An Atheist for Christ

It has been a dozen years or so since I wrote An Atheist for Christ. At the time, I "published" it, available to purchase through Amazon on Kindle for $1.99. I sold a few over the course of the next few years, certainly less than I hoped, but.... 

Because it was such a while ago, it took me some time to figure out where I had saved it. As it turned out, it was on the hard drive of a computer I stopped using a few years ago, but didn't destroy. Once found, it then took me a number of tries to alter its format into one which my new computer could handle. During the process, I also made a few grammatical fixes, and altered the format a bit. 

As a result, I present to you a new version of the compilation. As I said it my last post, the issues raised are all still very relevant, which disappoints me all the more considering twelve years have passed. In fact, it seems for some, the problems have deepened, become even less likely to be resolved. 

Perhaps we will make better progress in the next twelve years. 

                                         

                                    An Atheist for Christ 

                          

    Foreword 

When I told a friend of mine that the title of this group of essays was to be An Atheist for Christ, she said that it didn’t make sense. She assumed, like many people, that belief in the teachings of Christ presupposed belief in God. I joked with her that she was right, I really should have called the essays An Agnostic for Christ, but that just didn’t have the same ring to it, the same pizzazz. 

What I hope to demonstrate to her in this brief collection of thoughts is that in fact one can believe in the teachings of Christ and in the beauty of his message without glorifying it with the connection to God. In other words, if we don’t shoot the messenger who delivers bad news, conversely, perhaps we shouldn’t deify those who have brought us good news. 

    Chapter One: Cigarettes and Guns 

I don’t smoke, at least not cigarettes. I believe it is an unfortunate habit that robs many people of their health, and their material resources. That it is physically addictive has been proven without a doubt which leads me to wonder how anyone who manufactures, distributes or retails the product can deny that it is not a very uplifting way to earn a living. I imagine that many of them smoke themselves so at least they are putting their money where their mouth is, so to speak. 

I would prefer that cigarettes be made illegal as they have been proven to be physically, emotionally, and mentally addictive. But it has been demonstrated over time that attempts to legislate away human foibles frequently results in the opposite reaction. It is an unfortunate fact that people will always engage in activities that are harmful to them. So, while I do not feel sorry for the tobacco companies when they get sued for huge amounts of money especially when one considers how much time and effort they spent in attempts to bury the evidence of the link between their product and cancer, I also have limited sympathy for those people who sue when they develop lung cancer. 

Let’s be honest, when you took your first puff, you coughed. We all did. You knew it certainly couldn’t be good for you, or your body wouldn’t have reacted so negatively. But again, we all have our bad habits, so if a few million dollar settlements help reduce the profitability of tobacco companies, I am OK with that as long as we all realize that the fault is comprehensive. 

I also don’t own a gun, can’t imagine ever owning one. And while I admit that responsible gun ownership is the rule rather than the exception, I would certainly prefer there be less guns in the world, more rules governing ownership both in type and quantity. What saddens me is that so many people die from the misuse of guns, yet there are those who truly believe that more guns would make us all safer. As if an increase in guns would only find their way into the hands of good people, and as if there has never been a case of a good person losing their temper or making a bad decision. 

Perhaps we should look at is this way. If the thought of lung cancer eating away your insides isn’t enough to persuade you to quit, just imagine a picture of Jesus giving his Sermon on the Mount with a cigarette dangling out of his mouth. Or a gun sticking out of his waist band. 

Hard to envision? 

    Chapter Two: Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.

    Marriage

The institution of marriage is a hot topic right now. Most specifically, gay marriage. Many people of religion maintain that it is against God’s will for marriage other than between a man and a woman. There has been and continues to be amendments to various state constitutions to define marriage as only between a man and a woman thereby outlawing gay marriage. 

In particular, the amendment in California called Proposition 8 that was ratified by the voters thereby outlawing gay marriage was challenged in the courts, both state and federal, as being unconstitutional for the reason of its being contrary to the pursuit of happiness clause embedded in the framework of the state of California's constitution. 

