REFLECTIONS pt. 3: AKANKE vs. the CHURCH

I haven't been to church in a long time. It's been months, maybe even a year. I've just been really busy, but that's not really what's holding me back. Me & Actor feel like church is a big business now & would rather not go. We had this really long conversation about the money aspect: tithing & pastor appreciation & etc. Yea it's in the Bible but the church bought Pastor's 1st luxury car through "appreciation" funds and there's so many God-fearing & abiding people who go to church faithfully & tithe & all that good stuff but they're still struggling. Still living check to check. Now tell me where are the benefits that they are reaping? Maybe it's because they're not totally devoted in their lifestyle or whatever the case, but it doesn't settle well with us. Oh & our church is, once again, being investigated for financial issues & "unnecessary" spending. Not to discredit the works & messages that goes on in the church because I've gained numerous great things from going, but sometimes the money aspect overwhelms the spiritual.

We haven't been to church that long but we're still living good. We're deeply connected to him spiritually & I feel like that's worth way more than going every Sunday but still living wrong. I talk & pray to him every night before I go to bed & every morning during my commute to work. I even speak to him during the day when I feel the need to. I know that he's always there for me, not just at church.

Not to discredit the Holy Book at all, because we do live by & follow most things in it; we just don't believe that everything in it is right. I mean, it IS a man made book. It didn't just fall down from the sky one day with a note that said "Here you go, I wrote it myself. Love, God." No. It was written by man a long time ago, and since then how many times has it been revised & rewritten & retranslated & republished? Yea, you can't tell me that somewhere along the way someone didn't add or take away something for their own gain or based on their personal beliefs.

If you truly live by the rules of the Bible then everybody is a sinner. Even the most righteous person curse, lie or do something wrong every single day. And some of the 10 commandments are very iffy. For instance "Honor thy father & mother." What if your parents are mobsters or if they've sexually abused you? But you're supposed to forgive right? So you're supposed to act like nothing happened because you're not supposed to hold grudges & love them unconditionally. Because they're your parents right? So do you go ahead & honor a sinner, or risk being the sinner yourself for not "honoring" your mother & father?

"Thou shall not murder." What if someone breaks into your house with the intention of robbing & killing you. And in the struggle you manage to kill them & get away. You're now a sinner; even if it's self-defense you're still a sinner. And you weren't supposed to hit back because you're supposed to "turn the other cheek" remember? So either way you've sinned.

And you're telling me that if you're not Christian then you're going to hell? I highly disagree with that. Yes I believe in God & I love him. But what about my mom? She's the sweetest lady you'll ever meet who loves & does good every day. But just because she's Buddhist you're telling me that she's not gonna have a good afterlife? You're telling me that people from other cultures that aren't even exposed to Christianity are going to hell for the lack of knowledge but murderers, rapists & crooked politicians are going to Heaven because they confessed their sins & are forgiven now? No sir. I refuse to believe that that is how the world works.

All in all, I feel that no one religion is better than any others. There are atheists out there who are more righteous & influental then most devoted whomevers. People should live life & do the right thing because it is the right thing to do, not just because they're obligated to or will be punished if they don't. I don't feel that I'm better or worse than anybody in any religion. I just life my life the best way that I know how. Whether if it's wrong or right according to whatever religion, at the end of the day I am content...