Sunday, 31 January 2010, 9:45AM
When I was raised in Los Angeles, my parents were heavily into New Age philosophy and Eastern religions. And I myself continued in that tradition, getting involved with Yoga, meditation, and numerous types of psychic research until I got Saved in 1986. But in all of my years as a Born-Again Christian who has been dedicated to the Word of God, I have never seen anything as perplexing and frustrating as this. On the average, the people who flat-out deny the lordship and Saving Grace of Jesus Christ are the most beautiful, humane, generous, responsible people I have ever met, while the people who verbally worship the Lord Jesus Christ are the most hideous, inhumane, selfish, irresponsible people I have ever met.
I have seen the average Non-christian demonstrate a genuine concern for bodily health, eating only organic foods, natural foods, and foods that were not obtained through cruelty to animals. I have seen the average Non-christian regularly engage in physical and mental exercises, including Yoga and meditation, that increase the health and balance of body and mind. I have seen the average Non-christian go out of his or her way to treat the Earth with respect and reverence. And I have seen the average Non-christian go out of his or her way to fight for justice, equality, education, and human rights for all people throughout the world.
On the other hand, I have seen the average Christian eat the most sordid things under the Sun, including red meat laced with chemicals and growth-hormones, heavily-processed fast-foods containing absolutely no nutritional value whatsoever, and foods laced with fat, grease, cholesterol, alcohol, processed sugar, and salt. I have seen the average Christian refer to exercise as walking to the refrigerator to microwave several slices of pizza and grab a cold beer, and then walking back to the lazy-boy couch to continue watching the NFL Playoffs. (Both that and the aforementioned grievously poor diet explain why so many Christians are horrendously obese.) I have seen the average Christian place his or her own selfish luxuries above the well-being of the environment. ("So what if global warming destroys the Earth several decades from now? I still want my gas-guzzling super-sized SUV right now!") I have seen the average Christian prefer corporate greed over the rights of the people. (Some of the most selfish, greedy, avaricious, conservative, racist Christians are at the very core of the American Republican Party.) I have seen the average Caucasian Christian go out of his or her way to call African-Americans the "N" word, burn crosses on an African-American's front lawn, hang innocent African-Americans from the highest trees, and paint Nazi swastikas on Jewish temples. I have seen the average Christian engage in the most hypocritical behavior, like claiming to be "Pro-life" while savagely gunning down an abortion doctor in his own church. And I have seen the average Christian routinely indulge in perverse sexual immorality, including the repeated violation of marriage vows, the rape of innocent children, and repeatedly having children outside of wedlock.
At this point, I can only say that these are the days when good is evil and evil is good. These are the days when the church is so corrupt, the world is filled with strong delusion, that people should believe the lie. And these are the days of a church who calls herself rich, increased with goods, and having need of nothing, when in reality she is wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.
When I was raised in Los Angeles, my parents were heavily into New Age philosophy and Eastern religions. And I myself continued in that tradition, getting involved with Yoga, meditation, and numerous types of psychic research until I got Saved in 1986. But in all of my years as a Born-Again Christian who has been dedicated to the Word of God, I have never seen anything as perplexing and frustrating as this. On the average, the people who flat-out deny the lordship and Saving Grace of Jesus Christ are the most beautiful, humane, generous, responsible people I have ever met, while the people who verbally worship the Lord Jesus Christ are the most hideous, inhumane, selfish, irresponsible people I have ever met.
I have seen the average Non-christian demonstrate a genuine concern for bodily health, eating only organic foods, natural foods, and foods that were not obtained through cruelty to animals. I have seen the average Non-christian regularly engage in physical and mental exercises, including Yoga and meditation, that increase the health and balance of body and mind. I have seen the average Non-christian go out of his or her way to treat the Earth with respect and reverence. And I have seen the average Non-christian go out of his or her way to fight for justice, equality, education, and human rights for all people throughout the world.
On the other hand, I have seen the average Christian eat the most sordid things under the Sun, including red meat laced with chemicals and growth-hormones, heavily-processed fast-foods containing absolutely no nutritional value whatsoever, and foods laced with fat, grease, cholesterol, alcohol, processed sugar, and salt. I have seen the average Christian refer to exercise as walking to the refrigerator to microwave several slices of pizza and grab a cold beer, and then walking back to the lazy-boy couch to continue watching the NFL Playoffs. (Both that and the aforementioned grievously poor diet explain why so many Christians are horrendously obese.) I have seen the average Christian place his or her own selfish luxuries above the well-being of the environment. ("So what if global warming destroys the Earth several decades from now? I still want my gas-guzzling super-sized SUV right now!") I have seen the average Christian prefer corporate greed over the rights of the people. (Some of the most selfish, greedy, avaricious, conservative, racist Christians are at the very core of the American Republican Party.) I have seen the average Caucasian Christian go out of his or her way to call African-Americans the "N" word, burn crosses on an African-American's front lawn, hang innocent African-Americans from the highest trees, and paint Nazi swastikas on Jewish temples. I have seen the average Christian engage in the most hypocritical behavior, like claiming to be "Pro-life" while savagely gunning down an abortion doctor in his own church. And I have seen the average Christian routinely indulge in perverse sexual immorality, including the repeated violation of marriage vows, the rape of innocent children, and repeatedly having children outside of wedlock.
At this point, I can only say that these are the days when good is evil and evil is good. These are the days when the church is so corrupt, the world is filled with strong delusion, that people should believe the lie. And these are the days of a church who calls herself rich, increased with goods, and having need of nothing, when in reality she is wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.
