Jesus Was A Good Dude

The Rev. Jim Rigby is pastor of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Austin, Tex. and he has written a most thought provoking article onAlterNet about what we have done in our culture to make Christ the benevolent dictator.

I grew up Catholic. I went to catechism, went to church with my grandmother, had my first communion & confession; I was never confirmed. As a teenager, I stepped away from the church. Neither of my parents went to church regularly, despite coming from strong Catholic families. It wasn't important to me, but I did have that feeling of "wrongness" because I didn't go. I got over that eventually when I got out in the real world & started researching religions/dogma/spirituality.

I do not consider myself a Christian. Immediately when some people find this out about me, they instantly judge that I must not believe in God. This, I believe, is what contributes to this great separateness that religions create. "My religion is better than yours", Mine is the one TRUE religion""If you don't believe in the G-d I believe in, you will go to hell.".....in that one moment, these people have stepped away from what Jesus was trying to accomplish--that we are all one.
We have given Christ a crown. I do not believe this is who Jesus is. Over the centuries people have created a fear around religious leaders---follow the doctrine & you will reap the rewards(heaven) ; don't & you will be punished(eternal damnation).
Well, that's pretty cut & dry--don't be bad! Geez, do ya think it's about the control?

From 25 years old & on, I have believed strongly that God is all about us being the best we individually can be and nothing more. He wants us to be happy & love each other. I don't believe he is check marking all the things I do to "be worthy of His love". I am already worthy of his love just by being. When we do good things for ourselves & others, it makes us feel good; it brings us to a place of spirit naturally. Our problems stem from the fear that we have to behave a certain way to please God (be good God fearing Christians). Humans created God fearing, not God.

How would the world be different if we believed God wanted nothing from us?

Peace,
Deanna