Liberal followers of Christ need to start a new religion

[jmowreader]

From what I have seen, there are two basic branches of Christianity. One of them uses the teachings of Christ to better themselves. These Christians help their fellow man, love the sinner not the sin, and are generally wonderful people to have around.

The other uses Jesus as a weapon.

This causes no end of consternation among the followers of Christ on DU, because they get lumped in with guys like Phelps and Chick when we start blasting Christians. They don't deserve the grief, but they're pulled into the morass. (This is a bit like the two or three remaining decent Republicans.)

Because the two branches of Christianity are fundamentally incompatible with one another, I think the people who follow Christ need to separate themselves from those like Tom DeLay, Jerry Falwell and Fred Phelps and form a whole new religion.

Call it Triumviratism--a triumvirate is a body of three, and the Triumviratists will worship God, serve Jesus and help their fellow man. You'll still use the Bible, but you'll follow the twelve-steppers' position on politics: Triumviratism holds no position.

Or call it something easier to pronounce, like Trilogism. It means the same thing but the word's not quite as cool.

I think you'd see a lot of mainline Christians become Trilogists. You know many of them are upset about Christianity being hijacked by the far right. With a better religion available, one that held to the general tenets of their current faith but cut out the political pressuring Christianity has become the primary source for, people who go to church because they want to live their lives for Jesus would live them in Trilogism. Plus, it would force the church to admit they're harboring nazis like Bush.

[Warpy]

1. Good luck

However, there are already churches for liberal Christians. It varies from church to church, but the Anglicans/Episcopalians, Congregaionalists, Society of Friends, and Unitarians all offer a place for people who get the point. There are even liberal Roman Catholic parishes in some large cities. The UCC has been doing a lot of work on tolerance and inclusion.

I have a fundie friend who got sucked into one of those showbizzy mega churches a few years ago when she got clean and sober. She's since started going back to a mainstream church and said it felt like coming home.

I think that may eventually be a movement. You can only go so far on cheap theater. At some point, people need to be nourished, and hate won't do it.

[coloradodem2005]

2. I agree with you completely.

[ripple]

4. There are already some, I think

I don't ascribe to organized religion personally, but from what I've researched, Universal Unitarianism is definitely on the liberal side of the Christian spectrum. I also personally know some Methodists who hold a more liberal point of view regarding politics.

[Tux]

3. I'd call it

God's Gems - Bible, Jesus, and Church.

Done and done.

Good luck. Liberal churches are on the decline since Evangelicals hate Hollywood yet make thier churches far more trashy and shallow than any event Hollywood made.

[ripple]

5. They are there, but they preach tolerance, not fear

Unfortunately, fear creates more converts. Just look at the Bush administration for evidence of that.

[QC]

6. There are already liberal churches.

Maybe it would be easier for people to stop "blasting Christians" and start making the same kind of distinctions that are expected when we discuss any other large group of people. Lumping all Christians in with Falwell and Phelps is no different from the freepers lumping all Muslims in with bin Laden.

[ElectricIron Sweeney]

7. Accept Reality

This country has two religions. One is Christianity and is already practiced by most Democrats; and the other is Capitalism which is the official religion of the country. To this last we give, our lives, our love, our time, and our faith. No excuses offered for the use made of Christianity as a name by the worst sort of bastards on the planet.