5 Churchy Phrases That Are Scaring Off Millennials

Quotes from the article, by Addie Zierman: 

"We don’t want to hustle to prove our faith; we don’t want to pretend. We want to be accepted, not analyzed." 

... 

"You’ve heard us say that we like Jesus but not the church, and it’s not because we’re trying to be difficult. It’s because the Jesus we read about enters into the pain of humanity where so often the church people seem to want to float above it."

Read more, here. 

Interpretation, the Lens.

This cartoon has to be one of my favorite works from David Hayward.

"Truth" is subject to the lens of one's interpretation.



Related post: The Elephant and the Four Blind Men

Please Spare Me Your Grace Message And Your God Is Love Message, If...

"Please spare me your grace message and your god is love message, if you still believe billions will burn for eternity, for not believing like you."

- Don Griffin

PS: Oh, and by the way, I am not at all, against the message of grace and unconditional love. The point of sharing this quote is that, it is hilarious when we put limits to grace and love.   

Clanging Cymbals...

“See the light in others, and treat them as if that is all you see.” - Wayne Dyer 

This thought that I came across today, was a good reminder for me. 

Focusing on darkness, soils one's mind. Unchecked, it morphs into another manifestation of a "right-er/better-er than thou" mentality. 

Thanks, but no thanks. 

It's no news that religion has always put people in bondage, under the banner of God. But fighting negativity with negativity has never yielded freedom for anyone. 

Rocked by the revelation of grace, the German priest Martin Luther broke out of the Catholic system (this, by the way, triggered the Protestant movement, which is now splintered into thousands of denominations). But since he was primarily driven by dogma and his rightness, rather than love, he was known for his deep anti-Semitism. 

So, the ultimate goal is not about having a "correct" theology (Christianity has plenty of versions of what "correct" is and isn't). It is, and has always been, love. Without love (who God is), we are merely clanging cymbals, whether we are proficient Bible thumpers, or “deep” contemplatives.

Spine

On Gays: 

"Who am I to judge a gay person of goodwill who seeks the Lord?" 

On Finding God in Everyone: 
"God is in everyone's life. Even if the life of a person has been a disaster, even if it is destroyed by vices, drugs or anything else, God is in this person's life." 

On Faith and Doubt: 
"If one has the answers to all the questions that is the proof that God is not with him. It means that he is a false prophet using religion for himself. The great leaders of the people of God, like Moses, have always left room for doubt. You must leave room for the Lord, not for our certainties; we must be humble." 

- Pope Francis

::

Now this is an example of someone, who has a spine.

Bigotry

Having been raised, and lived in multiple countries, and thanks to real friendships (not just acquaintances) with people from almost all the major religious and non-religious backgrounds from several parts of the world, I know how embarrassingly shallow, and alarmingly ignorant it is, to use a very broad brush, to negatively portray a community, or a denomination, or a group of people, that are different from "us". 

The extremist Hindu factions slaughtered hundreds of Muslims in Gujarat, India, in 2002, and continue to cause havoc in different pockets of India. Noting this, some may think that Hinduism is a violent religion. 

Because of the actions of a few Muslims that believe in a particular interpretation of their religious text, some paint that religion as evil. 

People are saying the same thing about Christianity too, when they look at the Westboro Baptist Church, the crucifix-wearing KKK, or the ever-scowling Evangelicals. They also must have thought the same thing about Christianity, when the Catholics and the Protestants deep-fried the "heretics" at the stake. Oh, and let's not forget the blood-bathed Crusades. 

The other day, I came across an article in TIME magazine, about the growth of radical Buddhism in Burma, where scores of Muslims have been killed, due to communal violence. One would assume that equating "radical" with "Buddhism" is oxymoronic, because it is a religion that is known for non-violence. 

What's my point? All the prominent religions have had their share of people who have spoken and acted as the agents of darkness. And they continue to do so, in the name of their beloved beliefs. Their sincerity is not in question here, but the result of what their words and actions produce -- which is anything, but love. 

