The idea that we must either accept “orthodox” Christianity or become an avowed atheist is a false dilemma. There is actually an infinite variety of choices, including marching to the beat of your own drummer. You don’t need an ism or a formal systematic structure with a neat definition. Being yourself and accepting what you think and how you feel doesn’t necessarily coincide with joining a group of like-minded believers.
If you grew up with “orthodox” Christianity and have discovered that a great deal of it isn’t to your liking, you can reinvent it. There is evidence to suggest that is exactly what early Christians did.
I like the Golden Rule—do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Paul Tillich taught that human beings have a greater capacity for kindness when they feel accepted, when they feel like they belong. When you see the world as a dog eat dog place, you tend to grab what you can get. You become bitter, hostile and paranoid. Tillich was a Christian theologian, but his understanding of Christianity wasn’t traditional. Rather than claiming human beings are unworthy, miserable creatures, he said that God has already accepted us, but we are reluctant to believe we are acceptable. So in Tillich’s view, Christianity isn’t about Jesus taking the punishment for our supposedly unforgivable sins, but rather an attempt to persuade us to stop punishing ourselves—and by extension punishing everyone around us—and “accept acceptance.” God isn’t the one judging us; we’re judging ourselves…and each other. Tillich reinvented Christianity, and I think he was onto something. I think convincing people they are loved and accepted—right now, just as they are—would help them live out the Golden Rule better than telling them they are sinners deserving of death, and their only hope is to believe in a blood sacrifice that covers their debts. Thus setting up a “saved” vs. “unsaved” dichotomy whereby the “saved” insist that we’re all unworthy, but some of us are more unworthy than others.
Well, as I’ve said before, I don’t know if there’s a god or not, but I do believe that we’re more likely to be loving when we are loved and when our needs are met. Children being raised by responsible, loving parents, living in decent housing in safe neighborhoods, having enough food to eat, getting a good education, and having a sense of belonging, a sense of community… These things are important, and I think they make all the difference.
Based on my understanding of the canonical Gospels, I think Jesus was an apocalyptic preacher, but apocalypticism is one of the things I don’t like about traditional “orthodox” Christianity. I don’t like the idea of a cosmic war between good and evil. I think it leads to believers viewing themselves as one of the “good guys” while viewing those who different as evil. However, I can see how the idea might have been a comfort to those living under an oppressive regime two thousand years ago. It provides a reason as to why a loving god would allow good people to be persecuted, and it promises that one day everything will be put right. The problem is God never put things right, and people are still holding onto the promise, and still thinking of themselves as the persecuted “good guys” when they’re not being persecuted.
Jesus did put an interesting spin on his version of apocalypticism. (Or at least, the Jesus we find in the canonical Gospels did this. How complete and accurate those gospels are is anyone’s guess.) Rather than advocating for a violent overthrow of the Romans and their local collaborators, Jesus spoke of the coming Kingdom of God and advocated that his followers start living as though that kingdom were already here. Maybe he, or, at least, the Gospel writers, believed this kingdom would be a physical reality that would be manifest by supernatural forces. (Then again, maybe not. Maybe it was meant metaphorically.) But can’t it be whatever you want it to be? It seems Jesus taught that there would be no more violence in the kingdom, so turn the other cheek and love your enemies. It seems he taught there would be no more inequities, so give to the poor and stop trying to become rich. In the kingdom, we’re all going to be equal, and we’re all going to take care of one another. Couldn’t all of this be seen as another way of saying “be the change you want to see in the world”? Even the avowed atheist Friedrich Nietzsche said, “Live as though the day were here.”
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