Ranting Day 2

Ranting day 2,

Do you know who your neighbors are? If I was to ask you what their names are could you tell me? Or if I asked about their health or financial situation would you have a clue? Most people can usually answer the first question but then get very vague or not know at all on the second, so where do you fit?

Being here in the south, the proverbial Bible belt, has given me a much more different picture of Christianity then I have ever had in my life, this started long before I left Christianity but has been reinforced  over the last year or so. It would seem that Christianity has become a place that is filled with hypocrites. Now I know that some of you are going to look at that last statement and not read a bit more, and honestly I don’t really care, but for those of you who have any amount of courage you might get an answer as to why I say that and perhaps you might even figure out what to do about it.

It’s kind of a funny thing, in a way, because if I was in the “church” many of you would listen to what I say, nod your heads in all the appropriate places, and then forget everything that was said to you as soon as you get out the door yet if it comes from the outside you will screen it  ( or ignore it ) for  perceived errors and then forget all of it anyhow, but here I go.

Now for the record, there are some Churches and Synagogues that I know are doing great things, for instance Mishkan David based in RI, they give so much of their time and effort to helping people that they don’t even have a building to call their own. They literally help the poor and needy, the widows and the orphans. Not only do they sponsor an orphanage in Haiti, but they actually went there several times over even while the chaos was running wild to help the children . They know who their neighbors are.

There are some things that we may disagree on religiously speaking, but in the things which really matter, loving G-D with all your heart and loving your neighbor as yourself, we would agree on and that is the point of all this.

When was the last time you or your church reached out to people who were outside of your particular faith? I am talking people who believe different, look different, smell different maybe they have no belief at all. When was the last time that you or yours bothered to go and  LOOK for people to help even in your own neighborhoods?

This is where I believe the hypocrisy is taking place. The very person that you claim to follow has told you do go out and find these people and yet you do nothing.

I have heard many of an excuse, everything from we don’t speak the same language to they are never going to believe the same way that we do. Is that what is really important?

I think the worse one that I have ever heard was when a prominent person asked one of the most telling questions; How much is this going to cost. What sadness.

Some of the most beautiful buildings around the world are churches and cathedrals and yet we have people living in tents right here in America. What’s wrong with this picture?

Where are the churches? Where are the Synagogues? Where are the religious leaders who should be doing everything in their power to help their neighbors?  I’ll tell you where they are. They are in their comfortable offices and homes wringing their hands and doing nothing. They are debating as to whether or not G-D would be a Democrat or a Republican accusing each other of being wrong and doing nothing.

It’s rubbing off on your members.

I have a neighbor who attends one of the prominent churches in the area, who will not speak to me. My offense? I had an adult beverage. That’s right an adult beverage. I had seen that they were having some trouble with their vehicle and so I went out to help with tools in hand, but apparently it was the smell of the beverage that offended, but what was worse was that it wasn’t until later that I found this out and then through a different source, but the fact remains that they no longer even speak to us.

I realize that some of you are SDA or Baptist and you believe that this is wrong, fine we can have that debate on another day, my point though is that is not the way to treat people because not everyone is going to be on the same level as you are. Did not Jesus, the one you claim to follow, reach out to everyone no matter who they were? According to the NT he didn’t care if they were Jew or Gentile, prostitute or tax collectors they were children of G-D and he treated them as such.

So why am I talking about this so much? It comes down to this, I have taken it personally.

I have left Christianity. I don’t believe that Jesus was G-D. These are facts that I have stated before. But does that mean that we ( my family and I ) have no more need of those who once called us friend? Do we not rate the same kind of love and affection from G-D and from you that was there once upon a time? G-D I don’t doubt. He has shown himself true, no matter the circumstance but I have come to learn the ugly truth about most of you in Christianity, especially here in the south, that if your not a member of the club, then you apparently don’t rate friends anymore.

I think when the time comes, and I suspect it will be soon, we will go back to the Liberal east, where at least they are accepting of those of us who see things differently.

I have friends who go to the afore mentioned Mishkan who would have us even though they know that we believe different and I have even spoken to some Rabbi’s who would as well. What a difference. All the stats would suggest that the East is filled with godless people and yet in the things that truly matter, love, compassion and charity they beat out the south hands down.

So who’s your neighbor?

Shalom,

Ignacio