“For fools speak foolishness and make evil plans. They practice ungodliness and spread false teachings about the LORD. They deprive the hungry of food and give no water to the thirsty.” (Isaiah 32:6 NLT)
Christians misrepresenting Christ to justify atrocities is nothing new. War, slavery, torture, bribery, greed--all have been sanctioned by Christian leaders at some point or another. The current administration has used the Bible to justify separating refugee children from their parents. Christ did not teach us to criminalize the needy and imprison them just because they came to us for help. Jesus spoke against the hypocrisy of the religious Pharisees who exploited the weak and the helpless. He showed us grace--unmerited favor and aggressive forgiveness. How can we use His name to justify this disgrace?
It’s completely understandable why religion gets a bad reputation. Christianity has been hijacked and used as a tool by those in power to manipulate, shame, and abuse those who are powerless. This makes me and others like me frustrated and sad. I can’t imagine how much pain we are inflicting on Christ--it’s as if we are watching Jesus being whipped and nailed to the cross again and again...and doing nothing about it. I don’t know how to help remedy the situation. I wish I had the courage to confront this disgrace, to speak for the weak and voiceless, to stand up for Christ.
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