One might also wonder if the issue of separation of church and state might eventually be raised as it is generally conservative Christian groups that spearhead such amendments. 

At the time of passage of Proposition 8, it was proclaimed an important “victory” for those who present themselves as defenders of the sanctity of marriage. I am married, to a woman, and don’t understand the concern. 

How does the marriage of two people of the same sex affect my relationship and family? Especially in an age where virtually half of all heterosexual marriages end in divorce? I would think that religious people would rejoice in the prospect of any persons who are willing to pledge their faith to each other before their neighbors and their god. 

Seems an odd premise, claiming a belief in marriage that is so strong that you would make it illegal for certain people who want to marry. Some proponents of the one man, one woman definition of marriage point to the fact that homosexual couples can't have children in the normal way. That if everyone was gay, the species would die out. But does that mean that heterosexual couples who choose not to have children should also be prevented from marrying? 

And what of heterosexual couples who turn to artificial means to have a child? Is it not a blessing when that child is conceived and raised in a family that would go to such lengths to have a child? Is it any less of a blessing when a same sex couple navigates the same process? 

So, if it isn’t really about success or failure of marriage and it isn’t really about carrying on the existence of man, what is it about? Many will answer that homosexuality is against nature and against God's plan. Funny how some people know exactly the details of God's plan. But what if God's plan is to test how we treat each other by creating people with different skin color, different religious beliefs, different sexual orientation?

    Chapter Three: Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 

    Health Care

A few years ago, we witnessed the passage of the first substantial health care reform bill since the creation of Medicare. Much was made by its opponents that the reforms would cost the country billions of dollars while continuing our steady decline to socialism. What was so confusing was that many of the same people who were adamantly against the legislation were receiving their health care benefits from the government. 

Some were older Americans on Medicare. 

Some were proud veterans who had bravely served their country and were now taking advantage of the Veterans Administration for their medical care. 

Some were the politicians themselves whose health care was not only top notch but subsidized by their employer (the United States taxpayers) and was available for life, even after an election loss. 

Other voices against the reforms were people of great wealth. For them, the health reforms would mean little because their wealth enabled them to fly anywhere in the world and pay any amount of money to be treated for an illness. I imagine that they had concluded that their wealth was the result of their hard work, and therefore they were entitled to the best health care that money could buy. 

Conversely, it seemed that their attitude towards helping other people, fellow citizens of this great country, to have access to even basic health care hinged on a belief that those less fortunate must somehow deserve their plight. Strangely, many surveys of the public's attitude towards health care insurers who denied coverage to the sick in the guise of pre-existing conditions while routinely posting profits in the billions, was unfavorable. A majority of people acknowledged that the thought of Americans going bankrupt and/or losing their home as a result of an illness did not seem fair, yet a similar majority, in the end, was not in favor of many of the newly enacted reforms, especially those that required all people to buy health insurance. 

Even though it is obvious that any health care system will go bankrupt if only sick people paid premiums, we were unable to accept the premise that everyone purchasing health insurance (which most of us buy anyway) does not compromise our belief in capitalism. 

The sad part is that many people become proponents of a more universal health care system only after they or a family member face a devastating illness without proper insurance. Then, finally, it is easy to imagine how even more destructive the illness becomes, depending on how good their coverage turns out to be. 

Wouldn't it be better if, instead of the refrain offered by those who have been let down by the health insurance industry, "I don't want this to happen to anyone else" could somehow become "This shouldn't happen to anyone" without the negative occurrence happening first? 

    Chapter Four: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

    Wealth and Materialism 

Most people don't realize that the United States became a world power and a wealthy nation only recently. We spent much of the first 160 years of our existence as a nation experiencing the pains of growth, mostly ignored by the more established European powers. 

Our first real voyage onto the world stage was World War I and while we certainly made an impression on those countries of the old continent, our newfound status didn't last long, and by the 1930's we were virtually bankrupt as a nation. 

