Taking Christ out of Christianity

[Mugu]

From Saturday's Globe and Mail
March 22, 2008 at 12:38 AM EDT

hat triumphal barnburner of an Easter hymn, Jesus Christ Has Risen Today – Hallelujah, this morning will rock the walls of Toronto's West Hill United Church as it will in most Christian churches across the country.

But at West Hill on the faith's holiest day, it will be done with a huge difference. The words “Jesus Christ” will be excised from what the congregation sings and replaced with “Glorious hope.”

Thus, it will be hope that is declared to be resurrected – an expression of renewal of optimism and the human spirit – but not Jesus, contrary to Christianity's central tenet about the return to life on Easter morning of the crucified divine son of God. Generally speaking, no divine anybody makes an appearance in West Hill's Sunday service liturgy.

There is no authoritative Big-Godism, as Rev. Gretta Vosper, West Hill's minister for the past 10 years, puts it. No petitionary prayers (“Dear God, step into the world and do good things about global warming and the poor”). No miracles-performing magic Jesus given birth by a virgin and coming back to life. No references to salvation, Christianity's teaching of the final victory over death through belief in Jesus's death as an atonement for sin and the omnipotent love of God. For that matter, no omnipotent God, or god.


Read complete article at:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080322.wchurch22/BNStory/National/home

[msongs]

1. myths, fairy tales, and the audacity of hope, all borrowed from previous religions nt

[Beregond2]

2. Myths

I find it interesting that the atheists on this board always use the term "myth" as a pejorative. May I suggest you do some reading on the topic, say Jung and Campbell? A myth, properly understood, is not a "lie." It is a story that metaphorically attempts to say something about the ultimate meaning of life.

One of my favorite Episcopal writers once said: "All we can do is shoot metaphors in the direction of the ineffable."

[Swamp Rat]

3. No it isn't. A 'myth' is a female moth.

:D

[flowomo]

4. I'd like to see the "ianity" taken out of Christianity...

admire the person, reject the institutionalizing.

[madrchsod]

5. if the members of this church accept

what is being offered then so be it...personally i disagree with some of these ideas in relation to the teachings of christ but that`s why christianity is a interesting religion, it`s a big combo platter of ideas...

[Orsino]

6. Christ might be grateful for the assistance.

I rather like the idea, though, of replacing His name with hope. He probably would have been aghast at the idea of a church named after him, anyway.

[uppityperson]

7. I like that, make it about the ideas, not worshipping a person.

I see 2 categories of Christians. Those who worship the person. Those who try to emulate the person, follow the teachings. Yes, they can be combined.

Sometimes the words, the terms, get in the way of communication. This seems like a good idea.

[LWolf]

8. I would like to think of it in reverse.

Taking the christianity out of the contemplation of any christ-figure.


I would love to excise christianity, lock, stock, and barrel from the planet. I would also love to see more people decide to live, breathe, and BE the ideals of unconditional love, humility, empathy, unselfishness, peace, the golden rule...

[hyphenate]

9. It's a start

If more religious right people took the Jesus icon out of their hypocritical tirades, replacing it with tolerance and compassion, they would soon begin the healing of mankind in general.

They confuse the Jesus Figure with a limited and narrow-minded mindset which is all their own, and not with the values that the Christ figure really stands for, which has been explored often at DU and at websites which have more of a progressive nature.

A true "Christian" takes the lessons of the man and applies them to his every day life--kindness toward others, peace and goodwill to all. Never mind just to the fundies, the evangelical right, those who justify war, armageddon, an apocalypse, intolerance, stupidity or creationism.

Whether Jesus existed or not doesn't matter. As I read recently, it's not whether religious icons are real or not, it's whether someone chooses to believe in them that counts. There is a lot of negative energy out there from these intolerant assholes who try to make themselves kings and queens of the pack--and they're harming the whole perception of a divine being that many have chosen as their inspiration.