False Teachings

Few things get me more riled up than when people spout false teachings and call them the "Christian" belief. Like this guy. First he talks about the Bible being a source of good, but then he says he doubts that it is  the absolute Word of God because of the so-called irreconcilable contradictions. He says: "How does one rectify the two images of God, the Old Testament vs. the New Testament. Both versions cannot coexist."  Actually, they can and do co-exist. I think of it as our image of our parents. Many of us see our parents as bigger than life and close to superheroes when we are young. Then as we get older we understand that our parents, while still good people, are not the superheroes we thought them to once be. Does this mean that we were wrong when we were young, or that our parents are now somehow different people? Of course not, just our understanding of them grows as we ourselves grow. Likewise, our understanding of God has developed as we as a society have developed. 


Not everything in his article is completely wrong. I agree with this sentiment, at least most of it: "Simply put, Christian means someone who believes in the teachings of Christ. However, I go beyond the traditional lines and I advocate a return to the simplicity of Christ's teachings, which are to basically love God and love each other. I believe that knowledge will help bring you closer to God, where faith alone may not be sufficient." 


However, then he goes into a part about how Christ was no more divine than the rest of us. "[Yes, Christ is divine], and so are all of God's people. Again, each person carries a spark of God within, this is our birthright to divinity. Not everyone will fully mature their spark of God. Whereas some, like Christ, will evolve themselves to full measure and become active agents of God. This state of grace is closer to the typical idea of divinity, yet we can all achieve it."  Basically saying he was just a good man whose life we should emulate. Except, there is a flaw in that logic. People don't die following the teachings of a good man. Yet thousands of people have willingly given their lives to profess that Jesus is God.


As I was reading the article, I was reminded of yesterday's Gospel reading. "Who do people say I am?" Peter said that Christ was the Son of the Living God and was rewarded with the leadership of Christ's Church, the Church that Hades cannot prevail against. It makes me sad when people try to find any other explanation for who Christ is than this.