I Broke Up With Jesus

Before you pass judgment based on the title of this blog, there are a few things to take into consideration. I didn't break up with the REAL Jesus. Just the the Jesus confined to the four walls of the church that tells a different story than Jesus did. I know exactly who will not read further, who is going to argue, and call me out, and who will drop to their knees and pray for my soul because they are concerned I have denounced Christianity. Go right ahead. Where two or three are gathered, He is in our midst. And I beat you to the floor. This is not blasphemy. I have not in any way, shape, or form, denounced my faith. I am running with it. Working it out, trembling in its fury. Challenging 51 years of Bible thumping preachers who claim they have the hotline to God and they KNOW.

Has anyone noticed the world is going to hell?  Dang scary. Christians beheaded. Child prostitution. Motorcycle gangs shooting each other down. Black protesters. White protesters. Moms being robbed of their babies at the hand of a knife. Moms being robbed of their adult children at the hand of a movie-going rifle-toting maniac. If I hear one more person say this is God raining His fury on a sinful nation I am going to hurl. Its not God. Its BAD people.

We have lost touch with the kinder, gentler God, the one called Jesus. The one that preaches peace and love. The God that grew daisies for my hair and smiles when I stop to smell the flowers.

Sometimes I feel like God has taken His hands off and just said "I'm done. Play and fight among yourselves. I'll be back when I'm good and ready." I am so TIRED of hate and judgment! That hateful Jesus that the church has created? I don't want anything to do with him. You are putting words in His mouth. He said what He had to say. He wrote us a book with guidelines. Half of it we don't have a clue about. That's why there are scholars and scientists and theologians. Some of it we DO understand. Here's what I know:

Jesus did NOT say:

1. Don't give to the poor man because its his own fault he lives that way.
2. Don't give to the poor man because he is milking the system.
3. Gay people cannot be saved. 
4. Mexicans are not allowed in the United States.
5. Its time for Black Americans to "get over it". (It isn't finished until HE says its finished, and he hasn't said that yet.)
6. Badmouth your brothers, sisters, those who practice different religions, those who come from a country where turbans are worn, police officers, Presidents. 
7. Democrats are not Christians.
8. There's no such thing as global warming.
9. You have the right to bear arms.
10. Guns are evil.

Jesus DID say:

1. Love that unlovable guy.
2. Easy there, you have a plank in your eye that makes it hard to see and I'd hate to see you fall.
3. Put that rock down. That's right. Nice and easy. Drop it to the ground.
4. Love your neighbor--even if he is a different party affiliation than you are. 
5. Love your neighbor--even if Buddha is sitting on her porch.
6. Forgive. Forgive some more. Keep forgiving. 
7. He loves anyone He darn well pleases and He chose everyone. EVERY ONE. 
8. He makes everything beautiful in His time. 
9. Take care of each other.
10. He'll be back.

I've been noticing that televangelists yell. Sunday mornings, every station, preachers. Yelling. I shake my head every week. Why are they yelling at us? Did Jesus yell? Only when there wasn't a microphone handy. We are as guilty as the Jewish people who wanted a King with a sword who would ride into battle and slaughter the bad guys. In a world so ugly and terrifying and stricken with hate and war and guns and machetes, why are we so hell-bent on joining the bad guys? Why can't we cling to that peaceful gentle Spirit?  

Rant over. Explanation? I broke up with Jesus-in-a-box. You know the box, the one where you beg him to give you your way, believe the same way you do, and give you the right to make others believe the same way you do.  He is so much BIGGER. KINDER. TOLERANT. GRACIOUS. IN LOVE WITH PEOPLE. THAT'S the Jesus I believe in.