As it turns out, if you happen to have deeply studied the Bible and tested its verses by putting them radically into practice over a number of years — and if you happen to have thereby developed a unique understanding of those verses that happens to contradict what most folks have been taught about what the Bible contains & what it professes — and if you happen to go about engaging conservative Christians in respectful-yet-forthright conversations about these differences, you will invariably at some point be called an “agent of Satan”.

Indeed, as ridiculous as it might sound to some, this has actually happened to me literally dozens of times over the past ten years. And when it happened at first, I was left completely dumbfounded by the blatant audacity required for Christians to make such an outlandishly arrogant (and patently inaccurate) accusation.

And yet the more I thought about it from their perspective, the more their insult made total sense …

You see, the more staunch a Christian’s belief in the traditional, conservative, church-sponsored interpretations of the Bible’s texts, the more they will be forced to believe that anyone who contradicts their “Word of God” must be in collaboration with the Devil. Their dogma is comfortable to them — it provides them with the comfortable assurance of being “right” about how to worship God, of being found “worthy” in the eyes of that Lord, and of qualifying as being one of the few who are “saved” as a result. Naturally, then, anyone who contradicts their airtight understanding of the “Word of God” MUST be in allegiance with “the forces of darkness” … Setting aside for the moment the slim possibility that they might indeed be correct about the dysfunctional & not-so-Kind nature of their god, I really do get why they would choose to believe such a thing, and I therefore really do understand why they would therefore choose to label me as “demonic”.

Of course, in a delicious twist of irony, it just so turns out that Jesus Christ — also like me a public advocate for religious reform — was accused by the religious authorities of his day of EXACTLY THE SAME thing! He openly faced the Sadducees & the Pharisees and the other leaders the Jewish religion of his day, he made essentially the same arguments against the conservative, the capricious & the condemnatory nature of that faith as I am making against Christianity today, and then he was accused of being an “agent of Satan” as well (an agent of “Beelzebub”, actually, but the intended meaning was the same).

How intriguing that anyone who champions Light could be accused of being an agent of Darkness; how anyone acting as a messenger of Love could be accused of being an agent of fear; how anyone choosing to glorify a God of perfect Love could be accused of being an accomplice to a Satan embodied (supposedly) of hatred & fear! … Indeed, how could I be in league with the Devil while spreading the one message that causes his demons to tremble? How could I be an ally of Satan while advocating the very selfless LOVE that causes the Devil to shake and flee? … And how ironic is is as well that it is actually those accusing me of being in league with evil who are the very ones empowering the same; how it is those “good Christians” who accuse me of bringing the darkness who are the very ones making the shadows of judgment & hatred & fear & ignorance grow ever thicker — much to Satan’s delight!

Yes, my Friends, I freely admit that my message of joyful self-sacrifice & radical Kindness & Loving our enemies is a most uncomfortable one to enliven. And I fully stipulate that it is a message that does indeed directly contradict many of the more popular and almost all of the more comforting tenants of the Paul-inspired Christian-church … AND YET a Message of LOVE & LIGHT it remains — and therefore the bane of Satan & all his evils it remains as well.

*For Satan (to the degree that he actually exists) wants us to believe that our own religion provides the “only way to Heaven” and that God’s grace only extends to those who “worship correctly” … The Way of Christ, on the other hand, encourages us to visualize an almighty God (in whatever form, by whatever name) who cares for ALL His creations regardless of religion, race, gender or species — and then to act accordingly.

*For Satan wants us to believe that sentient animals are “less than” and to be used & abused at our convenience — as sacrifices, as food, as clothing or as entertainment … The Way of Christ, on the other hand, encourages us to respect ALL sentient life; to live each day intending to cause the least amount of harm and bring the most amount of Joy.

*For Satan wants us to believe that members of ISIS (and all other “terrorists”) are patently evil and that they must be exterminated by violent force — a “Christian Jihad”, if you will … The Way of Christ, on the other hand, knows that violence — no matter how justified we might feel it to be — only begets more violence; that war only begets more war; that judgment only begets more judgment; that to live by the sword is to die by the sword. Indeed, while Satan revels in the fact that for every “terrorist” killed at least three more are created, The Way of Christ knows that the only way to attain victory over the Satanic forces of fear is to courageously apply the Godly powers of Love & Compassion & Kindness.

Amen … Let it be so.

“And when the Pharisees heard [of Jesus healing the deranged], they said, “It is only by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out demons.” And Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. And indeed, if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?” ~ Matthew 12:24-26

 

Filed under: My Favorite Verses by Scaughdt