The Highway.com

What exactly does it mean to be a Christian? As we begin the third millennium roughly one person in three identifies with a religion that we are told is based on an appearance of God on earth 2000 years ago, who “saves us from our sin and gives us eternal life.” A triune God became man through a miraculous virgin birth, performed many signs and wonders, suffered, died and was buried, only to snatch victory from defeat by resurrecting “on the third day.” We are told that there is but one way to God and salvation through worship of “His” only incarnation, service to the organization “He” founded, adherence to the book “He” wrote (yet we are unqualified to read.) And the other two people God gladly shows the eternal door.

“Only Jesus Saves”

“Only Jesus is God”

But it gets worse.

A Simple Message of Love

The one in three people belong to roughly 38,000 different brands of worshiping ”the way the truth and the life.” This in itself should not be a problem, unless of course we consider that each denomination tells the other 37,999 that they too will be shown the cosmic door of damnation. They are the pseudo-Christians, the Lukewarm, the followers of a cult, not the true defenders of the faith. They may have been “called” but definitely were not “chosen.” We are told, “only a true Christian is saved.” We are told, ”you know of Jesus but you do not know Jesus.” The list of insults mount as Christianity expresses the worst in us and the worship becomes petty, vulgar, heartless and cruel.

This is Christianity in the twenty first century, complete with bumper stickers, plastic fish and a bobble head Jesus for the dashboard. This is what we are told is orthodoxy, the only proper doctrine. This is the religion that supposedly holds a monopoly on spirituality, an organization that represents the worst that we can be.

This is not what Jesus taught.

I am a Christian . . . have been one as long as I can remember. Frankly, I neither have all the answers, nor do I carry the delusion that I am somehow chosen above the rest. I am a simple, flawed human being no better than the next guy, with room to always improve on myself. My faith is not a badge or an excuse to point a finger at another; I have enough troubles living up to what I expect of myself. My faith is not wrapped up an image of a God/man that “washed all my sins away,” a strange twist on the expression, blood bath. My faith does not wrap itself within the pages of a book that has been dissected to the point of absurdity but never truly read. What I believe, how I approach what I understand as the big picture is mine alone.

When I think of Jesus, I think of love.

Love is the simple act of considering something or someone else above myself. To place another first even if it means there is nothing in it for me, is the message I understand to be the core teachings of a carpenter from Galilee 2000 years ago. For me it makes sense, not as a religion but as a way to approach life. It is not about what I get, where I go in the end; it is about how I deal with the here and now. It is not in making grand gestures, saying all the right words, putting on a facade of purity and chastity; it is about opening my eyes to the world around me and realizing I am an insignificant speck that exists for a fraction of an instant on the fringes. It is not a cosmic “get out of jail free card”; it is a way to do the best I can with what I have to make the world a little better place to live in. It is not “game over” as I wait impatiently to be carried off to paradise in a blaze of glory; it is an ongoing process to make myself better today than I was yesterday, better tomorrow than today.

“Love God with all your heart mind and strength; Love your neighbor as yourself” This is what being a Christian means to me.

To love God is nothing more than to show proper dignity and respect to all of “creation” the universe in which we live, a grand immeasurable system of mass and energy perpetually redefining itself in a eternal dance of growth and decay. It was here before us; will be here after we leave, and it is arrogance on our part to think it was all made for us. We are the tenants, transient squatters who need to consider what a truly magnificent place we have, instead of treating it like the wrapper from the cheese burger we just ate at the local fast food place. Life is a gift to be cherished, celebrated, not thrown away. It is not always what we want it to be, but it is always an adventure. I for one intend to live it to its fullest, rather than act like the spoiled child at Christmas who rips through the packages to see what is next.

To love God is to wake up in the morning, see the Sunrise and think I am so glad I am alive. To love God is to look at the night sky, the moon on the horizon, the planets and the stars and be in awe of how big it all really is. To love God is to appreciate every single second in between.

At least for me.

To love my neighbor as myself is nothing more than a simple way to approach everyone around me. As I would want to be treated, I should treat all those I meet. I do not like to be insulted, degraded, ridiculed, so why should I insult degrade and ridicule? I do not like to go hungry, so why should I let another go hungry if I can help? I would not like to be beaten or abandoned or forgotten, so why would I ever think to beat, abandon or forget? When I make a mistake, I would want the chance to apologize and make it right, so why would I not accept an apology and give another a second chance . . . or a third, fourth, tenth, hundredth. It is not about everyone else, how they actually do treat me, but how I could and should treat others regardless. Even if my life is crappy, it does not give me the liberty to treat another like crap.

This is what the words of Jesus mean to me . . . the message, the idea, the simple common sense approach to facing the day with a positive attitude, a sense of hope that I can make a difference no matter how small. When I look in the mirror, I see not only a face staring back, but the warm smile of the homeless man I just bought a cup of coffee and paid for bus fare to the nearest shelter (he was just happy to know he was noticed in the first place). I see the stranded lady I just changed a tire for, the person I held the door open for, the woman whose 15 year old son was dying and just needed a shoulder to cry on and not to feel so helpless and alone. My face disappears, my worries seem trivial and I like what I see. . . so shoot me for feeling good, finding peace in being able to give something of value to another.

In my humble opinion this is the Christian spirit Christianity has lost, that I seek to keep alive. To be a Christian is to be a follower of the one called Christ, to love unconditionally, to seek what is good in everything, to live by a standard of compassion and forgiveness that can always be improved on . . . to bring peace. If this makes me a heretic, an enemy to the Christian religion, fine, but don’t expect me to surrender my faith because a religion doesn’t like what I say. I will never grace the doors of its buildings, never call myself “orthodox” but will never surrender the name “Christian.” This would only add power to those who seek to play God on earth, to hate with impunity, to decide who deserves to bear a name they do not own or control.

I will not bow to their will.

I choose God.

I choose love.

No matter who you are, what you look like, what you believe (if anything), you are my neighbor and I will treat you as such.

Release the Dragon Within!