Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Unclean

Welcome to another installment of "Andre's rants".

I recently posted a comment on another guy's blog about President Bush's low approval rating. For the record, I won't call this guy out; although I'm really urged to do so. Anyway, my comment painted the 43rd President of the United States in a less-perfect-light. Though I really didn't think my statement was that crude, apparently this guy thought otherwise. He deleted my comment from his post. When I asked him why he did that, he replied (and I quote) "I've decided not to allow any unclean comments on my site."

Wow.

On the one hand, I take no issue with this guy's decision. After all, it was his blog. He's free to do whatever he wants (likewise, whatever I post on my blog is at my discretion. Just so you know...) So, to that end, I don't have a problem with his decision.

But, to me, this represents a much bigger, more disturbing picture. On the one hand, as I've argued before, I think that Jesus made it a habit of defying religious folks by using uncoventional methods; labeled by Pharisees as "unholy". But, since I've already argued the life out of that point, I'll go in another direction with my other point...

You see, people like this guy cause me to ask myself if this the type of Christianity that we've been reduced to. Have we gotten to the point where we are so intolerant and closed off to others that we feel like we need to censor, delete, and protest anything that we consider "unclean"? Is complete sanctification the way to keep us "pure"? Before you answer, let me remind you that the Vatican has started a boycott of "The Da Vinci Code". Now, you can answer...

One of the tragic things that I've noticed about Christianity is that we spend too much of our time disassociating with those who we deem unholy and sinful. Instead of getting to know people different from ourselves or opening our minds to new and foreign concepts, we turn and walk the other way; thinking that any association with these things makes us culpable. In essence, we deem ourselves guily by association. Lord knows we can't do that! After all, we need leverage over the "unholy" ones so that we can thank God that we're not like them (remember the parable of the Publican and Pharisee? Same concept.).

But, how many of us realize that this type of thought process is not Christ-like?

As the Bible teaches us, Jesus was the complete opposite of most of us. He made it a point to associate with those who were on the fringe of society; marginalized for being "unclean" and sinful. He ate with sinners. He forgave prostitutes. He healed the demon-possessed. I mean, when He was at the wedding in Cana, He supplied the booze! Jesus was "one of them", while maintaining His status as God's Holy Son. What many people don't pick up on is that, as a result of the relationships Jesus has with us sinners, not only are we changed, but we are all given the opportunity to restore our lives back to the Father. What do you think would've happened if God decided to avoid us since we were "unclean"?

One of the biggest problems with Christianity is that we declare to the world how we live to follow Jesus' example while we fail to minister to a lost world. In the parable of the Good Samritan, some of the key actors were the religious folks who passed right by the beaten man so that they could 'make it to church' and be the holy, righteous, and clean followers of God in front of other believers. How many of us are like that? How many of us think that separation, disassociation, and avoidance of the unsaved is the best way to procure our cleanliness? How many of us would compromise the lives of the unsaved just so we can sleep a little better at night knowing how holy we are? How many of us would rather move to the other side of the road so that we can protect ourselves from impurity?

I don't know about you, but if avoiding the "unclean" is the price I have to pay to stay pure, then I'd rather be the impure and unclean Samaritan.

- ACL

10 "Insiders" spoke their mind. Join in...:

Anonymous said...

Not too long ago, I had a similar experience on my old website. I made a pretty controversial comment, only to have someone email me saying: "How can you claim that you're saved and say those kinds of things?! Please consider removing that comment." I'm thinking to myself, "What? Did you receive that word DIRECTLY from God? Who made YOU judge? Since when did what YOU THINK determine how I live?"

Their big problem is, as you stated, they do not want to be associated with unbelievers. Sadly, they take this way too far. They'd rather shut themselves up in the the church all day than to go other and meet the needs of others or, at the very worst, expose themselves to something that challenges them.

Just because we may not all follow a certain path with Christ, doesn't mean that any of us is wrong. Jesus Christ is the ultimate standard bearer, not us. As long as we are following His lead (which includes remember the "least of these"), we're doing good.

Anonymous said...

