The Kind of Christian I Refuse to Be

Special thanks to Connor for providing this via Facebook:

https://johnpavlovitz.com/2016/10/21/the-kind-of-christian-i-refuse-to-be/?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=facebook_page&utm_medium=John%20Pavlovitz

It rather made me think about Jediism too, and the type of Jedi I refuse to be.

Christianity has been co-opted and its message lost. In some churches it has become a scheme. You can insert whatever type you want there: political, financial, pyramid, power, etc.The greatest question I have to ask is how do we get back to the Greatest Commandment?

Looking at your question, I can answer it from two perspectives.

How do I come back to the Great Commandment: Through devotional practice (a discipline), through active reading of the Gospel, and translating what I learn into action.

In a way, our Eucharist is the ritual of altruism. We remember the sacrifice of Christ, and we take it on in ourselves. Therefore, if done reverently, we can transmogrify the elements into kindness and self-sacrifice.

How do WE come back to the Great Commandment: Each of us must make the choice.

Remember Jesus’s description of the Church, whenever two or more gather together in [His] name. The in His name part is mostly important.

When a “church” comes together in the name of spectacle or money... is that in the name of Christ Jesus?

Something to ponder. Two beggars on the street praying together may be more of a Church than the grandest megachurch. Maybe.

https://progressivechristianity.org/the-8-points/


The 8 Points of Progressive Christianity


By calling ourselves progressive Christians, we mean we are Christians who…


1. Believe that following the path and teachings of Jesus can lead to an awareness and experience of the Sacred and the Oneness and Unity of all life;


2. Affirm that the teachings of Jesus provide but one of many ways to experience the Sacredness and Oneness of life, and that we can draw from diverse sources of wisdom in our spiritual journey;


3. Seek community that is inclusive of ALL people, including but not limited to:
Conventional Christians and questioning skeptics,
Believers and agnostics,
Women and men,
Those of all sexual orientations and gender identities,
Those of all classes and abilities;


4. Know that the way we behave towards one another is the fullest expression of what we believe;


5. Find grace in the search for understanding and believe there is more value in questioning than in absolutes;


6. Strive for peace and justice among all people;


7. Strive to protect and restore the integrity of our Earth;


8. Commit to a path of life-long learning, compassion, and selfless love.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ9Fi4izrYc

These are really wonderful replies to the question I asked in the original post. I actually came to Jediism because I believed that Christians were not doing enough in their community and that the church had lost its power and influence in the world. I said to myself that Jedi are what Christians would be if they got off their butts. Obviously a lot has happened since May 3, 2012 which has changed my view of both Jediism and Christianity.

One really has to look hard to find people living out the Greatest Commandment. The people are rare, but not impossible to find. I also realized that in my blanket statement of Christianity and Christians in general, I had really fallen short of my own definition. I mean, to be honest, how often had I got off my own butt? I was always waiting for a mission, committee, group, or something/somebody to do it with. I realize that that is a weakness I have concerning Jediism as well. The weakness of permission. I have read some books that have changed my perspective on Christianity and I’d like to share them here:


The Mind of Christ
Radical Church
In His Steps

Each one of these books packs a punch and inspires authentic Christianity as opposed to comfortable Christianity. I think many of us, myself included, need to be reminded of the tremendous work which is required for authentic Christianity and simply ask ourselves “Am I willing to pay the price.


If anyone has any other books that have inspired the way that they view Christianity, if you could share them? I’d like to create a sticky post in here with those

'Jedi are what Christians would be if they got off their butts' is now my new favourite Ros quote.

But indeed, it is, sadly, true. My parents left the church after they kept being told 'it's a matter of faith' to their questions, and even to 'stop asking so many questions'. Those that do that rarely have answers. The Christian faith, as they state, is the evolution of Judaism... However the latter encourages questions and discussion of the faith and ones own walk of faith. The former enjoys willingly blinding oneself to serious problems because it helps the narrative. (this, of course, is not an attack on the faith itself. Any faith that encourages one to help others is a beautiful thing, and I have personally gone and done many things because of this faith and continue to see many close friends (including the recently elected Bishop of Saskatchewan) do many great things because of their faith).

Jediism, from my path so far, more closely aligns with Judaism in the fact that it is about asking questions. And it's not questions you've been groomed to answer a certain way, or ones that even have a concrete or agreeded upon answer. They are answers you find along the way, and that grow and evolve and become more complex and intertwined the further you explore it. So long as you don't write them in your own personal stone and stick stubbornly by them, you can have infinite growth.

Recently because of my interest in Judaism (spurred on by my parents turn to the Noahide path), I've been getting into reading the Tanak, and more recently I found (at the recent gathering no less) the Zohar... Which the further I learn of it, the more I want to learn from it.

On the end, I think the reason why, as Ros puts it, Jediism is what Christians could be, is because there is no saviour in Jediism. The Force doesn't save us, nor do we save it. It simply is. It's what we do with it that leads us to either continued stagnation or personal salvation...even from ourselves.

Yes, there were some books:

1) George Weigel. Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II. New York: Harper Collins Publishers 2005.
2) George Weigel. The End and the Beginning. Pope John Paul II: the Victory of Freedom, the Last Years, the Legacy. New York: Doubleday 2010

I whrote this book in ukrainian translation, made by Ukrainian Catholic University.

For-Emris wrote: Yes, there were some books:

1) George Weigel. Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II. New York: Harper Collins Publishers 2005.
2) George Weigel. The End and the Beginning. Pope John Paul II: the Victory of Freedom, the Last Years, the Legacy. New York: Doubleday 2010

I whrote this book in ukrainian translation, made by Ukrainian Catholic University.

I've downloaded the first. I'm a rather quick reader. I'm looking forward to it