Our true sustained rise started in the years of WWII, grew in leaps and bounds during the time of the Cold War and, some might say, culminated in the collapse of the Soviet Union during the 1980's, which resulted in there being only one super power left, the United States of America. 

This incredible period of growth produced (and was driven by) the emergence and meteoric growth of the middle class. Some might argue that the time from the late 1940's through the 1970's featured history's greatest time of upward mobility for the everyday man. It was no longer about being born into wealth. 

Clearly, capitalism enabled the common man to aspire to and achieve a standard of living that provided a comfortable lifestyle and the opportunity to allow one's children the chance to an even better life. Working hard to attain a higher standard of living was supposed to be a means to a happier life. It was supposed to provide some of life's comforts, and allow for leisure time to spend with family, friends, or just to relax. 

But something changed. The accumulation of wealth became the ends rather that the means. In sports, in business, in entertainment, $10, $20, $40 million per year salaries are commonplace while the standard of living for everyday Americans has stagnated. 

As the wealth and worth of the top 1% continues to grow, as our government is flooded with the monies of special interests and billionaires, the notion that happiness can only be found in riches and possessions has replaced the concept that a happy family, good friends, satisfying work, and faith in God and the goodness of man is the recipe for individual happiness. 

Perhaps if we could be a fly on the wall when some billionaire is confronted at the gates of heaven with the simple question, did you make the world a better place, we might realize that obscene wealth may be the biggest obstacle to a more lasting, eternal happiness. 

    Chapter Five: Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. 

    Children 

The teachings of Jesus are full of stories which demonstrated his love for children. As a self-described Christian nation, it should be a no brainer for us to do all we can to make sure that every child is presented with the opportunity for shelter, food, a loving home, and a quality education. 

Yet so many of our financial battles, the debates between the current fiscal condition and the future solvency of our country, seem to boil down to cutting benefits for the least among us, those in poverty, children as well as adults, while maintaining the advantages of those with the most resources. Frankly, I am not sure the gentle will want to inherit the earth if the greedy and short sighted among us continue to poison our water, denude our forests, strip mine our mountains and gouge holes in our earth all in the name of profit for the few. 

However, perhaps the earth in this case refers not to the physical plane of our existence, but the earth as it freely gives us its fresh water, its flora and fauna, its beautiful landscapes. Perhaps it is only the gentle who can truly appreciate the wonders of the earth, and therefore only they that can inherit and enjoy its gifts. 

Furthermore, perhaps it is only through a child’s eyes that we will be able to truly see the wonderful variation of man himself. Young children, when placed in a room without adult interventions, will play with each other without regard to race or gender, economic or social status. It is only when the prejudices and biases of their upbringing is implanted and learned that children become racists, misogynists, and other kinds of purveyors of hatred. 

What will it take for us to stop idolizing those who use their talents to take advantage of the meek and gentle, those who scoff at the idea that love is the strongest weapon we have against the forces of evil, and that taking over the earth is not remotely the same as inheriting it. 

    Chapter Six: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 

    Spirituality 

Many people equate attacks on religion as attacks on God. Of course, there are those who flock to the idea that the flaws of religion, man’s invention, proves there is no God or that God is not good. In that sense, they are just as wrong as those who assume that an agnostic or atheist cannot be spiritual. 

I have no doubt that those who truly look for the best in others, those who seek out and share stories of good deeds, those who value integrity and courage above fame and fortune, will be rewarded, not just in the next life assuming you believe in such a thing, but in this life as well. 

Many people, those of faith and those seeking the meaning of life, look to our religious leaders for lessons and guidance to attaining a spiritual life. Books by the hundreds have been written by PHD’s, gurus, and common men who were struck with inspiration. And, it is very easy to find God’s word being explained on TV and radio. 

Occasionally, I will stop to watch one of those shows on cable, or listen a few minutes to one on the radio. Generally, it doesn’t take long for the “preacher” to single out a segment of society that God hates, and who is to blame for the world’s troubles. Or, the emphasis will be on the fear of being cast into eternal damnation if one doesn’t think a certain way or worship a certain god. 

