the answer

The answer lies in Jesus, Christ The Lord, not in "Christianity".  Christianity, the religion, is made up of men and women, and we screw up.  We follow Jesus, but we are not Him.  We cling to Him, but we are far from perfect.

I will tell you what I know to be true and I will tell you why I believe, but, please, don't look to me for the absolute answers to anything.

That comes from knowing Him, and coming to know Him.

Look to Jesus for the truth.

"and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."  ~  John 8:32 (NASB)

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."  ~  Matthew 6:33 (NASB)

Bible Hub

the not so humorous side of religion

Merriam Webster defines religion as "a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices", and " a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith". 
  
By these definitions, I would qualify that I am a religious person, as should anyone with any type of belief structure, be it faith based, political, regional, organizational, etc..I think, however, when someone probes my character with the "religious" question they are more looking for my faith based structure.

I maintain a relationship with The Lord Jesus, but I don't consider myself part of a religious faction or of  the trappings of formality. I believe that The Bible is God's Word to humanity, both to me and to you.  Whether or not each of us follows the instructions remains a personal choice.  When we follow along with a group of others, to also adhere to a formatted list of additional rules, proceedings, tenants and coordinated agreements, we step into my definition of religion.

Merriam-Webster defines "Christian" as "one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ".  I fall into that defined category, so, for me, let's leave it there.

According to Mary Fairchild, About.com Guide , "Today in the U.S., about 79.5% of adults (247 million) identify themselves as Christian."  She also notes, "Of the approximate 2 billion Christians in the world today, 279 million (12.8% of the world's Christian population) identify themselves, as Pentecostals, 304 million (14%) are Charismatics, and 285 million (13.1%) are Evangelicals, or Bible believing Christians.".


Clearly, if we are all reading the same book, one has to wonder why there are so many differing views on the contents.  We can not logically blame the Writer, though millions of "non-believers" would argue this point, so we are left with "religion".

The precipitate of this train of thought  was the following article brought to us by our liberally canted but always thought provoking guardians of the news at CNN: "Birthplace of Christ" to be first Palestinian World Heritage site?.

I was bemused by several of the passages and the (possibly unintended, though I think not) portrayal of the fallacies of organized "religion" combined with regional politics and tourism.

"Bethlehem, situated in the West Bank, about eight kilometers south of Jerusalem, is considered the Palestinian Territories' top visitor destination partly due to the religious significance of the church."

"She said the center considered Bethlehem's inclusion on the list "as a Palestinian dream, and as a reward of 11 years of work in the field of preserving the cultural and natural heritage in Palestine."


"Visitor numbers have hit record highs in recent years, but, according to a report into developing tourism in the town, Bethlehem has yet to properly capitalize on its potential. The majority of the visitors were day trippers on short visits, meaning the full economic benefits of tourism did not flow into the town."

So, while the Palestinians want to kill all the people of Israel, they also want to make sure they get their fair share of tourism dollars associated with the "Christian" shrine.

The local "Christians" looked even worse, "The condition of the church, which has suffered extensive earthquake damage in its history, has been of concern. One of the issues is that responsibility for its administration is shared between three religious authorities -- the Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Roman Catholic churches. On occasion, tensions between the groups have spilled over into violence; in December, about 100 Greek Orthodox and Armenian clerics fought with brooms when a tussle broke out while cleaning the church."

Yup, It's a "Holy Place", according to the tour guides, but watch out for jihadists and infighting among the caretakers!

Money.  Prestige.  Power.  A strong Travelocity rating. Oh, how that "Little Town of Bethlehem" has grown.

I'll continue to follow the teachings of Jesus, because that is what I believe God wants me to do, as outlined in His instruction manual, The Holy Bible.  I'll go to church and fellowship with like-minded believers, as also outlined in the book; and I'll do the best I can to be a good neighbor to mankind.

But I'll shy away from swinging brooms and selling souveniers to "the place where Jesus slept".

Please don't hate me

I am rattled by those who are so religious in their hatred of all thing "religious".

I read and examine web sites, blogs, etc. of folks who are "liberal" in their thinking and philosophy; I enjoy the discovery and am curious to the thought processes of "liberal minded" people and programs.

Far too often I come across folks who seem to be, by their own definition, "haters".  They espouse a certain hatred and bigotry toward "religion", God, conservatism and, anyone who disagrees with their personal philosophy of life on this planet; an intolerance toward those who they deem intolerant.

There are also those "religious" folks who are just as intolerant and spout the same hatred and bigotry toward others. The stories of church congregations and their leaders spouting putrid filth and hatred toward fellow creations of God are legendary. I am quick to point out that these folks do not speak of our God, the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob, the God of the Holy Bible.  These folks have twisted "God" to suit their personal bias, may have "Christian" on their door and wall, but certainly do not fit my definition of a "follower of Jesus".

Madness falls in all categories and walks of life on this planet we call our temporary home.  Anyone who believes that our God "hates" any one person on this planet just simply doesn't understand the message of the Bible.  God hates the sin, not the man. Every person on this planet is a personal creation of God, and God loves His creations.

I'm willing to bet that, just like me, on any given day, each one of us falls into one or more of these categories of the sin that God detests.

     "Professing to be wise, they became fools,  and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
     Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.  For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
     For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural,  and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.
      And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper,  being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them."  ~ Romans 1:22-32

I wish I could find a way, in loving patience, to better express myself and to better express God's love and mercy toward all mankind.  Along that way, I'll just have to work harder at walking the walk, before I talk the talk.  In the meantime, don't hate me for believing the Bible is true, attending a "Christian" congregation, for believing that life is sacred, or for believing you can enjoy God's Gift of Grace.  I don't hate those who believe the opposite.

     "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.   For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."  ~ John 3:16-17