Tunesmith, your mistake is in your blanket condemnation of Christianity.

Let us assume for the moment that Jesus actually did exist, and that he did say the things that the Bible attributes to him.

Within my fairly considerable experience, the noisiest "Christians"—those who claim to be followers of Jesus and claim that they are acting in his name—are generally people whom Jesus would not recognize as being followers of his. Many of them seem to embrace an Old Testament God, one with lots of laws and no mercy, given to retribution and vengeance, not at all averse to war and the wholesale slaying of the enemies of His chosen people. Either that, or the only book of the Bible they seem to have read is the Book of Revelation and are focused on "the End Time," when they will go to Heaven—but most importantly, those whom they regard as sinners (anyone who does not believe—in detail—as they do) will be dragged off, kicking and screaming, to Hell. Someplace along the line, they seem to have neglected a thorough reading of the Gospels, where one finds the teachings of Jesus. These people usually grab secular power whenever they can (they wish to force their beliefs down the throats of any and all who fall under their power), and the result is almost always intolerance and oppression, sometimes on a grand scale. Historically, though, oftentimes the motivation has little to do with religious belief. Religion is usurped to reinforce secular power (Divine Right of Kings, for example). History is full of this sort of stuff, and if this were real Christianity, then I would have to agree with what you say.

But—Jesus was a revolutionary on a number of counts. He negated all of that. Instead of the vengeful God of the Old Testament, Jesus spoke of a forgiving God. And rather than advocating a theocracy, he drew a strong distinction between Caesar and God. Many who call themselves "Christians" seem to have missed all that. So—do they really believe in Christ? Are they really Christians?

Although it doesn't seem like it because the stir they make is all out of proportion to their numbers, these people are in the minority. They seem to be the majority because they make the most noise, grab the most press, and try to wield the most secular power. And because they make the most noise, people who don't know any better assume that this is what Christianity is all about. It's not.

Again, within a mile and a half of where I live (not a particularly atypical neighborhood), there are about a dozen churches of various denominations that are as I describe in my post above (25 Jun 03 - 05:55 PM). They are not out buttonholing you on the street and shoving tracts into your hand, nor are they trying to dictate to the local schools or take over the local government. They are not agitating about when and where you are supposed to pray, nor are they trying to get books banned from the library. They are, however, hard at work trying to find jobs for the unemployed and housing for the homeless, and providing meals for those in need. One acts as a host to families accompanying patients visiting Seattle for treatment at the nearby Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, providing housing and seeing to their needs. One of them is the national headquarters of the Lutheran Peace Fellowship, a peace activist organization, and several of them host meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous and other support groups. At least one of them has two pastors, one of whom is especially charged with coodinating this kind of social outreach. In none of this do they do any proselytizing. They take that passage from Matthew 25 (quoted above) serious, and they feel that the best kind of proselytizing is not by words, but by example.

These, to my mind, are Christians—followers of the teachings of Jesus Christ.

The world is a lot better off because of these people.

Whether Jesus actually existed or not is of secondary importance. The message is what matters (but be sure you get the right message!).

How do you tell a Christian from a "Christian?"

Another Biblical quote: "By their works ye shall know them."

Don Firth