Religion

For reasons that the owner of this blog cannot fully recall, the title of this page is "The New Testament." Additionally, the person writing these entries calls himself "Jesus." Yet he has written painfully little on the topic of religion. Let us ameliorate that now.

I am not a Christian. I'm not a Muslim, a Jew, a Hindu, or a Jedi Knight. I consider myself an atheist, and my contempt for religion mirrors that of any vociferous nonbeliever whom you might encounter online. Still, in my personal life, religion is never a barrier between me and those around me, unless those around me make it an issue. When I am in school or at work, religion is personal, and the personal beliefs of others are not my business, unless 1) We are in a setting that requires input of a private nature, 2) We know each other well, or 3) Your beliefs impact me. For the purposes of this blog post, let us assume that all three premises are true.

To me, Jesus was a man. Not a part of any Holy Trinity, but flesh and blood, just like the rest of us. So, from my perspective, western civilization - in deifying another human being - places a remarkably substantial emphasis on the life of Christ. I am not protesting this adulation of Jesus' preachings, though the zealots tend to repel me with their fanatical devotion to Biblical precepts. Nevertheless, I can never fully convey my admiraton and respect for Mr. Christ. As a humanitarian, he ranks up there with Bono, Mother Teresa, and Gandhi. Much of what he fought for - died for - represents the ideas and ideals that separate humanity from the savage dictates of the Animal Kingdom. Thus, in and of themselves, Christ's teachings do not elicit my hostility.

What INFURIATES me is hypocrisy, especially religious hypocrisy. When "religious" men who claim to worship Christ horde money and seek vengeance against their fellow man for perceived injustices, I find myself quoting the more onerous commandments of Christ. When "Christians" around me commit sins such as envy, lust, and pride on a daily basis, it draws my ire. Essentially, it amounts to masking one's shortcomings with the noble ideations of Christ. As they sanctimoniously attend church on Sundays and wag their fingers at homosexuals and atheists, the dregs of Christian society commit the fowlest sin - hypocrisy - under the auspices of the Divine. Introspection has no place in the judgmental psyches of these "believers." It makes me sick.

So why the title of the blog? Why have I called myself Jesus? I suppose part of it is my own messianic complex. But I think the more substantial reason is that I'd like to shift focus to what Christ actually says in the New Testament. I'm tired of seeing Pat Robertson and God's other used-car salesman (to quote Bono, my favorite Christian) twist and redefine the definition of a "good" believer. I want Christians to lead by example, and that example should mirror the example set by Christ. Yes, I realize that Christianity centers on the notion of Original Sin, and that humans are evil creatures who must repent. But more introspection and less judgmentalism needs to emanate from the Christian Right in the United States.

And if anybody does not understand why an atheist is lecturing Christians about what they should and should not believe, you are not alone. I'm wondering the same thing.