John says, "…whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love, does not know God, because God is love." (1 John 4:7-8 ESV). Period. It's not about our supposed theological rightness, devotion and/or passion. 

However, the fact remains that the rest, if not, the majority of the believers of all the major religions, do not support (as passive as they might be in voicing their disagreements) the actions, or the interpretations of the vocal few. 

Bigotry is a choice. It is birthed by ignorance; and often cultivated by a cocooned upbringing and the environment we choose to surround us with. Not one of us are born as bigots. 

The freeing news, however, is that, choices can be unmade.

Unconditional Acceptance

The “prodigal” son felt like a loser after he squandered his inheritance away and fed the pigs. Yet, that did not alter his sonship and his father’s unconditional love for him. 

The elder brother was the “good boy” of the family. He never missed one church service, he did not hang out with the “wrong” company, he worked hard at his father’s business; yet, he failed to understand the heart of his father -- because his trust was in his obedience and faithfulness, over his father’s unconditional acceptance. 

We serve. But we do not serve to be accepted by the Father. We already are accepted in the beloved, purely by his grace (Eph 1:6 NKJV).

God, Dogs and Cats

Dogs give birth to puppies. 

Cats give birth to kittens. 

The Christian religion, for decades, have been indoctrinating that, humans are worthless worms. This idea is laced in our messages, songs and prayers.

Without an ounce of respect, and with fervent passion, I disagree with that notion.

God created man in His own image and likeness. We are masterpieces (Ephe 2:10 NLT), whether we believe it or not. 

God created gods (John 10:34). 

Back to the animal analogy. 

Dogs bark. Puppies bark. 

Cats meow. Kittens meow. 

God is a creator. If we are His children, aren't we supposed to do the same too? 

We do. 

We consciously, or unconsciously create, with our intents, beliefs and words. 

The New Age camp recently popularized the Law of Attraction. I learned the heart of that message in a church setting, way before I read one book about LOA. And this is not to say that Christianity owns the patent to this timeless truth. 

But when we realize that our intentions, our core beliefs, are create-ive in nature, that will awaken us to a radically new perspective. 

As much as I value the power of our words, our words are merely thoughts and beliefs, given form. We don't say something that we do not believe. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. 

And this is precisely why, what we believe, or how our mindset is programmed, matters. 

I don't know how "free" our will is, but I believe in the power of choices. We can choose to reprogram or renew our mindset - with create-ive belief patters that will free us and help us soar; or debilitating belief patterns that will chain us down, that will make us think we are chickens, when we actually are eagles. 

By the way, there is nothing wrong with chickens; the point is, it would literally be a crippling experience for an eaglet, if it were to be raised around the chicken mindset.

10 Ways to Spot Spiritual Abuse

Guilt and condemnation, regardless of how cleverly it is concealed, is not from God. 

Even though the image of the article that I link below, shows a church building, spiritual abuse is not just limited to the church, which gathers in a building, every Sunday; it happens within home churches and other ministries as well. 

Disclaimer: By sharing this link, I neither say, nor imply, that all organized gatherings are abusive in nature. They are not, and it would be naïve to think so. But if yours is, this is for you. 

Spiritual Abuse: 10 Ways to Spot It, by Mary DeMuth

Love Cannot Be Analyzed

"What I love about spirituality and mysticism (pursuit of God through direct experience, intuition, instinct or insight), is that it can only be experienced (and tested) subjectively. It requires an engagement of the heart, not just the intellect. We are given a brain, AND we are given a heart for a *reason*. To use only one is to live in a constant state of duality, confusion, and limited understanding. To dismiss the subjective heart experiences of others just because one thinks the other naive or weak, OR just because one doesn't know how to connect one's head to one's heart is not a discussion worth entering. Some things can only be deeply experienced, in a place without words or scientifically measurable evidence and analysis."

- Julie Ferwerda

I agree with this quote. 

While there is a place for hard questions, trying to analytically dissect faith, or spiritual experiences, is like trying to analyze and define love. We know it when we experience it. This is not head-knowledge, but an inner knowing. 

No explanations can satisfy the analyst, and none has to be given either.