wanted a way to express his thoughts and concerns about the religious system and why he and his wife decided to leave the institution but not their faith in God. Jim can be contacted by email at: jimgordon731@gmail.com

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What Is The Greatest Advantage Believing In God If So Inclined?

Posted in Acceptance of Others, Bible, christian living, Jesus follower, Love of God, tagged , , , , , , on July 30, 2023|

By Mike Edwards

Some may be on the fence with an inclination to believe in a God. Faith is common in life. We do our due diligence getting a babysitter, but we can’t know for sure they won’t bring harm to our child. We think getting on a plane is safe but we don’t know we will land safely. Believing isn’t always seeing as obviously we cannot prove there is a God or there isn’t a God. I am convinced belief in God and taking action on such a belief is worth the journey.

Belief in God can provide a meaning and purpose in life is the greatest advantage!

Goals are important in embarking upon an achievement. If you want a certain job, you have to purposefully get the right education and experience. If you want to make a sports team, you have to have a plan for training and getting better. What do we all hope for at the end of our life? I recently had a friend pass away. This man was an inspiration in the life he lived – not the possessions he obtained but the relationships he maintained. Pursing a long-lasting reputation in relationships leads to few regrets. This is the goal in life God’s influence can help you achieved.   

Jesus’ message for living

When Jesus was asked what were the greatest commandments or how to have eternal life, He didn’t say drop to your knees and say a certain prayer. He simply said to love God and your neighbor as yourself (Lk.10:25-37; Mt. 22:37-40). God isn’t full of themselves. A perfect, loving God – the only God worth believing in – knows loving God leads to loving others to the fullest. Strive to love others like you want to be loved. God is dying to help you have fewer relational regrets by living a purposeful life.

Don’t major on the minors

Love should be the only doctrine or creed of a church; instead, they divide over what they think the Bible teaches about women, gays, hell, heaven, the Bible, etc. They fail to realize that the Bible requires interpretation which doesn’t guarantee certainty of their stance. We should focus on loving the gays or followers of different religions as we want to be loved. That is more the discussion than what the Bible may or may not say. Have open conversations than claiming to know what God thinks according to your interpretation of a Book. I rather try that approach than cause all the divisions we have among those who supposedly believe in God.

What is a relationship with God like?

Many may not pursue a closer relationship with a God they are inclined to believe in because of what they have heard from others what God is like. Don’t believe everything you hear! God only seeks to love you like you wish you were always able to love others. We all have great parents or at least wish our parents had better loved us in certain ways. This is the God you can believe in and setting out to live a purposeful, meaningful live.

What Is The Greatest Advantage Believing In God If So Inclined?

MikeEdwardsprofilepic125

Mike Edwards has been writing for Done with Religion for some time and has been a great addition to the site. Mike also has his own site where he writes that can be found at What God May Really Be Like  He can be contacted by email at: medwar2@gmail.com

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What About Our Emotions — Behind the Mask

Posted in Acceptance of Others, christian living, Love of God, tagged , , , , , , on July 19, 2023|

by Jim Gordon

Growing up in Christianity, I found myself usually wearing a mask when I went to church. Not a physical mask, but an imaginary mask to hide my true emotions. I always wore a smile on my face and I always acted like everything was good. When people would ask me how I was doing I would always say I’m doing great. The problem was I did not always feel like smiling. I was not always doing great.

So often in our Christian walk we get the idea that we cannot be ourselves and we have to hide our true emotions. We have to always be upbeat and positive and we cannot let people see we are normal human beings who have bad days.

I am not sure where that whole idea came from, but it is not wrong for our human emotions to be seen. We are not always going to be happy or in a good mood, and there will be times when we are mad, aggravated, worried or depressed. That is just being a normal human being, yet no matter what, we know that God loves us.

I think we need to come to the point where we are not afraid to be the real us. We need to take off the mask and just be human. That certainly does not mean we go around grumbling and complaining to everyone we meet. We do not yell and take our frustrations out on everyone every time we see them. Yet we should not hide who we really are or how we really feel.

