This Is Not Christianity

johnpavlovitz

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” — Jesus (Matthew 5:5-6)

“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” — Inigo Montoya (The Princess Bride)

We need to be really clear on something, because there seems to be confusion out there lately:

This isn’t Christianity.

They may use the word and steal the iconography and cop the aesthetic, but that is where the resemblance diverges and where the similarities end. There remain no other commonalities with which to rightly associate the two.

This isn’t Christianity.

It is spiritual misappropriation: the violent hijacking of something helpful and weaponizing it in order to do the greatest amount of damage in the shortest amount of time. It is a hostile takeover of something beautiful and grossly disfiguring it to terrorize people with.

This isn’t Christianity —at least not what Jesus intended it to be.

Jesus intended Christianity to be:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,  for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
— Jesus (Matthew 5:3-10)

And there is nothing of mercy or humility or purity or peacemaking in this thing claiming to be Christianity.

No, this thing is the antithesis of all of it.

This isn’t Christianity —at least, not if we’re going to listen to Jesus.

Where Jesus implored Christians to love and to care for and to show hospitality to their  neighbors —this drives people to fear them and have contempt for them and send them back and wall them off.

Where Jesus directed Christians to pray and to give in quiet and  secret —this is a shameless, staged photo op to engender applause.

Where Jesus told Christians that they would be defined by the way in which they lavishly  love  humanity—this is a malicious assault on nearly all of it.

Where Jesus directed Christians to live humbly and take the  lowest place—this is arrogance and boasting and self-promotion.

Where Jesus  fed  multitudes and  healed  sick without asking for repayment—this is healthcare repeals and canceled school lunch programs and “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps disdain for the needy.

Where Jesus’ followers  shared  all things and lived interdependently and made sure that no one went without—this is cries of “Socialism” whenever those with abundance are asked to share with those who lack.

Where Jesus threw open the doors of the kingdom so that the entire world could find welcome and refuge and  comfort —this is a guarded, gated community of privileged, close-fisted white Americans.

No, this isn’t Christianity —and more people who know what Christianity was intended to be, need to say so right now.

We need to call this what it is: a bait and switch of the vilest kind.

This may be what Franklin Graham says Christianity is.
It may be what Paula White wants you to believe Christianity is.
It may be what Bible Belt pastors screaming from behind pulpits claim that Christianity is.
It may be what Donald Trump wants to pretend that Christianity is.
It may be what it has been too many times in the past two thousand years, when opportunistic hucksters like these have commandeered it.

It’s just not what Jesus says it is.

No, he told us what  this  is:

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?  Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” —Jesus  (Matthew 7:15-20)

This thing is not Christianity.

Jesus said it wasn’t.

This is Rome.
This is Empire.
This is corrupt and predatory power.
This is perverted religion wielded like a hammer.
This is hypocritical, showy piety paraded for everyone to see.
This is the darkness Jesus claimed we should be brilliant light streaking into.
This is the bloated ugliness he said we were to live in quiet, gentle opposition to.
This is the table of greed he invited us to angrily turn over.

The Christianity of Jesus left people with more dignity and greater care; with healed wounds and fuller bellies, with calmed fears and quieted worries. It left people seen and heard and known. It left a wake of kindness and generosity and goodness and compassion.

No, this isn’t Christianity.

To hell with what  this  is.

This is Christianity:     “For God and Country: The Christian Case for Trump.” The name is different, but the message is not.

In the book, Reed, one of Trump’s biggest Christian backers, argues that American evangelicals “have a moral obligation to enthusiastically back” the president.

Why? Well, Reed says evangelicals have a duty to defend the incumbent Republican leader against “the stridently anti-Christian, anti-Semitic, and pro-abortion agenda of the progressive left.”

