A False Narrative- Deconstructing Religion

Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack. But you must resist the devil and stay strong in your faith. You know that all over the world the Lord's followers are suffering just as you are.

(1Pe 5:8-9)CEV

I have seen a lot of posts recently by Jim Palmer, cofounder of the Center for Non Religious Spirituality. Most things i see accompany a request to purchase his books or subscribe to his articles or blog about deconstruction of religion. This has become a widespread thought and movement of many celebrities over the past several years. I have also seen many pastors who were disillusioned in ministry take aim at their faith with this approach. While I applaud Mr. Palmer's attempt to get people to understand the fallacies of the established church and the issues within the legalism of religion there are some things in particular that I find not just problematic, but, in a way, creating a false narrative about how humans can and will do the right thing when left to their own thoughts and plans.

There is no question that the church has made many mistakes over the course of history both corporately and in the lives of individuals. People have been hurt in churches and in the name of Christianity. This dates back to long before Christianity and in fact dates back to societies and cultures without any formal religion where thing are in the name of some cause. Pastors have been spiritually abusive and reckless in their teaching. Religious cults have pulled at the hearts of many who are disenfranchised by the established Christian community. The real issue for me is not "the church hurt people" but that the fallible and brokenness of individuals in the established church have hurt people. If somehow we could look past the people who have done the hurting and look solely at Christ, we may see things a bit differently. It's like looking at a basketball team with many people who are overly agressive and cheating, then blaming the whole of basketball as the issue rather than looking at the intent and direction of the founder Dr. James Naismath, who simply wanted to have a game that would help his students stay active and healthy during the winter months.   Mr. Palmer claims he had a revelation to leave the established church as, in his words, he could no longer live by the teachings he was pushing. His claim is that he led two large Christian churches as a lead pastor and resigned upon realizing her was pushing the wrong thing. This falls on the heals of him being hurt by someone or many someone's which he admitted in an interview. When asked the straight forward question: Do you still believe in God?, he answered this way:

1️⃣ Every person can fully embrace and follow their religious tradition, spiritual interests, or philosophical views without creating division, destruction, hostility, or hatred.

2️⃣ Every person can find a rationale and motivation within their religious tradition, spiritual interests, or philosophical views to be an instrument of goodness, peace, love, and compassion in the world, and affirm the inherent, equal, and unconditional worth of every human being.

3️⃣ Every person has the right to follow their own inner guidance in choosing their own religious, spiritual, or philosophical views and practices.

4️⃣ Every person can participate in a process of personal growth, self-actualization, and fulfillment of one’s highest beliefs and aspirations, and encourage the same for others.

5️⃣ Every person benefits when each of us follows our own unique inspiration for building a world that works for everyone.

He skates the issue of God and pushed toward a humanistic view of spirituality. It seems that he has allowed his faith to be led by his hurt. While churches hurt people and at times created chaos in their wake, the focus should not be on the fallible humans in the church but on the message of Christ which states, "love one another."  To say there is spirituality without a source other than the human existence is not really spirituality, it is humanism at the core. The believe that we can and will achieve fulfillment and satisfaction on our own is humanism and excludes a higher power.

One large issue that I have with Mr. Palmer is simply this, his views are unbiblical and not supported by my experience as both a human and a believer.  Not just from the perspective of the new testament teachings but by the old testament teachings as well.  He assumes that every person has an inherent goodness that will guide them in their spiritual walk, but never acknowledges that man sins and needs redemption.  Every person will not follow their "unique inspiration to building a better world when they follow their own personal growth and aspirations."  If that statement were true, there would never have been a holocaust, slavery, genocide or anarchist behaviors.    He never acknowledges God at all, nor does he accept salvation by grace in Christ. This issue before us, is to understand Christianity by Jesus standards and not by the standards of men. That does not mean that those who claim to be Christ Followers live without sin and quite honestly neither do those that live in this belief that Christianity is inherently wrong.  Maybe the issue is not to look at Christians but look at Christ. When I see people who spout humanism over diety, I usually find a person who has struggled in various aspects of their life over a long period of time. More than likely hurt by one or several who claim Christianity. Maybe even a pastor. That is certainly the case of Mr. Palmer who is the founder of the Center for Non-Religious Spirituality. If he truly believed his own narrative why is it be okay to claim that others have been wrong in how they see Christ and their own Christ following, when they are pursuing their own narrative, just like him.

Many people have taken to this thought process as a method to bash the institution of faith rather than look at themselves and their own brokenness. It all sounds good, hip and new age but in reality it is the very issue that Christ asserted when He challenged the religious leaders. He said look more deeply at yourself and then stated in Matthew 5:17,  “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." Jesus never claimed that humanism is the way to fulfillment. He said in, Matthew 6:33  "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." We cannot ignore that Jesus deconstructed the narrative of the temple worship and Sanhedrin rule, but he did not abandon God for self fulfillment or humanism. Deconstructionists most often do not believe in miracles and I have seen miracles in the lives of many people. Deconstructionists look to themselves for answers and like many things become a legend in their own mind: not unlike some church folks I know. Deconstructionists seek answers to their pain and hurt but don't see that others are doing exactly what they say will make the world a better place. They are seeking their own truth and aspirations.

Mr. Palmer, who claims to be Christian atheist and holds the following beliefs and deceptions:

1. Jesus never taught that people are separate from God by sin.

Jesus said: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me, and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” - John 15:5W

2. Jesus did not die on the cross to fix humankind's sin problem but to teach humans how to live and fulfill their human potential.

What Jesus said: “Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” – Matthew 20:28

3. Jesus did not claim divineness.

“I and the Father are one.” – John 10:30

4. Jesus did not intend to be the founder of Christianity and did't want religion to build anything.

   
   

“I tell you that you are Peter. And I’ll build my church on this rock. The gates of the underworld won’t be able to stand against it.” – Matthew 16:18

5. Jesus never taught Heaven as an afterlife location.

John 14: 1-4“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.”

I write this blog not with the intention to disparage reading and knowledge, as I believe we can and should assess and reassess our faith and values which is the beginning of this deconstruction of religion, but we should not be throwing it away in an attempt to heal some hurt created by a man or woman claiming Christianity as their guide. We should not be looking to some other flawed huiman to teach us the principals of our faith. We should be looking to Christ and Christ alone.

We must be careful that we not allow a person to decieve us into believing that all is bad in our faith. This is a slipper slope not unlike the principles used to establish a cult. “Let me tell you the things that will appeal to you past experience and then slowly sift away what is part of your being. His approach is the very thing that he accuses the church of doing by pushing at sin and then forgiveness. The formula is the same. There is certainly room to improve both as individuals and as the body of Christ, simply because of our humanness. Human beings are fallible, inconsistent and not always wanting the best for another person. That is not to say that good things don’t happen but that does not mean that humans are inherently good. We must look to the founder of the faith Christ himself and not the people who claim the faith as the objective standard for what we hold as values and morality. Paul says in Hebrews 12:2 - "looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Christianity as a corporate religion is not infallible simply because it is an institution created and sustained by fallible people, but we cannot rewrite the whole of Christ life and teachings simply because it does not fit our narrative. Christ remains Christ and his words recorded by eyewitnesses and followers are something to study and learn from rather than change it to meet what we want to believe.

People who claim spirituality without religion have "what" as the basis of that spirituality. If there is no absolute right or wrong and there is no truth built on an objective standard beyond ourselves, we find ourselves in the humanist quagmire of "moral relativism," which is like "standing firmly with both feet in mid-air." We believe but in why?

2 Corinthians 3:17  - Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.