We are so much more than the packages that we come in ...

A friend of mine once said  "It's not Jesus that I have a problem with, it's His followers."  I had a hard time understanding this statement at first, but since then I've experienced many things which have given me a clearer understanding of what my friend meant by his statement. 

Unfortunately, far too many people use the name of "Jesus" as a means to impose their rigid -- and often times somewhat distorted -- views and 'beliefs' upon others.  In this type of scenario, the name of Jesus becomes less about the man --and his message given by way of actual example, in the way he lived his life-- instead becoming more of a convenient tool for inflicting a perceived order onto the world around these 'followers' --for I would argue the latter individuals little resemble Jesus, the man, in action.  Where this perceived order then dictates convenient social mores as to what the world 'should' and 'should not' be.  I am sad to say -- not to mention to think on -- the many, many wrongs that have unfortunately been committed in the name of Christendom. 

God made this crazy beautiful world and then He chose to fill it with DIVERSITY ... Why?  I won't even try to begin to try to understand, or claim to understand, the mind of God.  ... But for whatever reason:  God painted this world of OURS with an abundance of diversity and I doubt that He did the latter so that we would waste precious time and energy trying to tear one another apart because of our seemingly 'important' differences (e.g., skin color, beliefs, ethnicity, gender, etc.).  We are so much more than sets of man-made, man-imposed rules and ideologies ... We are so much more than the packages that we come in;  And until we realize, accept and embrace this, we will never become any more than what we are. Which kind of defeats the whole purpose for our being, from a free-will/spiritual perspective, right?????

God gave us free-will, who then are we to disrespect HIS gift?  We should accept this gift in others, not condemn those who happen to disagree with the man-made ideologies and beliefs that we personally choose to subscribe to.  As a wise man once said:   judge not least you should be judged and the first shall be last and the last shall be first ... I would offer that the latter applies to the pious and self-righteous among us as well.



"Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes."

"I cannot teach you violence, as I do not myself believe in it. I can only teach you not to bow your heads before any one even at the cost of your life."

~Mahatma Gandhi