This is from a comment I posted on facebook today...the original topic was the whether or not it is possible for gays to "change" their sexual orientation, and become heterosexual (or, I suppose, celibate). As is wont to happen, the conversation drifted to religion, and so this is what my post was about:
I'm glad this gargantuan thread is not dead yet, because I really, really want to know the answer to the question I posed last night. Mark, WHY do you think our culture seeks to deny Christianity? For what purpose?
Also, a hypothetical question: if a man showed up in your hometown tomorrow and did every single one of the miracles that Christ did, if he was killed in the same manner that Christ was, and, most importantly if he rose from the grave, over 2,000 years after the resurrection of Jesus, then told you he was Krishna, incarnated once again to put and end to this age of Kali, would you abandon Christianity as it is practiced in the myriad denominations? If so, would you abandon it in order to follow Krishna or because of the revelation that Jesus Christ is not the only "Son of God"?
And don't think it couldn't happen. It happened once before, didn't it? Never say never. God will manifest himself whenever the %#(* hits the fan to the most extreme level. That's kind of what Revelation teaches, so the concept is not new, even if the particulars of my hypothetical situation don't exactly line up. What would you do? How would you handle that situation? Would it strengthen your belief in God? Would you still embrace Christianity, even though it had become obvious that God apparently works in mysterious, unpredictable ways that mortal man cannot fathom and which are not confined to the teachings of Christianity?
How does this tie in to our culture denying Christianity? Perhaps the RELIGION of Christianity NEEDS to be denied to make room for the possibility of new revelation. When there are so many people who think that the "true God" can only be found in the pages of a book when all signs point to His blessings of the majority of mankind, Christian and heathen alike, are on display for the whole universe to see, don't you think it's time for a change? If this book, which is so dated as to suggest that women should know their place and keep their mouths shut in church, and offers instructions on how to treat your slaves, if this book is so incomprehensible to so many people, why is it revered like a holy grail? Maybe it's okay to question the absolute divine inspiration of the scriptures. To put it all into perspective. Why can't people see it for what it is: a treasure trove of wisdom and an excellent introduction to the ALL via a good bunch of very interesting characters.
Perhaps this is what you meant when you referred to my earlier comments as "anti-Christian", and though I defended myself, the more I think about it, maybe I AM an adamant anti-Christian. The splintering of the original church seems an obvious sign that Jesus' teachings of love, brotherhood and forgiveness have been universally ignored. So hey, looks to me like this religion his fallible followers created just didn't work and isn't working today. That's not Jesus' fault. And it's not really the church fathers who are to blame, either. You can't even blame Satan, unless your definition of "Satan" is man's inborn stubbornness and inability to deal with the facts of life in a dualistic world.
Just as a One World religion would probably end up disasterour, so a One Religion world is a recipe for trouble. Then again, a One World religion has a much greater chance for success than a One Religion world. New denominations spring up on such a regular basis that you have to wonder just how many things there are in the bible for people to interpret differently to the point where they feel like migrating, leaving behind the heresy. A One Religion world would fragment so completely that religion itself would go the way of the dinosaurs and people would look back with longing nostalgia at the days when the world enjoyed religious freedom and several religions with which to exercise that freedom.
What does that have to do with Christianity? I think it's obvious. Christianity seeks to bring ALL souls "into the fold". It's ultimate purpose is the realization of that One Religion world I spoke of. Never mind that it admits that the goal can never be reached, by virtue of "the stubbornness of man" and the "influence of Satan". The fact that it champions this One Religion world is cause enough, IMO, for the culture to deny it. Perhaps? It's not a denial of Jesus Christ, of the things He taught and stood for. Is it a denial of his resurrection? Maybe, maybe not, but I have come to the conclusion that a lot of Christians see that event mainly as "a good reason to pay attention to what the Guy said before we crucified Him." Or that, "since it's never happened before, I guess he really was the Son of God, like he said he was." But how do we know Jesus was the only human to ever rise from the grave? Thousands and thousands and untold thousands of years of history, unwritten and unknown. So, what the culture thinks about the resurrection is not all that relevant, IMO.
Culture is nothing but a mirror of society. It society is ready for a change, or to use a more appropriate word, NEEDING a change, this is going to shine through in the art, politics, humanities, etc. of our culture. Christianity is such an insular institution anyway that I don't know why it bothers them to be denied...it's not as if they weren't warned that this would happen.
Once again, sorry so long. I just had a lot on my mind, as the conversation here has inspired me to really dig down deep to examine the place I've come to on the journey. Thanks for your patience and don't forget that question about why the culture persecutes Christianity (your opinion, that is, because I think I've come to an answer on my own while writing this).
Oh, wait...I do have two more pressing questions...
1.) Why is Katy Perry so hot???
2.) Why in God's name is she hooked up with Russell Brandt?
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