What is wrong with Colective Christianity?

Lately I have been blasted for a hub I wrote about the differences between Christianity and Buddhism. One man was quite irate because I was not embracing religious tolerance. He miss quoted one scripture after another to try to prove his point that God would accept you no matter of what you believed. However, the scriptures tell a different story. Time and time again, both the old and new testaments speak of accountability. For the ways of the world are not the ways of God. Yes God loves us in spite of ourselves and yet, he loves us enough to give us the ability to change though His power and His power alone!

These are dangerous times for the Christian church, for more and more denominations are becoming guilty of compromising too much! Discernment seems to be a lost art, for observing what is false doctrine is different than condemning someone for sins we ourselves might be guilty of. We are told to be “Wise as serpents but as gentle as doves.” This by the way, is a statement that always bothered me for “wise” is not a trait I would link to a snake! They have great instincts and may even be considered cunning, but wise is a whole other attribute.

The reason that I chose to nit-pick on this for a moment is that I believe it is important to comprehend what this verse is conveying. For when you observe most snakes you will find that they are gifted in seeking and capturing prey and defending themselves but most snakes do not hunt for trouble! For as a kid growing up out in the western United Sates, I spent a lot of time hunting both poisonous and nonpoisonous snakes. What I discovered is that a snake would rather escape than fight. A snake is very diligent; he watches for the shadow of the hawk and can detect the vibration of roadrunner as it comes in for the kill. It survival depends on it.

In the same way Christians must remain diligent to the attacks of our enemy, the devil. I think Jesus is telling us to be cunning and peaceful at the same time! To know how and when to move away from danger and when to strike! For we cannot forget we are in a spiritual war! When I was a Buddhist I belong to sect that went though a major division between the priest and the laymen, because the priest felt that the main principles of their beliefs were being polluted by outside influences. This division is what took me away from practicing Buddhism, for I agreed with the priest! The laymen had become too “collective” in their approach to the teachings that had been passed down though the centuries.

This collective mind-set, by the way, was the attitude of both the Roman and Greek empires; because they were constantly taking this concept or that concept from other philosophies and adding them to their own. You see, “when you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything!” Jesus made it cleat that the “Kingdom of God” was something that was not easily entered with out a total transformation brought on by the baptism of water and of the Holy Spirit. My return to what some may view, as “fundamental Christianity” was something that did not happen until I explored a lot of other avenues. Though God’s grace I finally came to realize that false doctrine is as prevalent as the sand on the seashore!

My testimony is to proclaim that “spiritual goulash” is not the way! I been there done that I and got the tee shirt! I know I am outspoken about the things I feel are true, for if you have become convinced about the reality of something shouldn’t you fight for it? I see a lot of people blast away with both barrels at Christians in hubs and in the forms and yet, if Christians fire back on something that they have come to see as false, from personal the experience or from the very nature of the doctrine they are persecuted relentlessly.

The whole Idea of “Christ Conciseness” to me nothing but blasphemy! Jesus says He is the truth the way and the light and the only way to the Father. Nothing else cuts it; nothing else can save us from damnation! Further more, when the scriptures speak of human righteous being like “filthy rags” it is not claiming that humans themselves being created by God are filthy, for He created us in His image. What makes us filthy is when we have the arrogance to think we can be spiritually advanced without the aid of God’s Holy Spirit living within us!

It seems strange to me that a sect of Buddhism can desire to stay separate from out side influences and people have no problem with that. However, if a Christian is committed to staying “on the straight and narrow path” we are considered being prejudiced against other religions! I have come to believe that we will be judged for our actions when we come before the Father. Since He knows our hearts he will judge us fairly and yet, we will be judged.

So for me, I must strive to live in accordance to what I have come to believe is true so I can face my judgment with a clean consciousness, is there any other way to live?