The Good Thing About Christianity

The Good Thing About Christianity
by a Heathen

Galatians 3 NIV

Children of God

23Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.

26So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

It's the egalitarian (the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities) nature of the Christian gospel. Even if a person doesn't accept the death and resurrection of Jesus as the Christ, the basic notion of an equality not based upon ethnicity, financial status, or gender is there. Christians should keep that foremost in thinking.

So this may be directed mostly to Americans who claim that the U.S. is founded as a Christian nation. It's the egalitarian in the Declaration of Independence, not the death and resurrection of Jesus. We are physical, mortal beings as long as we live. Only that, the physical, can be effected or guided by the rule of law.

I personally have no interest in the esoterica of any religion's deep dark secrets. That's why I may say "I am not spiritual, but I am religious". Religion to me is the interaction of people with each other and their cultures and nature. That's it. Learned it in a Sociology text book.

Of course cultures develop morals and codes of ethics, it's pretty much mandatory. Sub-cultures are cultures too.

I used to wonder why Christians who seemingly abandoned, or greatly de-emphasized, the mythos of resurrection of Jesus for salvation persisted in identifying as Christians. I'm talking about Liberal Social Gospel Churches with perhaps a lesbian minister, and operating food pantries for the poor of any and all persuasions.

It probably has to do with egalitarian values that they see in Christianity. So much so that that overcomes the limitations of specific rules which would restrict the spirit. "Gal 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

That sounds very libertarian, maybe even libertine.

But I now can see as through a glass darkly that these people may just have a Spirit from God. Who am I to know or judge. I'm not into esoterica, and know nothing about The Spirit, whatever that is, or if it even exists. From a pure physical observation, they seem quite moral and ethical to me.

a reply to: FullHeathen

I am neither religious nor spiritual, but reading your post on Above Top Secret was like a draft of cool water. Thank you.