What seems to be missing is the message that spirituality is its own reward. It provides a positive outlook which begets an attention to the good times, and a resistance to depression in the light of those times not so good. 

It sees the cup half filled. 

It helps one live in the moment as opposed to wishing for the moment to pass for a future moment that is never realized. 

It sees the good in all, forgives the bad actions committed by everyone, and inspires empathy and an ability to see life through another’s eyes. 

Perhaps, rather than bemoaning the apparent trend for people to attend church less often, to claim affiliation with a religion is steadily declining, to discuss openly the possibility that god does not intervene in the lives of man, but expects us to be each other’s keeper, perhaps if more men of religion focused on the simple message of love, the trend might reverse. 

    Chapter Seven: You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? 

    Politics and Nationalism 

Partisan politics is at an all-time high, and the country is as divided as ever, is a common refrain on both the left and the right. Notwithstanding that the ego-centrism of always thinking we live in the greatest time ever, or the greatest country ever, or any such “ever” statements is revealing in itself, I can’t imagine that any time other than the time of the Civil War where hundreds of thousands of Americans were killed by Americans, was any less divisive. 

And how about the 1960’s and 1970’s when the fight for Civil Rights for black Americans created deep divides, the deaths of citizen protesters by police, and riots in the streets? A bit divisive, don’t you think? 

But all that aside, it is certainly a time when calling the president a hater of America or of white people, or merely calling him a liar in the halls of Congress, seems outrageously commonplace. One would think that, as a Christian nation, we would remember Christ’s words about loving your enemies, especially when your “enemy” is merely a fellow citizen with a different party affiliation. 

So imagine the difficulty in following Christ’s command to love your enemy when he is a Muslim terrorist who just beheaded a journalist? People on both sides of the aisle believe their perspectives are good for America and often find it hard to understand the completely opposite viewpoints of the other side. Our true strength, the true measure of America’s greatness and her level of Christianity, is acknowledging where we differ, respecting those differences, acting by example to show how our beliefs may be better to follow, and working together in the areas where agreement can be found. 

It may not approach the command of loving one’s enemies, but it is clearly superior to calling them anti-American or unpatriotic. In Christ’s time, tax collectors weren’t well respected. So let’s replace the word taxpayers in his statement with the word terrorists. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the terrorists do the same? 

    Chapter Eight: No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. 

    Corporations 

I especially like this beatitude. It goes well with Christ’s proverb about the rich having as much of a chance to reach heaven as a camel passing through the eye of a needle. Yet, clearly America is all about wealth. And the creation of the corporation is the penultimate vehicle for accumulating wealth. Those who incorporate gain all the benefits of its success but bear little of the penalties when it fails. 

The corporation has no national allegiances; even economists whom I consider left leaning, give corporations a pass when they move their base off shore for better tax rates. 

The corporation certainly has no concern for its employees, treating them as liabilities rather than the reason they prosper. Whether it’s moving jobs to southern states with lower standards of living or overseas to countries with labor rates a fraction of ours, corporations are all about profit for the investors. 

What is doubly ironic is that since the 1980’s, pay for those running the biggest multi-national corporations has increased hundreds of times. I wish I could be present when all those “camels” try to pass through the eye of the needle at the Pearly Gates. 

With the recent Supreme Court decisions granting some individual and religious rights to corporations, one might think that an increase in acts of Christianity towards the employees might develop. Unfortunately, the reality is that those rights will only be used to advance the needs of the corporation, the one true master. 

Humanity is far and away, second billing in the hierarchy of priorities, and God, a farcical theme thrown about by those in charge to make us think they care about loving one another. 

But, ever the optimist, I soon expect a generation of the future, to understand the perils of the corporate mentality, and begin to reverse the trend that allows corporations to control so much of our daily lives. Hopefully, this event will be spurred, not by some horrible event that demonstrates the core corporate belief that people are a liability to higher profit, but by a gradual swing to the spiritual awakening which acknowledges the phrase, “You cannot serve God and wealth”. 

