Misrepresented and insulted by The State

A friend mailed an article to me yesterday.  It was published in The State newspaper and, to be fair, I have included a link to the article:

http://www.thestate.com/2012/04/18/2239108/jones-the-jesus-of-christianity.html#storylink=misearch

In this article, a Unitarian Universalist pastor in Columbia (SC) decided to take on Christianity … particularly Christians in the South.  Specifically, he was talking to you and me if Christ is our Savior and we believe the Bible is true!  (Which, in his article, he implies that he doesn’t believe in the “Mystical” parts)

I read this and was very disappointed that The State would publish such words that insult me because of my beliefs.  If I were of another faith, I don’t think they would have dared to do this.

In his article, this pastor stated Christianity is possessed by two demons:  The first is that of right-wing politics.  I do consider myself conservative, but not a right-winger.  One thing I’ve learned over the years is “right and left wing” definitions are ALWAYS relative to those defining them.  He called several political issues out and assumed exactly how we all feel about them.

When you assume … well, you know the rest.  He has no idea about me and what I believe.  I bet he wouldn’t believe that I do not vote a party line … I am convicted to vote for individual candidates.  I look for those who share my beliefs and values, and I take into account past histories and voting records.  In other words, I do my homework.  In regard to the political issues, I always try to find the biblical answer to those and that is how I roll because I do believe, as foolish as some might think it, that God DOES have a better plan for my life than I could possibly have.  And that God has a better plan FOR THIS WORLD than WE could possibly develop.

Honestly, though, what disturbed me even more was the “second demon” to which he referred:  Supernaturalism.  He stated this as a primitive, pre-scientific worldview that no educated, thinking person could possibly hold as credible.  I will try not to mislead or misquote on this, so I urge you to go read his article.  But, we have great differences here:

I believe in Heaven.

I believe in Hell.

I believe Jesus was born of a virgin.

I believe He ROSE AGAIN on the THIRD DAY and HE IS ALIVE!!!!

And, I do not believe this is merely “magical thinking” that gets me through life.  I KNOW all of this to be true because HE LIVES WITHIN MY HEART!!  And, I take pity on a pastor and people who are misled into believing the only possible explanation of God is one that fits with OUR powers of reasoning.  Yes, I pity those who do not know the Holy Spirit because they would never let Him in.

Why did I write this today?  Because I believe God is far beyond any explanation we can give for Him, any reasoning that we can develop, and any definition we can understand.  Because, if He were not, wouldn’t we all be gods???