Why I am not a Christian.
In Pakistan the third question new people generally ask after meeting you is, “What is your religion?” In the beginning I would tell everyone I was a Christian. But I quickly found out that this wasn’t the best way to describe what I am. In Pakistan Christians have the (mostly earned) reputation for being drunks, swindlers and promiscuous. I can remember walking into a video store and, once the owner found out I was a Christian, being offered porn. Something was wrong.
So I stopped saying I was a Christian and started saying that I followed Jesus. Same thing, right?
Maybe not.
In forcing myself to use different words to describe myself I found that my brain started noticing subtle differences between following Jesus and following Christianity. Or maybe, to be a little more fair, a difference between the brand of Christianity that was given to me and following Jesus.
- The cry of Christianity is, “Obey!” The cry of Jesus is, “Love!”
- Christianity says, “Hold these opinions, never let them go.” Jesus says, “Hold these people, never let them go.”
- Christianity’s enemies are silly little things like movies, books,and people. Jesus’ enemies are serious things like sin, poverty, sickness and death.
- Christianity has destroyed the lives of many. Jesus only fixes lives.
- Christianity helps Christians. Jesus helps everyone.
- Christianity offers you religious satisfaction. Jesus offers you your heart’s desire.
- Christianity accepts you when you start looking good and helps you to look better. Jesus accepts you at your worst and makes you really better.
- Christianity fills your life with religious rituals. Jesus fills your life with the omnipotent power of himself.
- Christianity makes excuses. Jesus makes change.
- Jesus suffers the little children. The children of Christianity suffer.
- Christianity limits your options. Jesus gives you options.
- Christianity damns. Jesus saves.
- Christianity commands you to defend it. Jesus defends you.
This is second-hand unless you’re reading it at http://www.theilliteratescribe.com