When we have those days of frustration and depression, it is then our brothers and sisters and those who care about us can be a help and encouragement to lift us up.

As followers of Christ, we have a deep-down sense of spiritual peace and joy that passes comprehension. That does not mean there are times when our humanity is just not lined up with our spiritual reality.

That is why we need one another, why we need fellow believers and friends who care about us. None of us are always in a good mood. When we are down, our friends can help lift us up. When they are down, we can help lift them up.

Friendship, whether it is between fellow believers or people who see things completely opposite, is important to our well-being. Being friends does not have to be with people of the same faith or with similar views. Jesus said to love God and love your neighbor. Our neighbor, whether a fellow believer or not, can be a good friend when we look past the differences and love one another.

Jim Gordon and his wife left the institutional church after spending over fifty years within the system. Jim wanted a way to express his thoughts and concerns about the religious system and why he and his wife decided to leave the institution but not their faith in God. Jim can be contacted by email at: jimgordon731@gmail.com

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Should We Call Ourselves A Judeo-Christian Nation?

Posted in Acceptance of Others, Bible, christian living, Community, Love of God, tagged , , , , , , on July 9, 2023|

By Mike Edwards

The Founders of the United States certainly believe in a Creator (see here ), but they also respected one’s freedom to determine their own religious beliefs. They wouldn’t argue atheists should be discriminated against. The Bible is the foundation behind the Judeo-Christian heritage. Good and bad has arisen as a result because of how the Bible is viewed. The Bible has been used to cause harm to women by declaring husbands as their leader rather than God. But a Nation that lives by the 10 Commandments doesn’t need law enforcement. Actions are immoral regardless of whether you claim belief in God or the Bible. Universal truths exist regardless of your belief.

A Judeo-Christian label doesn’t respect God’s freedom of belief 

Christians who believe in a Bible must admit that Jesus didn’t come to overthrow the Roman Empire to establish a Christian nation. Jesus biggest opponent seems to be the religious who claim to represent God. God obviously respects one’s personal choice to believe in God or not; otherwise, why wouldn’t a supposed all-powerful God destroy unbelievers at the first sight of evil in the world? Without freedom we could accuse God of not creating the very best world where only true, authentic relationships can develop. We are dependent on our children for intimate relationships. God would only give us uncontrolled freedom if seeking a friendship with us. 

A Judeo-Christian label assumes truth comes from a Book 

Insisting on Judeo-Christians values as a nation’s foundation can suggest such values come from the Bible. The majority of people born into this world didn’t have a Bible but surely understand moral values. Different Religions can agree on most moral values though they don’t share the same Book of values. Values don’t just come from a Book. Even if God inspired a Book word for word somehow, God can’t control interpretations being infallible. Biblical scholars who respect Scriptures don’t agree what the Bible teaches about many moral values – women rights, gay condemnation, Hell, and the afterlife , etc. See here.  See here.  See here.

Where do values come from? 

Moral values are not determined by a Book, popular opinion, or by a few in power. No, one can’t just always follow their own heart! There are universal values that most rational people agree on such as murder, stealing, equal rights for all, etc. We simply may disagree what would the punishment should be for breaking such a law. That must be debated openly. Most religions agree the overriding moral guide is to love others like you want to be treated. Belief or lack of belief in God doesn’t give you an excuse to not treat others like you want to be treated. 

What kind of nation are we then? 

Believing in “biblical values” doesn’t lead to consensus of belief. What kinds of immigration or climate policies we should pursue aren’t universal truths. A Nation can never reach its potential until there is open, free debate what is the most caring decision for all involved. Until we all ask ourselves “am I acting toward others like I want to be treated,” we seem destined to fail. Are we a loving Nation? The U.S. Constitution may be the greatest guarantor of freedom in history. Certain alienable rights must exist such as the freedom for life and liberty if such decisions are not physically harmful to others. We can express individually and respect one’s belief or not in a moral, loving God. This is who we are as a Nation!

