Sunday School: Can the Left Rescue Christianity?

[McCamy Taylor]

My first response it to say "No, let's dump this two thousand year old desert death cult and all become Buddhists."

But then I remember that because of Alexander's forays into the East, Buddhism and other eastern religions played a large role in the formation of Christianity. In its purest form, Christianity is pretty cool religion. Indeed, it can be VERY COOL. Take Liberation Theology.

"It is not fate: it is not a demand of nature: it is not the will of God that there be rich and poor...Poverty dehumanizes the rich and poor alike...It dehumazies the rich because it leads them to consider the poor as inferior, outcasts of society, the dead weight of history."

This is Leonardo Boff from his book "St. Francis, A Model for Human Liberation". St. Francis, he tells the reader, taught his followers that "to live humanly means to feel the warmth of someone who says to us, in spite of our physical and moral misery: 'It is good that your exist, Brother. You are welcome. The sun is also yours. The air is everybody's, and love can unite our hearts.'"

The Christianity of Liberation Theology does not divide and hate, like that of the Far Right. It accepts and loves all of creation. At the moment of his dying, St. Francis expressed this with his words "Welcome, Sister Death."

This is the valuable side of Christianity for me, a non-Christian. Doe anyone else see something worth saving in this tired old, religion?

[bertha katzenengel]

1. "something worth saving" -- absolutely. I'm an atheist &

former fundamentalist evangelical Christian. I totally see what is worth saving.

At its purest, Christianity is a religion of love. Pure love. Christ taught selflessness. He taught sacrifice of oneself -- one's possessions, time, energy, talents, life -- for others. THAT is love.* If that ideal isn't worth rescuing, we may as well chuck it all.

Although I'm an atheist these are among the ideals I try to live my life by. Now, whether they're from Christ or just from myself doesn't really matter to me. I'm a follower of Gandhi as much of as Christ.

What matters is that Christians follow these ideals. When they do, their religion and the world are both better.

Edited to add that it doesn't matter if "the left" rescues Christianity. The "right" wouldn't let that happen anyway (look at what they think of Bishop J.S. Spong). This can't be a partisan thing, IMO.

* Ask anyone who's been married for a million years. Marriage is totally about self-sacrifice.

[DanCa]

2. Its G.O.P. not G.O.D.

I have a question though for you all and I mean this with the upmost respect. How much of our perception is skewed by the main stream media and the mega churches? Not every church agrees with the with Pope Benedict, the pro life movement, or President Bush. Part of the problem is that the left lacks the voice and resources of the right.

Secondly there are other forces at work, within both parties, that that want to give the gop sole arbitritar on all things biblican in nature. A great resource on this www.rcrc.org. So can the left "rescue" christianity from the right? As a regular church goer who believes in gay rights, reproductive freedom, and stem cell, I hope so. But it's going to take co opperation from all involved.