A letter to my Mother: Dear Mom, I am a believer in exlie.

[Selwynn]

I've decided to share this letter with you folks, without altering a word of it. I put this in the lounge becaues it is a "vanity" post. It's long, so read it, don't read it.. whatever.

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I'm sending this to both Mom and Sean, since I've sent both of you a lot of stuff during this election cycle. Hopefully you'll take the time to read this - I would appreciate it. Now that the elections are over (yes, I'm concerned about some of the questions surrounding it, but not because I have "sore loser" syndrome, but because as always, I'm interested in whatever is truthful) I want to try and make a change as we all go forward from here.

This election really brought home some truths to me. What was so painful for me this last week was not that George Bush was elected President again, believe it or not. What was so painful for me this last week was how the media and political activist organizations taking the name of Christianity called it a "decisive vicotry for moral values." On virutally evey television station, one theme was constantly restated: people who said "moral values" were their highest concern voted for Bush, according to the media. The media went on to define what "moral values" really meant by refering to two issues and two issues only: a pro-life stance on abortion and opposition to gay marriage. That's what the media defines as the full scope of "moral values."

In the days following the election, every radical, dogmatic, neo-conservative Pharasee came out of the woodwork with renewed enery and vigor. All over the country column and editorials expoded onto the scene by people and groups claiming to represent "Conservative Christians." And they said things very much like what was said in the LA Times Op-Ed I forwarded to you - that Democrats were evil, the "left" despises America, it "vomits" on morals and "rejects God" and that some how, the most divisive election in history, won by a president who had more people vote agains him than any other president in history somehow represent a clear and decisive victory for "them" and a clear mandate for their agenda.

In short, political groups taking the name "Christian Conservatives" have declared war on anyone who disagrees with them. They have decreed that those who oppose their perspective are not even worthy of toleration - they are evil, and deserve nothing but disdain. They have declared that they are bringing the full force of their agenda to bear on the country - and that is the establishing of a pseudo-religious "theocracy" in America - a theocracy not based on the love, mercy and compassion of Jesus Christ, or on his spirit of gentleness and openness, nor on Christ's call to be peacemakers, merciful and relationally loving, not on Christ's call to justice, nor to his proclaimation that he has come to proclaim good news to the poor, to liberate the oppressed and proclaim the good news of the year of the Lord. Rather, it is an attempt to establish the rule of men in the name of God, a rule based on intolerance and agression against anyone who holds a dissenting point of view or has a different understanding of moral values. It is an attempt to codify into our national goverment the very worst of dogmatism and legalistic rigidity. It is, to be perfectly frank, anti-Christ in spirit.

I wholly reject the notion that moral values can be reduced down to whether or not you believe there should be "prayer" in school - moral, godly, loving, beautiful people can disagree on that.

I wholly reject the notion that moral values can be reduced down to whether or not you believe that abortion is a personal decision or one that the state should control - moral, godly, loving, beautiful people can disagree on that.

I wholly reject the notion that moral values can be reduced down to whether or not you believe that same sex couples should be entitled to the same rights and government priviledges that opposite sex couples are entitled to - moral, godly, loving, beautiful people can disagree on that.

I wholly reject the notion that moral values can be reduced down to whether or not there should be greater censorship over the things we are allowed watch, see, hear or participate in - moral, godly, loving, beautiful people can disagree on that.

I could go on and on. The reason why moral, godly, loving, beautiful people can disagree on these things, is because these things are not at the heart of what it truly means to be a moral person. What is truly at the heart of what it means to be a moral person is a passionate commitment to God and a love for him with your whole heart, soul, mind and stength, and a love of others that is as deeps as your love of your own life.

It is not possible to be moral or Christian and believe that the problems of others are of no consequence to us.

It is not possible to be moral or Christian and not hold a fundamental conviction that we are called to be loving and compassionate towards every single human being we encounter, and to strive to get better and that each and every day.

It is not possible to be moral and Christian and not hold a fundamental conviction for peace. That does not mean that there are never times where there is not choice by to fight, but it does mean a committment to both peacemaking relationally and peace globally, seeing conflict and war as an abslolute, absolute last resort.

It is not possible to be moral and Christian and not be committed to healing, mending, and restorative justice.

It is not possible to be moral and Christian and not be fundamentally committed to empowering others to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling - not seeking to control them, assault them, or coerce them to acting just like you "think" they should act, but rather loving them, and placing their souls firmly in the hands of the holy spirit, giving them the freedom to seek and understand (and even make mistakes) without the micromanaging and opporessive control of "religion."

Today I write to you as a believe in exile. This country is not the country I grew up believing in. And I don't see the "sinners" as the source of the problem. I see the problem as the utter coopting and corruption of the term "Christian." It has been coopted by a political partisan agenda that not only does not represent a progressive spirit, it does not even represent traditional conservative values. "Christianity" has taken on a double meaning in America. No longer does it only refer to a personal passionate commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and a commitment to living a life based on Christ's teachings. It now also refers to a poltical agenda of pseduo-theocracy, power lust, control, intolerance, dogmatism and oppression.