Should We Call Ourselves A Judeo-Christian Nation?

MikeEdwardsprofilepic125

Mike Edwards has been writing for Done with Religion for some time and has been a great addition to the site. Mike also has his own site where he writes that can be found at What God May Really Be Like  He can be contacted by email at: medwar2@gmail.com

 

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Is The United States A Christian Nation Whose Rights Come From God?

Posted in Acceptance of Others, christian living, Community, Love of God, tagged , , , , , , , , , on May 28, 2023|

By Mike Edwards

The United States is often referred to as a Christian Nation or a nation whose rights come from God. The Declaration of Independence penned in 1776 gives good reason to suggest our founder’s belief in a Creator:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. 

Is God a Christian nationalist?

We don’t all agree on a definition of this term, but those who believe in a God/Creator/Supreme Being aren’t always careful with their words. They are accused of attempting to establish a Christian nation, though they must agree we should respect one’s right to choose any faith or religion that doesn’t violate the rights of others (“unalienable Right to Liberty”). I doubt God is a Christian nationalist or sought to establish a Christian nation because of respect for freedom of belief. Besides, forced love is an oxymoron. Jesus came to influence others to love as they want to be loved, not to overthrow the Roman Empire to make it a God/Jesus/Christian empire.

Who do our rights come from? 

I happen to have faith there is a Creator, but faith is an individual decision. Regardless of one’s belief, we aren’t clueless right from wrong. Such clues don’t come just from a Book. The majority of people born into this world didn’t have a Bible, and people knew right from wrong before the Bible. Rights neither come from a few individuals that happen to be in Government. Perfect rights or laws are those that demonstrate loving others like we want to be love. Even atheists would agree.

How do we determine what perfect, loving laws are?

We don’t all agree what the most loving actions are. It is a bit naïve for any nation to claim our values must be biblically based, as if all agree what the Bible says about abortion, gays, capital punishment, etc.  See here.  The equal rights of women with men in many Nations are denied because of a Book. Regardless of your faith, most rational beings agree on many universal moral values (murder, stealing).  And no – climate control, immigration, taxes, health care, are not universal laws. The problem in the U.S. is debate is frowned up and attempts are made to quash contrary opinions.

How do we create a nation where “all are created equal with unalienable rights?

I believe the Declaration of Independence and Constitution makes the U.S. unique from most other countries. We all have “unalienable rights” and not rights according to Government or Dictators. In our Republic, the Government is limited in taking aways certain rights of the people. Our Democracy allows representation through voting, though the Constitution and Bill of Rights safeguard individual rights such as freedom of speech, thus protection from majority power over the minority. A true debate of differing opinions is out best chance at arriving at the most caring decision for all concerned. Until we all ask ourselves “am I acting toward others like I want to be treated,” we seem destined to fail.

Is The United States A Christian Nation Whose Rights Come From God?

MikeEdwardsprofilepic125

Mike Edwards has been writing for Done with Religion for some time and has been a great addition to the site. Mike also has his own site where he writes that can be found at What God May Really Be Like  He can be contacted by email at: medwar2@gmail.com

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Should We Accept Those Who Believe Differently?

Posted in Acceptance, Acceptance of Others, christian living, Jesus follower, Love of God, tagged , , , , , , on May 10, 2023|

by Jim Gordon

It seems most of us Christian people are quick to say we are accepting of others. Yet, we often find that we are only accepting of those who believe the same way we do.

If we meet someone from a different faith, different nationality, different political party, we would rather argue with them and defend our way of thought just to prove they are wrong or unworthy of our acceptance.

When looking at the way Jesus lived, we see a life of loving others and accepting those who the religious crowd did not like. He was kind, loving, forgiving and caring to all he came in contact. It seemed his main conflicts came from the religious self-righteous leaders.

