May 29, 2026

Challenges to our belief systems

            I recently read two disturbing articles online.  The first had to do with a woman who desired to be baptized, but who was denied that celebration because her Baptist church didn’t like the idea that she was a gay woman.  The other article concerned a man who converted from Islam to Christianity, and his Muslim family in Uganda cut off his hands as a punishment for his decision.

            If I were not a follower of Jesus, and committed to the things that he taught and the way that he lived, I would likely forsake Christianity and not even consider Islam as a replacement.  I understand how so much of both of these religions are rooted in scripture, whether it be the Bible or the Koran.  I understand that many people, in both religions, take the scriptures seriously and interpret them literally.  I also know that these and other scriptures were recorded many centuries ago, and that the world has changed significantly since then. 

            I recognize that for those who take their scriptures literally, those scriptures are forever set in stone and inviolate.  The sentiment is often that God has never changed and that the scriptures are to be received forever in the form that they have come to us.  My question comes, are the scriptures truly the words of God and of God’s servants, or do they instead reflect people’s experiences and understandings of God, and reflect as well the cultural understandings and values of those long-ago times?  I do not doubt that people wrote down what they believed to be the words and directions of God.  I just doubt that everything that was written down was indeed what God would have had people hear and then do.

            I do not pretend to know much about Islam.  I do know that most Muslims are fine, wonderful people, with a deep commitment to Allah and to their faith.  I do understand the law that requires certain things in certain situations, but I also do not understand how love for other people, in this case family, can be tossed aside in order to uphold an ancient law.  I do not understand.

            I also do not understand how a Christian pastor can treat someone with violence because she is different than who he has been taught is acceptable, acceptable to him, to his church, and the message is, acceptable to God.  And no, this was not physical violence as in the other incident, but this was spiritual and emotional violence that no one should suffer as well.  Again, ancient scriptures are used, often misused, to uphold a statute of a church, which leave me unable to understand the abandoning of love in order to uphold a law.  And since Jesus never once condemned anyone for being gay, and indeed went beyond so much of his own traditions in order to extend love and grace to people, I would encourage those who condemn to reread the Gospels and to ask Jesus, not just the Jesus who they were taught about and have enclosed in their hearts, but the true spirit of Jesus, what he would have them do if he was sitting in their church.

            Some churches are declining, and they think that it is the fault of society, but often it is their own narrow-mindedness and shallow theology that either rejects people or forces people away to flee before they get hurt.  Some churches are growing, dependent upon a highly literal interpretation of the Bible, thus allowing members to define themselves as knowing the answers and having a ready response for every situation.  It feels to me that neither situation really captures the true spirit of Jesus. 

            I am certainly not perfect, and my church is not perfect either.  But I do believe that we strive to embody the love and grace of Jesus, and thereby the love and grace of God as well.  For me, love and compassion and acceptance are the hallmarks of who Jesus was.  I will always want to walk that pathway, rather than others that are available to us.