A senior administration official was  quoted in Politico  explaining how Trump resonates so well with an evangelical base. “Part of the reason why many religious leaders support Trump is because he is great on life, religious freedom, judges, Israel, taxes, conscience protections, fetal issue [sic] and also because Hillary Clinton and his would-be opponents next year are so awful on all of the above,” the official said. 

The approach is clearly working, with 81% of self-described white, born-again or evangelical Christians having voted for Trump in 2016,  according to Pew . 

Reed’s group, specifically, invested $18 million in get-out-the-vote efforts during the midterm elections and has warned conservative Christians that “pretty much everything” is on the line in 2020.   google

“Part of the reason why many religious leaders support Trump is because he is great on life, religious freedom, judges, Israel, taxes, conscience protections, fetal issue [sic] and also because Hillary Clinton and his would-be opponents next year are so awful on all of the above,” the official said. 

The phony Christian evengelicals support Trump and ignore the words and teachings of Jesus. 

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” — Jesus (Matthew 5:5-6)

What you quote our Lord and Savior saying has nothing to do at all with who we as individuals or collectively support for political office.  It has to do with our prayer lives and our role in our lives as Christians.  Voting for office based on ones conscience is a render unto Caesar moment like paying taxes we-are obligated to pay after all debate on the issue is settled for a given time period.   

Trump has no morals at all, in any part of his life, how any Christian can support him makes Christians look really bad. 

Well, he DID keep his promises about Israel, which previous POTUS' promised but then broke their promises.  I consider that moral, but a black mark against previous POTUSs.

Where Jesus directed Christians to live humbly and take the  lowest place—this is arrogance and boasting and self-promotion.

Ya think? 

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others."

It seems to me that Jesus might not have been speaking to Christians, because first of all, WERE there Christians when he was speaking, and the quotation above makes me feel that he was speaking to Jews.  Maybe, since Jesus was Jewish, that was more likely, don't you think?  

Here's a thought.  If Jesus were to throw his kippah into the ring, do you think the people of America would elect him POTUS?

I dont disagree that Jesus was Jewish, but he speaks to Christians today, and has for a long long time.  

Jesus lost to Barbas in his only election type thing  

If Jesus were to throw his kippah into the ring, do you think the people of America would elect him POTUS?

There is simply no chance that evangelical Christians of today would accept such a candidate as the Jesus described in the Gospels. The socialist, flower power tree hugging hippie preaching peace, love and free stuff. As soon as he said something like "Turn your swords into plow blades and spears into pruning shears" Trumps base would be screaming "He's trying to take away our guns!". And if he dared to say his foreign policy would be based on turning the other cheek when attacked, religious conservatives would demand their champion Trump shoot him in the street.

There are, however, many who would readily accept him if he exists and returned, and I believe those more inclined to do so are primarily on the left of the political divide where you'll find millions of reasonable, peace loving Christians, Jews and Muslims. It's why I believe well over 70% of Jewish Americans vote for Democrats, so all hope is not lost. Perhaps someday, a majority of Americans will try to live like Christ, because even if he's not real, the example he set was a good one and if everyone lived like he did as detailed in the gospels, we would all live happier and more peaceful lives no matter what faith you embrace. We saw how the right wing really feels about Jesus. I just can't imagine how anyone marching in the streets of Charlottesville with confederate flags chanting "Jews will not replace us!" actually thought to themselves "Yeah, this is definitely something Jesus would do...".

That's a great response, very worthy of more thumbs-up than it earned. 

You're right.  That's not a great record. 

Did he tell you as a Christian not to vote and simply accept the results of everyone else’s votes?  

Did he tell you as a Christian not to vote and simply accept the results of everyone else’s votes?  

We don't talk about politics. 

The reach of The Deceiver is long.  His Shadow is longer.  Christianity walks in The Shadow of Lucifer.

Only when it is on the side of the secular progressive left...

"I know you are but what am I?" 

I knew you would go there.  Nowhere else to go?

With all those evangelicals standing around and touching him Trump would be well advised to keep his hand on his wallet.