Jesus walked with the prostitutes, the demon possessed, the heathen, tax collectors and people who the religious crowd felt they should stay away from. Today we seem to think we have to stay away from those who are different or doing things we disapprove of to prove how righteous we are. We never see Jesus doing such things. He enjoyed spending time with people from all walks of life. He got in trouble with the religious people of his day for living this way, and we find this still happens today when we accept people just the way they are.

Rather than being judgmental and unaccepting, we should be kind, accepting and sharing the love of God to everyone we meet. After all, we are not called to point out the sins of others and say what is and what is not sin. We are called to love God and love one another.

Jesus never said to separate from people. He said to go into all the world and preach the gospel. The gospel is the good news that we are loved and accepted by God. We can do this by living a life of love, acceptance and allowing the love of God to touch people right where they are.

It seems to me rather than fight and argue over doctrine, interpretation and belief we would do better to love, accept and show compassion. This certainly does not mean we have to agree with everyone, but we do not have to be unaccepting nor always defend our way of thinking.

Many of us think we have it all figured out and our way of faith is the only way. We think we have to persuade others to come to our way of thinking or they are doomed to hell. As we grow in the Spirit, we come to see that some of our interpretations and beliefs were wrong, so why should we tell others what is right and wrong and tell them how they should believe? This should be something between the individual and the Spirit within.

I am not sure any of us have it all figured out, in fact I know none of us do. We all have room to question, learn and change. I know my wife and I are doing more questioning than we ever did and we are finding new truths as we walk daily in the Spirit.

When it comes down to it, we should be open to accept others no matter what their way of thinking. People want to be loved and accepted, they want to be happy and get along with others. When we get all religious and defend our point of view it does more harm and drives people apart more than anything.

My wife and I have been asking God for strength to accept and love everyone. No matter what they believe, no matter what their faith or doctrine, no matter their religion, nationality, sexual preference or color, we want to see them as Jesus sees them. This is a type of love we cannot do on our own. It is only possible by the love of God within us. We want to love, accept and care for people. Naturally we will not always agree, but we want to look past those areas and love them in Christ. We feel this is the way that others will come to see the love of God, not through unacceptance, not through condemnation, not by trying to prove we are right and they are wrong, but by accepting them and loving them with a godly love.

Love does not mean seeing eye-to-eye, it does not mean we agree or always like some of the things people do, but it does mean we look past the differences and love them as Christ loves them. We see them as human beings equally deserving of love, respect and acceptance.

Let’s try to look past the labels and see people who have feelings, who want love and friendship, people we can get to know, learn from, share thoughts and ideas and accept as human beings who were created in the image of God.

Jim Gordon and his wife left the institutional church after spending over fifty years within the system. Jim wanted a way to express his thoughts and concerns about the religious system and why he and his wife decided to leave the institution but not their faith in God. Jim can be contacted by email at: jimgordon731@gmail.com

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Why Are Christians So Judgmental?

Posted in Acceptance of Others, christian living, Jesus follower, Love of God, tagged , , , , , , , on April 23, 2023|

By Mike Edwards

We all are judgmental not just Christians. Christians have less of an excuse to be judgmental. After all, we are guided by the principle of loving others as we want to be loved. Jesus certainly didn’t seem judgmental. He hung out with all kinds of people who didn’t necessarily have His same beliefs. Jesus did get His dander up with religious folks because they were misrepresenting God. Christians may be doing God a favor if questioning certain claims made about God, and they stop trying to force their beliefs on the rest of the world.

Would you naturally assume if not for your understanding of a Book that: 

  • God condemns gays though gays no more choose to be gay than straights choose to be straight
  • God prohibits women serving as pastors or priests though my wife and daughters are a lot smarter and better leaders than a whole lot of men
  • God encourages wives being more submissive to husbands which is conducive to abuse
  • God judges based on religion when the religion the majority adhere to depends where born

Even if the entire Bible is inspired by God, interpretations aren’t inspired. It seems the most loving approach would be to claim uncertainty than to be wrong. Be careful judging others according to your understanding of a Book, especially if interpretation go against your moral intuitions. 