    Chapter Nine: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 

    War and Peace 

Is it even possible for America to truly heed this beatitude? One could reasonably defend the assertion that our country was born from violence – the War for Independence. That, as I mentioned above, our greatness became apparent during World War 2, the years of the Cold War and the times leading up to the collapse of Soviet Russia. 

In the late 1960’s a book called the Report from Iron Mountain was published. It claimed to be the result of a top secret commission charged with studying the effect that a lasting peace might have on America, and all nations. Since then, it has been called everything from the greatest literary hoax of all time, to the blueprint for American foreign policy. 

My mention of this report is neither a recommendation nor condemnation, but to make the point that while many Americans believe we are a peace loving nation, war has been our calling card since inception. 

We are the biggest supplier of weapons on earth. 

We have one of the highest ratios of guns to people of any country and one of the highest percentages of death by violence. 

We actively pass Castle Doctrine Laws that give the green light to the use of deadly force if someone enters your home. 

We scoff at those who think poorly of the phrase “shoot first and ask questions later”, and admire those who “speak softly and carry a big stick”. 

Even our police departments, many now possessing vehicles and weapons that one would only expect on a battlefield, seem to have lost their charge of using deadly force in limited practice. 

Are weapons set to stun becoming the stuff of science fiction only? Our arrogance about the use of force is so entrenched that many weapons, from hand guns to an airplane with nuclear bomb capabilities, have been called peacemakers. 

Perhaps it is me, but, as the Iron Mountain report concludes, if the best way to galvanize nationalism is to always have a boogeyman to blame, and if the best way to control the thinking of a population is to immerse them in stories which inspire fear, and if the best way to direct media content is through corporate control, then perhaps Murdoch and Ailes knew what they were doing when they created Fox News. 

One thing is for sure, if we are to aspire to the moniker “sons of God”, we have a long way to go before we truly emulate Jesus of Nazareth.

    Chapter Last: In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets. 

    The Golden Rule 

I was fortunate in that I was raised a catholic by parents who lead the life by example. While I have strayed away from the dogma of the religion, I believe that I was guided by the examples taught to me about Christ and demonstrated to me by my parents. If I had been raised by Islam parents of the same mold, or by Jewish parents or by Buddhists or by agnostics, as long as they were true to the spirit of their beliefs, I have no doubt I would be of similar thought today. 

I have made many mistakes in my life, engaged in activities immoral and foolish, detrimental to both my body and my soul. I am far more reasonable, far more spiritual in the vacuum of these writings that in the reality of life. But I hold on to the idea that men and women, beset by the same tribulations and temptations, have achieved great things, uplifting things. 

Some have written great treatises on economics, some have made life saving medical discoveries, some have created magnificent declarations of man’s equality, some have achieved superior athletic feats. 

And some have presented us with an example of how to live among each other in peace and harmony. By equating this last achievement, Christ’s example, to a connection with god, perhaps we provide an excuse not to strive. So perhaps, an atheist for Christ is not a contradiction in terms as my friend told me, but a mindset that acknowledges the combination of good and bad that exists in us and challenges us to make conscious choices, every day, to be one or the other. 

Lastly, I often wonder why today’s liberals do not refer more often to the teachings of Jesus Christ, the greatest liberal of all time in my opinion, when proposing or defending their viewpoints and policies. 

Clearly, God and the bible have been ceded to the Republicans. Even in the defense of the use of guns and force, the word God often appears in a book title or a speech. And, you can’t go a day without hearing some far right pundit or politician quoting the bible while feeding the fans of hatred against the evil du jour. 

Yet the quotes I have referred to on these pages, sentiments that reflect a new way of interacting with each other, are far less mentioned, far less used in discussions and lessons. 

Is it just too difficult emulate Christ, in private and public policy? Is it politically incorrect to even try? Perhaps then, only through atheism, without the restrictions of the dogma of the religions that encompass them, can the spirit of these great institutions, and the teachings of Jesus, Mohammed, and Buddha be truly realized, and manifested in daily practice.