CHRISTIANITY FOR DUMMIES

            Jesus’ attitude about sin and sinners can be summed up briefly in a five word sentence: repent and sin no more. Repentance is simply the act of acknowledgement that what you have done is wrong and/or abusive. This is a necessary process for learning to live a positive life. It does not involve repayment for wrongs. It involves taking responsibility for one’s actions. If you put the onus for your behavior on outside sources you will forever be a prisoner of those sources. Repentance gives you the freedom to take control of your life and make it one with God’s purpose.

            Repentance does not involve apologies or victim compensation. Many sinners offered this and Jesus refused. This was neither required nor adequate for repentance. Apologies all too often involve personal power and made to curry favor or avoid consequences. Those in authority seldom apologize and even then they are limited in scope. George W. Bush is not the first and only president to refuse to acknowledge mistakes. Even Clinton’s apology was misdirected: it should have been to Hilary and Chelsea. He did not betray the US public; he betrayed his marital vows.  The best political apology was that of noted segregationist George Wallace who not only repented of his racism but showed true reform.

            It is not coincidental that Jesus targeted authority figures for their arrogance. And of course the sin most mentioned is lying. Lying is the sin most resistant to reformation because the action involves your entire life. The most damaging lies are those that you make to yourself. Blaming drugs for your dysfunction in life ensures that the source of that dysfunction will never be addressed. That source will rule your life – long after you have given up drug use.

Chronic liars are immune to repentance. The lies are all too often used to justify themselves before others. Jesus and his apostle Paul constantly remind their followers of this trap. God is no respecter of persons. God is oblivious to one’s social status. So should those who really desire to be followers. In his prelude to the Lord’s Prayer Jesus mentions the man who prays in public announcing his own virtue to all within range. He has already had his reward: the public spectacle of his virtue – using God’s name as a status symbol.

All this only makes sense if you get rid of the antiquated concept of a judgment day. The judgment is now! Sin causes spiritual death and a separation from the life designed by your creator. Repentance – and the acceptance of responsibility for this separation – is the only remedy. Self justification based on correct religious ideology is no substitute. Accepting Jesus as your personal savior who died for your sins will not suffice – if you maintain an abusive lifestyle. The personal abuse will slowly kill you in a spiritual sense.

Of course Jesus would not support the War on Drugs. Any contrary thoughts are absurd and ridiculous. This policy is abusive, does not address any sources of dysfunction and actually encourage victims to ignore these sources. Supporters must constantly lie to the public and justify themselves by the sins of others. Any repentance from government officials would involve loss of social position.  It is a pathological codependency between enforcers and drug addicts. Jesus would likely flaunt this abusive law and invite incarceration. And most likely those in law enforcement would denounce his actions and use false associations to impugn his character – while avoiding the embarrassment of arrest of someone who was clearly not criminal.

Why would someone who has pledged to teach the gospel of Jesus refuse to acknowledge that lying about drugs is wrong? It makes no sense. However every single Christian pastor in my small town has taken this position.  The only logical conclusion is that either they have no concept of Jesus’ message – or they fear loss of social position inherent in repentance of this socially ingrained sin. How could someone whose education focuses on the message of Jesus stray this far from the truth of his message? Has our clergy really improved any since the time Jesus openly denounced the Pharisees [liberals] and Sadducees [conservatives] in his time?  My experience with local preachers leads me to believe otherwise. And so far no pastor has stepped up and confronted my complaint. John 3:20 offers the best explanation for this.