The problem is people are afraid of doing anything that God might disapprove of. They think that associating with "evil" people is one of those things. That, to me, is a horrible fear to live with. Christianity is a terrifying religion to those who don't understand what happened at the cross. It's a shame that its meaning has been so horribly twisted into a list of rules that me "need" to follow. He came to start a revolution, and we turned it into a religion. We want to control everything. Maybe that's what displeases God the most.

Good post, Andre.

Anonymous said...

Good points raised! I read somewhere on this site that sometimes it's better to be called a Follower of Christ, than a "Christian".

As you put it:

"One of the tragic things that I've noticed about Christianity is that we spend too much of our time disassociating with those who we deem unholy and sinful."

Or they use subtle methods to "correct" their behavior or (Example: Someone says "oh my god" and a Christian will say something like, "Yeah, he's my God, too!" as if saying "oh my god" is taking his name in vain.)

Anonymous said...

That's the problem with how we, as Christians think. All of "holy" things that we do, which have more to do with our external appearance, have very little to do with what's in our hearts. So we think that if they beat up on people who are "not as worthy" as we are, then that somehows makes us better than they are when, in fact the only thing this accomplishes is to destroy the purpose of Jesus' ministry: to save us all!

It's sad to think that many what unbelievers think about Christians, especially when we want to them to accept the same Jesus that we did.

Anonymous said...

Maybe I'm the minority in this group, but I don't see what the big deal is when Jesus gave us the commandment to go into the world and preach the Gospel (Matt. 28:19-10). Since we are called to be evangelicals, we need to spread the Good News of Jesus at all costs...and not to be ashamed!

Andre said...

Yikes!

I've been blessed to read so many fiery responses. Thank you all for your insight.

@ ryhnoman: I totally agree with you. What would happen if ALL Chrisitans based their actions SOLELY on Jesus. What would happen if we stopped trying to defend Him?

@ KC: Yes! We keep trying to maintain "decency and order" to make God happy (I'm REALLY starting to hate how we throw this term around), but are actually making Him upset with us.

@ rhynoman: You're right again. What's in our hearts is a positive indication of how much we love God. If we beat people over the head with intolerance, unforgiveness, and ignorance, we miss the mark.

@ anonymous: In order for us to minister to the world, we have to reach them where they are. Frankly, we're not doing that. Our sanctimony is doing more for creating division than it is for creating unity.

Anonymous said...

Hello Andre and all,

There's a bit more to the story of the Vatican's reaction than most are yet aware of. Read my missive below to understand what they truly fear. It's not the DaVinci Code or Gospel of Judas per se, but the fact that people have been motivated to seek out the unequivocal truth about an age of deception, exactly when they expect me to appear. The Gospel of Judas and DaVinci Code controversies are allowing people to take new stock of the Vatican and the religions it has spawned. Seek to understand the symbolic significance of my name (Seven Star Hand) and you will have proof beyond disproof that Christians have long been duped by the great deceivers I warned humanity about over the millennia.

Remember, "I come as a thief..." ?

It is quite a joke that the Vatican and Catholic Church have the gall to accuse the author of a novel of attacking their fantasies and dogma. Remember that this is the same organization that manufactured fake relics and miracles for many centuries. This is the same group that massacred and tortured people for having a mind of their own. This is the same group of deluded deceivers that makes more noise about a fictional book and movie than about child raping priests, aids, famine, or even the Holocaust! Here's more about my take on it.

Is the world ready for unequivocal Truth and verifiable Wisdom yet?

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What does "making the blind see" symbolize? What does "closing one's eyes and ears to truth and wisdom" or "turning a blind eye and deaf ear" infer? Perhaps many more people are now ready to "open their eyes to the truth!" Now Christians (and others) can gain the wisdom to walk away from the folly of religion and seek to understand the truth about the Creator and Her Messiah (me). Now everyone can open their seven eyes to see the ancient wisdom long recast and obfuscated by religion and mysticism and turn their faces to the perfect path. (this is symbolism decoded in my books...)

