Kolbe - Modern Religion: What Would Jesus Think?
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David Kolbe, Warsaw attorney-
Of the many letters which have riddled these pages over the years, especially on the subject of Christianity, certain themes stand out. Over and above public doctrinal bickering is an underlying sense of lecture and evaluation. And a couple of repeated points stand out – a lot of people do not measure up and it’s “my way or the highway.” The threat of eternal damnation looms over the heads of those who do not hold to certain intellectual doctrines or cannot verbally articulate the language of salvation. Let alone the fact that this approach invites ridicule and perplexity from non-believers and spiritual seekers, it does not reflect the Jesus I read about in the Bible.
He hung out and related with what we call losers. He was kind and gentle with them. He did not judge. He invited himself to their houses and he talked with them at wells. He said they were far closer to God than the “good” people because they knew how messed up they were. He showed them immense mercy and touched at the core of their humanity. And they responded with a desire to change and do right. I am daily thankful I have a chance to work with people like this because so many know their own spiritual poverty and do not pretend to be good. And for many their hearts are open. The Jesus I read about was really hard on the self-righteous and the religiously correct because they really did not get it. They evaluated and put religious loads on people that had nothing to do with true worship. They put people through a bunch of worthless hoops and behind closed doors they did not follow their own rules. He called these folks white-washed tombs.
Is it different today?
There is so much dogma out there that nothing to do with true religion. Let me give some examples that will no doubt offend bunches of people. Sorry.
Some people believe if they avoid alcohol and tobacco and those who do they are eternally safe. Apparently morbid obesity is permissible. Some people believe if you read only a Bible sanctioned by an English King in 1611 you are secure. Some people actually believe you should handle rattlesnakes during a religious service as a sign of faith. One of those preachers died the other day somewhere in Appalachia. Some people believe you have to speak in tongues to prove you are saved. Some preachers tell us (especially the flashy TV kind who drive Rolls Royces and fly in Lear jets) that all you have to do is send them a monthly check and God will pour out wealth upon you. I guess it is something like a heavenly Wall Street. Some people believe that we are all pre-destined to heaven or hell and there is nothing we can do about it. That can give a person an immense sense of security. It can also drive some people nearly insane in the endless quest to prove he or she is one of the chosen few. Some people believe that if you live like it’s 1870 (but take auto rides from your neighbor and put cell phones in your kids’ names) you will be saved. Some people believe that if they commit to a weekly ritual they are secure. Some people believe that they must avoid dancing because it leads to all kinds of sexual mischief. Some people believe you have to worship on Saturday and not Sunday and this is a really big deal. I could go on and on.
It is all about finding a sense of security and in the end, in my view, it is religious narcotics that have little to do with the true path. I was on a golf outing a few years ago with a group of pastors from the Church of God. There are so many versions of the Church of God denomination I cannot keep track. These men were from the Anderson, Indiana, brand. At one of the tees I said to them: “Religion is for those who are afraid of going to hell. Spirituality is for those who have been there.” They all looked at me but no one said a word. I also spoke to a group of college students at a Christian college not long ago. I typically try to pepper my presentations with a bit of humor (without vulgarity.) I noticed that the students were stifled in their responses. When I speak to secular groups the response is immediate and we have a good time. I could not figure out why the lack of response until it dawned on me. They had to filter my words through their religious dogma and because humor provokes an immediate response, or none, they could not keep up. I was sad for them.
There was a great 19th century Russian writer named Fyodor Dostoyevsky. One of the books he wrote is titled “The Brothers Karamazov”. In it Dostoyevsky levels a stinging charge against the institutional church. Jesus returns and is confronted by the church, embodied in a character called The Grand Inquisitor. The Inquisitor says to Jesus: “Why have you come to disturb us?”
And it made me wonder what we might say to Him if He came around here…[[In-content Ad]]
Of the many letters which have riddled these pages over the years, especially on the subject of Christianity, certain themes stand out. Over and above public doctrinal bickering is an underlying sense of lecture and evaluation. And a couple of repeated points stand out – a lot of people do not measure up and it’s “my way or the highway.” The threat of eternal damnation looms over the heads of those who do not hold to certain intellectual doctrines or cannot verbally articulate the language of salvation. Let alone the fact that this approach invites ridicule and perplexity from non-believers and spiritual seekers, it does not reflect the Jesus I read about in the Bible.
He hung out and related with what we call losers. He was kind and gentle with them. He did not judge. He invited himself to their houses and he talked with them at wells. He said they were far closer to God than the “good” people because they knew how messed up they were. He showed them immense mercy and touched at the core of their humanity. And they responded with a desire to change and do right. I am daily thankful I have a chance to work with people like this because so many know their own spiritual poverty and do not pretend to be good. And for many their hearts are open. The Jesus I read about was really hard on the self-righteous and the religiously correct because they really did not get it. They evaluated and put religious loads on people that had nothing to do with true worship. They put people through a bunch of worthless hoops and behind closed doors they did not follow their own rules. He called these folks white-washed tombs.
Is it different today?
There is so much dogma out there that nothing to do with true religion. Let me give some examples that will no doubt offend bunches of people. Sorry.
Some people believe if they avoid alcohol and tobacco and those who do they are eternally safe. Apparently morbid obesity is permissible. Some people believe if you read only a Bible sanctioned by an English King in 1611 you are secure. Some people actually believe you should handle rattlesnakes during a religious service as a sign of faith. One of those preachers died the other day somewhere in Appalachia. Some people believe you have to speak in tongues to prove you are saved. Some preachers tell us (especially the flashy TV kind who drive Rolls Royces and fly in Lear jets) that all you have to do is send them a monthly check and God will pour out wealth upon you. I guess it is something like a heavenly Wall Street. Some people believe that we are all pre-destined to heaven or hell and there is nothing we can do about it. That can give a person an immense sense of security. It can also drive some people nearly insane in the endless quest to prove he or she is one of the chosen few. Some people believe that if you live like it’s 1870 (but take auto rides from your neighbor and put cell phones in your kids’ names) you will be saved. Some people believe that if they commit to a weekly ritual they are secure. Some people believe that they must avoid dancing because it leads to all kinds of sexual mischief. Some people believe you have to worship on Saturday and not Sunday and this is a really big deal. I could go on and on.
It is all about finding a sense of security and in the end, in my view, it is religious narcotics that have little to do with the true path. I was on a golf outing a few years ago with a group of pastors from the Church of God. There are so many versions of the Church of God denomination I cannot keep track. These men were from the Anderson, Indiana, brand. At one of the tees I said to them: “Religion is for those who are afraid of going to hell. Spirituality is for those who have been there.” They all looked at me but no one said a word. I also spoke to a group of college students at a Christian college not long ago. I typically try to pepper my presentations with a bit of humor (without vulgarity.) I noticed that the students were stifled in their responses. When I speak to secular groups the response is immediate and we have a good time. I could not figure out why the lack of response until it dawned on me. They had to filter my words through their religious dogma and because humor provokes an immediate response, or none, they could not keep up. I was sad for them.
There was a great 19th century Russian writer named Fyodor Dostoyevsky. One of the books he wrote is titled “The Brothers Karamazov”. In it Dostoyevsky levels a stinging charge against the institutional church. Jesus returns and is confronted by the church, embodied in a character called The Grand Inquisitor. The Inquisitor says to Jesus: “Why have you come to disturb us?”
And it made me wonder what we might say to Him if He came around here…[[In-content Ad]]
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