We are living in days just like those that Jesus lived in. When he came on the scene, Israel's spirituality had seen the same kind of division. No longer did being a "righteous" man in first-century Palestine mean a personal commitment to loving God. Now it also mean honoring the Pharisees and teachers of the "Law." The Pharasees had established themselves as the religious authority, set themselves up as idols to be obeyed and served in place of the one God. The oppressed the people with over six hundred legalistic laws resticting and legislating every dimension of human life. They persecuted those who resisted. They established religiosity in place of personal piety and faith. Jesus Christ came and challenged the "Church" of the day. He did not allign himself with the temple, or the "Chruch" leaders, or the organized religious institutions which had been so coopted by corruption, power lust and blind dogmatism. Instead, his "church" was the prositutes and the tax-collectors and sinners. His followers were the poor. His message was one of love, but it was also one of sharp criticism and contrast to the church of the day.

He did not mince words - he called the Pharisees and teachers of the law hypcrites, snakes and broods of vipers. Jesus accused them of oppressing the people, living in hypocrisy, and turning their backs on God. His final, brutal proclaimation was (I believe) said as he wept bitterly, with a broken heart -- "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you! How often have I longed to gather you together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wing! But you were unwilling. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate!"

How is it that we can be so blind, and totally fail to see that this is PRECISELY the situation we find ourselves in again in America today? If Jesus Christ walked the earth today, is home would not be in the Church. His congreation would be the poor, gays, "liberals" and anyone else hungry and yearning to hear his message. And his message would be radically fundamentally different that the message proclaimed by this new "Christian" majority. And if Jesus walked the earth today, the legalists, the Pat Robertsons and 700 Clubbers, the Jerry Fallwells and the Moral Majority, the Christian Colition, the so-called southern "Evangelical" Constituency, and the like would come together and murder him all over again. Why? Because just like Jesus was to the Phrasiees of old, he would be a threat to their power. And power is all that they really care about.

You may say to me, "Andrew, not all Christians are like that." Of course not all Christians are like that. In fact, NO actual Christians are like that, because to be like that is to stand diametically opposed to everything Christ taught. But how long can we hide behind that exucse before we finally accept the fact that the "Christian Church" in america, refering to the religious institutions and organizations of "Christianity" and their political agenda, legalism and blind compassion-less dogmatism are corrupting and poisoning the real body of Christ? How long will it be before we recognize and accept that there is a serious and gave problem within the organized church in American today, and that it IS pervasive, not just an isolated incident here or there.

What will it take before godly men and women finally confess that something is going terribly wrong in the organized Chruch today, and that every year American "religion" strays farther and father from anything that can even remotely be considered "Christ-like?" When will the time come where every person who personally loves God and is called according to his purpose feels it laid upon his or her heart to stop APOLOGIZING FOR THE CHURCH and start resisting injustic and inhumaity done in the name of it? Sooner or later those who truly love God, will have to acknoweldge that they are "believers in EXILE." Those who truly hunger and thirst for righteousness - not the faux-"righteousness" of the sword, but the righteousness of compassion, love, mercy and gentleness - the righteousness that refeclts the grace of god, a grace which says "you are accepted" to even the unacceptable -- will have to come to accept that they are in exile. Every new day in America is a day where organized religion drifts further and futher from any remote resemblance to the gospel - to "good news" of any kind.

Do you go to a good organized church, one that is loving and compassionate and outpouring and socially involved and liberating and just? Wonderful! But you must accept the fact that we live in a day of two "Christianities" One is the Christianity of men and women personally accepting of God's grace and individually committed to love and compassion - these people can come together in fellowship and from that overflow reach out in compassion into the world. But this "Chrisitanity" is now being overshaowed by the dark cloud of institutional "Christendom" -- a pharaseaical religiousity of power and oppressing, which uses "religion" as a wepon of oppression and control. And this is the "Christendom" that has a national stage and a national presence in politics.

I have never felt more like a believer in exile than I do today. Any remote idea I may have entertained about becoming a minister in a "church" has been completely obliterated from my mind. Instead, I want to continue to pray over the next weeks and months about how I can resist the evil and hypocrisy I see done in the name of "faith." I want to pray and seek out ways that I can stand in direct opposition to the organized institutionalized so-called "Church" that has become a corrupt and destructive political force in America. I want to reconcile, I want to heal, I want to find some ways to restore the rift. Just like Jesus said, my heart too longs to bring everyone together. But I don't see that willingness. And my primary concern is not over those perpetualting injustice and oppression in the name of "moral values." My primary concern is over the innocent lives that they leave utterly decimated in their wake.

I'm not trying to come off sounding agressive - both of you know my heart. I've cried many tears this week thinking about all of this stuff and how sad it makes me. I weap over the divisions and brokennes in our country. But at the same time, I feel a little bit of what I believe to be righteous indignation. When Jesus came to Jeruslaem and saw them buying and selling and desecrating the temple, he didn't smile and say, "hey fellas! You know what would be really great, is if you could just go ahead and take that stuff on out of here, you know only if you want to. I don't want to offend, but it would be really swell if you would do that." No. He fashioned a whip, threw their money tables over, and drove them out of the temple. Look up the word used for "drove" sometime - it basically means scourge. What that tells me is that there is a time and a place for that kind of action.