Are you familiar with the "Seven Spirits of God," the "Seven Golden Candlesticks," "Wisdom's Seven Pillars" in Proverbs 9:1, and their relationship to the Community Rule in the Dead Sea Scrolls and DSS 11Q13? Study the Doctrine of Two Spirits on my web page and on the front cover of my book. I have produced some earth shattering breakthroughs in this area that will end the lies of religion, forever.

The Vatican is proving that seeking the truth is a real threat to their dogma. They're so afraid of people uncovering the truth, that they are attacking other versions of fantasy (DaVinci Code) and blatantly obvious Gnostic symbolism as threats to their long-term smoke and mirrors, hocus-pocus, and mumbo-jumbo. How thoroughly enlightening, since this goes a very long way to proving that Christianity is based on strong lies and delusions. If it weren’t, they would be confident of surviving intense scrutiny. Since they aren't and since they have gone to such great lengths to suppress and oppress those seeking truth and wisdom over the centuries, their deceptions are, once again, laid bare for all to see. This time though, they are the ones to walk into a well-laid trap...

Did you ever stop to think what the True Messiah (me) would say about worshipping false names, false images, and dogma? Well, now you get the chance to hear my side of the story and weigh it against the strong delusion of faith and religion. None of the European names and images in the New Testament can possibly be the truth. It’s beyond obvious that the New Testament is not complete or even accurate history.

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The Book of Bart

Visit my web site to understand what they are truly afraid of. The Vatican and world leaders have struggled to keep people from understanding the truth and religion is a key tool in their smokescreen. Now, when I appear on the scene, everyone is seeking to understand their ages-old deceptions, and I have produced stunning and comprehensive proof. The time has come for the "earth to quake" and the liars to "gnaw their tongues for pain." (This is symbolism decoded in the book...)

The time has come for the Vatican and world leaders to learn the truth about Karma...

If you truly want to understand the symbology, ancient wisdom, and ancient history that neither the DaVinci Code nor Christianity have portrayed accurately or fully, then read my articles and download my FREE E-Book. I am not trying to make money from book sales, quite the opposite in fact. There are many centuries of deception that need to be exposed and it takes a fully researched tome to succeed at such a daunting task. I am providing years of difficult research and reconstruction, without income or profit. Please accept this in the spirit intended. It is not commercial spam, deception, or an attempt to delude. I make no money from the E-book or the paperback, which is sold at cost as a convenience. As mentioned earlier, study the Doctrine of Two Spirits on my web page to understand the long-obscured truth about my philosophy and purposes.

Not only do I talk the talk, I walk the walk...

Here is Wisdom!!

Andre said...

@ seven star:

Thanks for stopping by and for sharing this boatload of information.

Wow. It seems like I've opened Pandora's Box with this post. But, truth be told, I wouldn't be suprised if the Vatican or any other religious authorities have concealed the truth right within the pages of the Bible. It wouldn't be the first time in history that a powerful and clandestine group pushed it's agenda on the rest of the world.

As for me, I typically try to not to holistically govern myself by conspiracy theories (not to say that your ideas were. In fact, you might be on to something...). Rather, I take the principles of Jesus (moreso than His identity, whether or not He had children, or what color His hair was) and apply those things to my life. Jesus' teachings of salvation, restoration, forgiveness, love, tolerance, etc. stick closer to my heart than any facts that may have been buried by some uptight, power hungry religious folk.

I'm not trying to negate or refute anything you said. In fact, I think that it's important to seek God in spirit AND in truth. It's just that some of the controversies brewing don't really bother me that much.

Thanks for your comments.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for attempting to answer my question, but you still didn't really address my issue. What's wrong with standing up for good?

Andre said...

@ anonymous: I think that it's possible to "stand for what's good" without trying to censor and silence people with whom you have disagreement.

I don't recall Arabs rallying in protest of the Passion of the Christ coming out (though, some Jews thought it was anti-semetic). Atheists didn't boycott "A Purpose-Driven Life" when it came out. They said, "Oh. Look at these silly Christians worshipping some God that doesn't exist. Now, what am I gonna eat tonight?"

To date, the only time I've ever seen athesists get bent out of shape about religion is if it's forced on them (i.e. saying "under God" in the pledge of allegiance, etc.)

There's a difference between standing up for Jesus and cramming Him down people's throats.