Ten Things I Wish Non-Christians Would Move Past

Ten Things I Wish Non-Christians Would Move Past

OK, yesterdays Top 10 got the response I expected. You should have seen my email and facebook inboxes. As I expected a lot of people read down the list until they hit something that they feel strongly about and then stopped there. So much for moving past stuff and focusing on the important message.

Moving right along, today’s Top 10 is the things that I wish Non-Christians would move past. If you don’t believe in the Bible, please take a moment and read this list. Please don’t let any of these things be a stumbling block to you meeting God. He is there and He wants a personal relationship with you and He will make a difference in your life. If you want to know more, just contact me. I’ll buy you a cup of coffee, a soda pop, or even a beer and we can talk about any questions you have. I promise, no spiritual manipulation and no in-your-face stuff, just an honest conversation.

Number 10: Angels. I was at Bookstar the other day and I saw a lady buying this stack of books about Angels. How to get your angel to help you. How to be healed by your angel. How to hear your angel. The Big Book of Angels. OK. It’s all crap. Gotta be honest. Angels are in the Bible, but what you read in all those self-help books is mostly made up, goofy spiritualism which has little or no connection to how they are described in the Bible. Just a thought.

Number 9: Hypocrisy in the Church. Duh. There are hypocrites in the church. For the record, there are also hypocrites in your grocery store, laundromat, bowling alley, on the golf course, and at your work. Look in the mirror and you’ll see one there too. My favorite quote is, “I am comfortable with my own hypocrisy, it is everyone else’s that bothers me.” Laugh. That’s funny. The human condition involves hypocrisy, we all have blind spots to our own problems while seeing other’s very clearly. Don’t let that be a reason for avoiding God.

Number 8: Pushing my values off on you. I blogged about this once before (http://rodg3r.blogspot.com/2009/05/push-off.html). Please don’t accuse me of pushing my values off on you. Of course I am. I have an opinion, I vote, and I have freedom of speech. And, I am honest about it. If you use this as an argument-stopper, then you are the dishonest one. The truth is, everyone has an opinion, and if you vote, make any political comment, protest something, share your opinion, or even just express your belief; then you are pushing your values off on others. That is the great thing about the nation we live in. You are allowed to do that. Let’s go to the polls and you can try to push your values off on me and I’ll try to push mine off on you. Welcome to the process of living in community.

Number 7: I believe that all religions lead to heaven. Goofy, goofy, goofy. Not all religions even believe in heaven. Most religions directly contradict each other. Simple logic therefore is that they must not all lead to heaven. I really wish people put more logic into their thinking.

Number 6: There is no such thing as absolute truth. Another goofy one. That is a self-refuting statement. You are making the statement as if it is truth, but then saying that there isn’t truth. You cannot really believe this and live your life accordingly. (more on this: http://rodg3r.blogspot.com/2009/06/you-cant-understand-this-because-its.html and http://rodg3r.blogspot.com/2009/05/you-cant-handle-truth.html)

Number 5: Televangelists. Yes, most of us think they are ridiculous too. Just turn to the next channel and ignore them. If you want to know about God, find a local church and talk to the pastor. Yes, some of them are weird too, but such is the way of things; every group of people has its weirdos, even Christians.

Number 4: Church is just about money. I believed this too, when I first started coming to church. Every time we met, they passed a plate. They sure are greedy. Actually, the truth is, the church is not a group of pastors asking for money, it is a body of people who are working together to do God’s work and pooling their money to do so. Generosity is an act of worship and obedience that is the complete opposite of greed. If you show up to church, don’t feel guilty or pressured into giving. If you become a part of God’s work, it will be amazing how much you want to be a part of this.

Number 3: Megaphones. That guy standing on a box out front of the stadium telling you that God is condemning you to hell, but Jesus loves you. Yeah, he’s a freak. I agree. Same with Fred Phelps and his gang of protestors with their offensive signs and awful website. And Steven Anderson praying for Obama to get brain cancer and die. Yeah, they embarrass and offend me too. I don’t know what to tell you other than to say that this sort of behavior isn’t found in the Bible. Don’t let those guys turn you off of the real message of Christ and the multitude of Jesus’ followers who would love you to know him.

Number 2: Perfect People. Church people are no more perfect than you. Everyone sitting in those pews is fighting an enormous battle with something in their lives, just like you are. We all face different things. That’s why we need God and why we need each other. Sometimes you will meet the plastic Ken and Barbie Christian who smile and say, “God bless you” all the time, and never have any problems. For the record, those are the ones that usually have the most problems hidden in their closet. They need God too.

Number 1: It really is OK to talk about belief in mixed company. Your beliefs are so much a part of who you are, it is a shame that our culture has decided that you don’t share in mixed company. The rule should be, don’t be a jerk about your beliefs in mixed company, but feel free to talk about them. Who knows we might learn something from each other.

Tomorrow: Ten things that I struggle with in the Bible.