Ain't No Such Thing As Half-way Christians

Just a warning for anyone too sensitive/insecure about their religion: you're in for offense. If you're still with me, let's get going on a screed I call "Ain't No Such Thing As Half-way Christians".

A Diatribe I've Been Waiting to Give

The question of Obama's religion came up today, and I had an argument with a co-worker about it. Evangelical and conservative as any I've ever met, he pointed to Obama's church and said that he wasn't a real Christian because, in his words, to be so is to attempt to be Christ-like. I wanted to laugh in his face, but I was so amped up because he was spouting one of the many viral lies about Obama, and I'm well beyond goddamned sick of hearing them. But he made a good point, one that I myself have belaboured at one time or another, despite my lack of adherance to the Christian faith. There are many problems in our world today surrounding religion and its role in society, and almost all of them can be attributed to the untrue believers and their inability (or lack of desire) to follow their own damn religion.

I'm going to pick on Christianity because it's the biggest religion where I live and I know the most about it, but this can apply to any religion.

When I was in high school, the "WWJD" fad was in full swing. It's not as hot as it used to be, but you still see bumper stickers and t-shirts and boondoggles about if you pay attention. Annoying though it was, the message was short and stunningly relevant: What Would Jesus Do? Anything that required a decision or choice in a Christians life, and those four words would be able to guide you, assuming you had a reasonable understanding of the man's philosophy and teachings. Which brings us back to my co-worker's definition of a Christian: a person attempting to be Christ-like. I won't even argue against that, because it's more or less what the bible breaks everything down to anyway. Knowing this, think of any one Christian you know, and ask yourself whether they've lived up to that standard. Have they come close? If they haven't, how hard are they trying to? I'll put money on "not hard at all". And that, right there, is the problem I have with the religious in this country, and the religious right in particular.

Half-Way Christians are the ones I've known all my life. These are the ones who go to church on Sunday and pay their tithes and talk about God and Jesus and the church, and then slough off the pious skin for the rest of the week. They talk about the sanctity of life when talking about abortion, then turn around and raise hell if you try to consider banning executions. They cry for their religious rights to be respected, but they have no intention whatsoever of respecting those who don't agree with them. They are weak-willed enough to give a big hooray for waterboarding, and for making gays second-class citizens, and cutting off welfare for the poor. They seriously ask if God wants you to be rich. What don't they ask, though?

What Would Jesus Do?

Look at the platform for the religious right, for conservatives, and ask yourself that question with all honesty. Jesus wouldn't have tortured anyone. He wouldn't have allowed anyone to go hungry while he had the means to feed them, or naked if he could clothe them. Jesus famously told a rich man that, if he wanted to go to heaven, he would have to sell everything he owned and give the money to the poor, because it's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven. Jesus wouldn't make decisions based on whether they were hard or if he wanted to do them, he'd make decisions based on whether they were morally right or wrong.

Would he support abortion? No. Gays? Probably not. Babies out of wedlock, divorce, our current prison system, our culture of extravagance, war and genocide in his name? But he would love us as God loves him. He would not do things to hurt us or to punish us, out of spite or because we didn't agree with him. He wouldn't set his own needs over ours. He would patiently and lovingly try to teach us why we should do as he does. That's what Jesus would do.

So I'll agree with my co-worker about what constitutes a Christian, and I'll go further to say that the number of them in this country are few indeed. Oh, sure, there are plenty of half-way Christians, going through the motions and pantomiming their religion, loudly getting up in arms about a few pet issues but ignoring the real issues that Jesus historically would have cared about. But there ain't no such thing as half-way Christians, at least not in heaven.

I leave you with this oh so relevant passage from Matthew, Chapter 25, verses 34-45:

34 Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.' 37 Then the righteous 16 will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?' 40 And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'

41 Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.' 44 Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?' 45 He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.'