Saturday, August 13, 2022

Jim Rigby

WHEN PEOPLE ASK IF I AM CHRISTIAN...

When people ask if I am a Christian, I always ask them what they mean before I answer.

If, by “Christian,” they mean the kind of religion that deems itself superior to Pagans, Jews, Muslims or Atheists, the answer is "no."

If, by ‘Christian,” they mean the kind of religion that fights against scientific discovery in the name of biblical inerrancy, the answer is “no.”

If, by “Christian,” they mean the kind of religion that prefers the company of other worldly beings over the beautiful but flawed creatures in THIS world, the answer is “no.”

BUT

If, by “Christian,” they mean a song sung in harmony with loving non-Christians,

If, by “Christian” they mean a religion which sides with the weak against the strong, the poor against the rich, the outcaste against the hierarchies of privilege,

If, by "Christian,” they mean one version of the universal call to be a good neighbor to all of humankind, to hate none, and to share the whole world with our human and animal family,

Then the answer is, “Yes, that is my life's highest aspiration.”