I would probably still consider myself Christian, but will have no part in, what I call, “Churchianityâ€. I spent my young teenage years attending Sunday services, and then committed myself to training and working for the Church of Scotland. But, over the years, I was so disheartened by the Church’s judging mentality; I resigned from my post and never set foot in a church again. I needed to find the one true God for myself. I wanted to understand the truth behind Jesus’ teachings and the intentions for his followers.
Leaving the church meant I had to re-evaluate my faith. What did I believe in? Was I still a Christian? Is it the church, or I, who have totally missed the point of Jesus teachings?
Jesus was not a Christian, he was a respected Jewish Rabbi and neither did he profess or encourage people to be “Christianâ€. That concept came about 100 years after his death and appears largely based on the teachings of the Apostle Paul and Peter, although what significant role Peter had, is totally lost on me.
In my opinion, The Apostle Paul’s interpretation of Jesus’ teachings and his subsequent instructions to the early Christians, are not what Jesus intended. Apparently, Jesus’ brother James sent his “disciples†to visit towns where Paul had already preached, to undo his misinterpretation of Jesus teachings.
I believe, you cannot live your life by Jesus teachings AND by Paul’s instructions; they are evidently incompatible. Jesus emulates love, non-judgment, honour, and forgiveness; Paul encapsulates persecution, power, and control.
I believe wholly in the teachings of Jesus. Sadly, IMO, many of those teachings have never taken a central role within most of the Christian Church. From the early Christian Church/movement, to the torture and murder of thousands during the Inquisition years and onto the church as we know it today, there seems to be so much judgement and persecution. Is this what Jesus intended?
Two thousand years ago, when Jesus was alive, if He were TRULY the Son of God, then of course, he could see everything, far off into the future. However, he could never have attempted explaining to the people of his time about the moral issues that will arise in the future.
How could Jesus explain that, in 2,000 years, same sex marriage was on the agenda, or sex before marriage was such an issue? How could he explain abortion, contraception and divorce?… These all form part of the church's judgement.
However, I believe, Jesus’ teaching surrounding, “not judging, loving others and forgiveness†are timeless and were intended to lead us into the future, without judgment, and with love. Those basic instructions are omnipresent and can apply to every moral argument that can face the Christian Church today and into the future.