Wow. This was a fantastic read. I must say, I am not a Christian....in fact it's the very things you have talked about that pushed me away. Having been raised in a strict 'christian' household I saw plenty of judgement and intolerance. We never socialised outside the church, never reached out into our community at large and anyone who didn't conform or agree with their interpretation of scripture was deemed to be 'going straight to hell'.
When Jesus said 'by their works ye shall know them' I would wonder, even as a child, if this would have been what He wanted. Today I see so much judgement, anger and hatred in Christianity. Self righteous condemnation of all that they perceive as sin, that leaves me thinking that they're more like the Pharisees of old than the followers Christ called to go out into the world.
I must admit to having my perceptions of the church coloured by my encounters with bigotry, fanaticism and intolerance.
To read your post, was like a breath of fresh air shining a light into the darkness. If all Christians, thought as you, I'm sure the pews would be full and the churches overfilled with souls drawn to the light of the true teachings of Christ.
Thank you. Food for thought.
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Your childhood description reminds me of what my children would have likely endured if I continued on in my legalism. Jesus did say "by their works, ye shall know them." If you read the full context, he was teaching on how to snake out a false teacher. Remember also that he said, "They shall know you are my disciples by your love for one another." <3 Once again, thank you so much for your encouragement!! :)@looksfarwoman, thank you for your kind words!! I'm so glad that even though you don't identify as a Christian, you were open to reading my article and considering it food for thought.
You are welcome. I really appreciated your article and hope to read more in the future.