The next question is, now what? What is the motivation to be a Christian, or religious, or try to live good or right?

This is the question we left off with last time. If we all are born again after, in, through death, then what is the advantage to being a Christian, or a Jew, or a Muslim or anything else? Religious groups claim to serve the purpose of opening the door and granting access to God and heaven.

If one is born again after, in, and through death, and being born again is the requirement to entering heaven and seeing God, etc…, then does one really need Christianity, or Judaism, or Islam or any other belief system for that matter? Death comes to all regardless of religion or belief, therefore rebirth comes to all regardless of religion or belief. So why do we need the middleman of systematic and organized religion, faith, etc…? Truth is we don't.

Now, I know you think I'm crazy. No doubt, most of you are saying, "Oh my god, he doesn't believe in God!" That's not true at all. God exists regardless of what I think or believe. The revelation is that if there is no God, your belief or faith does not nor can it make God exist.

Am I the anti-Christ? No. I am a person who sees the real value of people. The same value that religion, especially Christianity, Judaism, and Islam takes away. I think the teachings of Christ, Buddha, and others are vital to helping us understand ourselves, not to helping us understand God. God is not our problem, we are. Evil nor the lack of good is not our problem, our failure, or in many cases, our refusal to acknowledge our frailties is.

When one takes up a gun, knife, blunt instrument or whatever and kills another, neither God nor the devil are responsible. That one is. It's time we stop being puppets and helpless, mindless robots and start seeing ourselves for who we really are. We have made this world what is it, not God or the devil. We have started two world wars, dropped two nuclear bombs on other humans.

We have totally eradicated total human populations from the face of the earth. By the same token, we have written words that inspire others to help one another. We have seen countless examples of personal sacrifice even to death for the sake of a fellow human being. We have seen people join together to help others worse off. In short, we have done both good and evil, right and wrong, justice and injustice.

But let's take it one-step further. Any good, evil, right, wrong, etc…, is the total opposite depending on your perspective, situation, condition, beliefs, ideas and goals. Our actions fall into one category or the other for everyone. What's good for liberals is bad for conservatives. What's bad for whites is good for blacks. What's right for gays is wrong for non-gays. Get the picture. I have come to the conclusion that there is no good or evil, only perceptions. If you were to ask Satan about God, surely the reply would be God is bad. It's all based on your perception.

"How can that be?" you ask. In the Bible, the book of Genesis, Moses asks God, "Who should I tell Pharaoh has sent me?" God says, "Tell him "I AM" has sent you." That's the secret to this. God never said "I am God", or "I am the righteous God", or "I am the true God", or "I am the good God" or anything like that. God said, "I AM"! Meaning God is, simple and plain.

We add the other qualifying stuff like a just God, or a righteous God, or a good God, or a jealous God. Those are our qualifiers, not God's. Although these words are recorded as having been uttered by God, in reality they are ours, based on our idea of what we think God should be. Remember, God told Moses, "I AM". Nothing more and certainly nothing less.

So, if God is neither good nor evil, right nor wrong, then being a Christian makes one neither good nor evil, right nor wrong. Same for Muslims, Jews, and all others. Being a member of any religious group gives you no advantage over anyone else. It gets you no closer seat at God's table, no bigger mansion, no more virgins, no puffier cloud, no dibs of any kind. If you are a Christian, the only benefit is to this life. It should make you a better person, citizen, worker, mother, father, son, daughter, etc… It doesn't get you a front row seat in heaven!

That is to be your motivation. To be a better person while here on earth, not to get some heavenly frequent flyer miles, or free nights in the Heavenly Hotel. It can only benefit you here, and that only by you being a benefit to others while you're here on earth. So, there you have it. Sorry to burst you bubble, but its past time we stop living in a fantasy world, thinking that our affiliation in some totally earth-bound group will somehow get us favor in a totally non earth-bound place.

When we can see ourselves in this manner, we can make changes on this planet that will be so great, so meaningful, and so powerful that heaven itself will be jealous. To this point, we have failed so miserably in our humanity that many of us are ashamed to be human. We are of all creatures most pitiful, sorrowful, and miserable. I know if I am sad and disappointed at the condition of humankind, certainly God is too.

Think on that and I'll see you next month.

© 2004 By Dan Hardman

Brother Dan Hardman will be keeping the Black community informed on issues concerning the church and righteous living. Visit regularly for new information that could help you overcome and make the best of your everyday experiences.

To subscribe to Hardman's column join the Afromerica email list to receive new information as it is updated. Or E-mail D Hardman at: essaysfromchurch@edincorporated.com

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