Should Christians ever judge?

I am not suggesting we shouldn’t stand up when children or women are abused. If judgment is necessary, shouldn’t we judge one by their character rather than their color, gender, religion, or beliefs in God? It shouldn’t be in our nature to unload on others because their beliefs aren’t ours. It’s hard to know why some believe in a God and not others. Neither is hardly a personality flaw. If God is real, God surely is big enough to make their case with each individual. But it is a universal principle, except for the selfish, that we ought to treat others like we want to be treated.     

Is God really all that judgmental?

If we think God is hard to please and pissed off about sin rather than what sin is doing to us, we may stop going to God when failing. God desires perfection for our own sake but surely celebrates our victories along the way. Our image of God can dictate our actions toward others. If we believe God really created such a place as Hell see here ,we may think we should emulate God in our attempts to judge and punish. If God punishes us forever (Hell) for sins briefly while here on earth, aren’t we teaching others to fear God? Help others to consider what a loving God would really be like!

Why Are Christians So Judgmental?

MikeEdwardsprofilepic125

Mike Edwards has been writing for Done with Religion for some time and has been a great addition to the site. Mike also has his own site where he writes that can be found at What God May Really Be Like  He can be contacted by email at: medwar2@gmail.com

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Morality Cannot be Accomplished through Politics

Posted in Acceptance of Others, christian living, Love of God, tagged , , , , , , , on April 19, 2023|

by Jim Gordon

We Christians seem to think that we can make everything better by voting the right politicians into office and passing the right laws. We seem to think that we can actually legislate morality. We have our pet doctrines and think with the right people in office or the right laws passed, the world would be a better place.

We think if we can get the democrats out and the republicans in, or the other way around, things will improve. Now that Roe v Wade has been overturned, and if they can get the ten commandments posted in every courthouse, put prayer back in school, or keep ‘In God We Trust’ on our money, things will be better.

The trouble with this way of thinking is, it does not work. We cannot legislate “Christian” values based on what we think is morally right. One, here in the USA we have freedom of religion. This means everyone is free to practice the religion they want to follow, and no one can force their particular religion on others. Second, rules and laws do not change the inner person. Only a life changed by God will make a lasting difference.

There is no political party that is going to make everything OK. It is so aggravating at times to listen to people condemn one political party or the other, when neither party is going to have the answers that makes everything better. If one political party was replaced by another political party, the only thing that would change would be the people who are complaining.

In his book, Jesus v. Evangelicals, Constantine R. Campbell states that “Political engagement is not wrong, but it is not a silver bullet to cultural transformation and renewal. Americans will live Christianly if they think Christianly, and that will happen only if their hearts are transformed by Christ. Laws do not transform hearts. Even less so political parties”.

We get so caught up on what a man or group of people can supposedly do, when actually no human can come up with all the answers needed to solve all our problems. We are to trust God and then do what seems to be the right actions for all people to help change our world.

We should be praying for our leaders, no matter which party they belong too. Although we pray for them and respect their position, we should not be placing our hope in any political party. Political parties are made up of human beings who are imperfect. Truthfully, most often they are only looking out for their political agenda and financial well-being.

Seek first the Kingdom of God. Realize the Spirit of God lives within us and we are actually living in the Kingdom right now. Listen for the voice and guidance of the Holy Spirit, and love others no matter who they are or what they think. We are not going to change people by voting in specific politicians and making new laws. The only way to make a real impact on others and on our world is by loving people, accepting them as they are, and following through with actions that will be good for all people.

Jim Gordon and his wife left the institutional church after spending over fifty years within the system. Jim wanted a way to express his thoughts and concerns about the religious system and why he and his wife decided to leave the institution but not their faith in God. Jim can be contacted by email at: jimgordon731@gmail.com

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