I will paraphase someone else to describe how I feel today. I feel that those who have been broken and scarred by people doing horrible things in the name of "christianity" -- they remember. They remember our silence, and they remember our indifference. We've seen the so-called "Christian Conservatives" spread their anti-chrisitan agenda all through washington and we let it happen. While religious organizations have advocated and endorsed the most vile and destructive ideas, and we sat back and watched it on tv. Today I say, no more. They remember our indifference.

So I want to make you a promise today. A big change has started to come over me in this last week. And I want to tell you this, and I want you to remember it: never again. I will never apologize for injustice done in the name of Christianity, I will no longer negotiate with those who use such tools to destroy the lives of others, and I will no longer seek "common ground" by watering down what I know to be morally right in the interest of keeping the conversation light. I am not telling you today that I intend to take an agressive, dogmatic, absolutist position towards the things I feel convicted of. I am not saying that. The same compassion I have felt, the same brokenheartedness over suffering I have felt, the same love and desire to be reconciled to all peoples I have felt all remain inside me today. But I will no longer allow myself to feel afraid and them or their tactics, or hesistate to say - as lovingly and gently as I can - what I know to be right. It's their turn to be afraid.

There are two faces of "Christianity" today - one good, and one evil. And I am no longer going to put up quietly with the evil. I am going to try to focus more on the spiritual implications of politics, and not just "poltiics" for its own sake. And as I said I have a new and deep burden like I've never felt before to fight this garbage being done in the name of "Christ." There is currently no national voice standing up and saying, "you know what, all this stuff you keep hearing, that's not how christians really think, let me tell you about the loving, merciful god that I know.." There needs to be. I am sick to death - just completely physically ill over the ammount of totaly utter GARGABE done in the name of "Christianity." And I'm not gonna take it anymore.

I don't know where to go, or what to do, or how to do it. But I'm not going to take it anymore. So I'm going to pray until I understand - I want to devote my life to fighting this complete and utter garbage.

Thanks for listening,
Andrew

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Christianity has been hijacked by radicals.

It's not really all that much different from the hijacking of Islam by Al Qaeda. And considering that the Bushites are always talking about their Christian evangelical "base" -- does anyone else think it's just a bit ironic that Al Qaeda is Arabic for "The Base"? I guess everybody's gonna have a lunatic finge, but unfortunately the lunatics are now running the asylum.

[Selwynn]

2. I should add one note:

A couple places I say some things like "I will never again apologize for evils done in the name of Christianity."

I never was apologizing for those things in the first place. But sometimes when I write to my mom, I say things as though I'm speaking about myself as a gentle way of actually saying "you need to stop apologizing for the evils done in the name of Christianity." And that approach often works.

Sel

EDIT - I should also add, I really don't expect anyone to read this. I'm not that egotistical nor do I think that highly of my own words. I just wanted to post it for some reason. Do with it what you will.

[PunkinPi]

3. beautifully done :)

[Iris]

4. Excellent.

You must feel better after getting all of that out on paper. I hope you do.

I'm working on an essay myself about the disconnect between the "moral" Bush voters and the money grubbing, mean-spirited Bush voters. It helped to get it all out, but I won't be satisfied until it is good enough shape to have it published somewhere, even if I need to start my own blog.

[lumberingbear]

5. Excellent job Sel!!!!!

You couldn't have said it better.

[keopeli]

6. Good for you, Andrew

I would suggest, if you don't mind, two things:

1. Be more clear about what you mean by "exile" rather than just floating the term out there. Exile for who? To where? For what? (you covered that) Until when?

2. Rather than simply withdrawing your alliance with Chritendom (as I myself have done), you might also align yourself with a positive Christian and true message. Their voices are still small, but they are out there. Churches such as the United Church of Christ, Metropolitan Church of Christ, and Disciples of Christ (where I go) have sound messages within their body (not necessarily by the national leaders, but regional leaders).

God bless you, Andrew. I'm glad to know I'm not alone. I'm considering a letter to my family, too, but not yet. My current idea is to stop identifying myself as "Christian" because the word now means something other than what I believe. Christ was never a "Christian". People are being killed in the name of Christianity. I can't, in good conscious, condone this by association. I'm considering alternative nomers, such as spiritualist, deist, or 'child of god', but I don't really like any of those. My family will freak out, which means they will share my current frame of mind with me. That's the lot they've chosen.

As for me, my attitude is the same as Christ Jesus', who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And, being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even crucifiction! Thereffore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name. (Philippians 2)

[Lydia Leftcoast]

7. Excellent, heartfelt letter

and I just wrote an e-mail to Weekend All Things Considered after they interviewed a fundie preacher in Florida who asked his flock to consider "Christian values" when they went into the voting both. Remember that ATC likes messages short and to the point:

"The preacher you interviewed and others like him have reduced the Christian faith to a set of rules about sex. It's much more than that, and measured against Christ's own words in the Beatitudes and the parables, Mr. Bush falls so far short that I have to wonder if conservative Christians ever read the Bible outside the verses that support their prejudices."