Religions are a bit like milk. Their founder’s insights can be refreshing and healthy but religions soon go sour if they are not continually purified by truth and justice.
Fundamentalism is the spoiled milk of religion. Here are 4 indicators that Christianity has gone bad:
THE BIBLE REPLACES THE BRAIN:
The original call of Christianity was to love with all of our heart, mind and strength. Toxic Christianity turns over all responsibility to a loveless reading of the bible. Instead of asking whether an idea is true or helpful toxic Christianity merely asks whether the idea is biblical. Toxic Christianity does not learn how the Bible was put together. It does not learn the biblical languages and cultural settings. Instead, toxic Christianity takes the Bible literally in its own language. Without realizing it, people who take the Bible literally in their own language may be lifting up the cultural assumptions of that culture and giving them a God-like status.
TOXIC CHRISTIANITY BELIEVES IT MUST CONTROL OTHER PEOPLE FOR THEIR OWN GOOD:
Toxic Christianity is narcissistic. It sees itself as chosen to bring people to Christ -sometimes by any means necessary. Pete Hegseth is our new Secretary of Defense. He has a tattoo of the Jerusalem or Crusader’s Cross, and the words “God wills it,” and an AK-15 on his body.
In his book, “American Crusade,” Hegseth writes, “Our present moment is much like the 11th century … We don’t want to fight, but, like our fellow Christians a thousand years ago, we must. We need an American crusade.”
Hegseth criticized the New York Times inclusion of the LGBTQ community by saying, “At what point does the paper deem a ‘relationship’ unfit for publication? What if we ‘loved’ our sister and wanted to marry her? Or maybe two women at the same time? A 13-year-old? The family dog?” Apparently, Hegseth has never noticed that the Bible forbids tattoos. (Leviticus 19:28)
TOXIC CHRISTIANITY SEES ANY REBUTTAL OF ITS NARCISSISM AND SUPERSTITION AS RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION:
A major theme in toxic Christianity is “anti-Christian bias” in the U.S. But, the halls of power are filled with Christians. What Christians narcissists see as their “persecutors” are scientists that will not get their facts from preachers and politicians, ethicists who reject the idea that Christians have a right to determine other peoples’ moral and medical decisions. Toxic Christians are not being persecuted by those who refuse to repeat their lies and live under their self righteous thumb.
IN TOXIC CHRISTIANITY THE ACTUAL TEACHINGS OF JESUS COUNT FOR ALMOST NOTHING:
This weekend Donald Trump rejoiced at the booing of Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl. He said, “MAGA doesn’t forgive.” But what is more basic to Christianity than forgiveness and loving one’s enemies? What is more central to Christianity than Jesus statement that you cannot serve God AND money?
Perhaps, Anne Lamott said it best:
“You can safely assume you’ve created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.”