Called a Heretic

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Over the past month, since my last post, I have been called a heretic for my religious beliefs several times. Each time has been from other Christians. From time to time irreligious people will also criticize me, but I find it ironic that my greatest oppostion comes from those who claim to follow Christ. Is that what Christ would have us do? Slander each other with denotations? No, He taught us to use gentleness, meekness and love unfeigned. Periodically, "believer" friends cut ties with me because we differ on interpretations of scripture, but that's usually because they want to treat the doctrine as a buffet and only adopt the parts they like. Meanwhile, Kanye West is out there claiming to be God. I know that's crazy, but I'm the heretic. Perhaps this is a sign of the times, a separation of the wheat and chaff. It is certainly a call to arms for Christians to bind together and live like Christians, particularly towards each other. After all, we have far more in common with each other than with people who despise us just because we aspire to Christian values.

Christians Must Bind Together

I am struck sometimes when Christians attack one another. On my recent trip to Europe, I realized that it's little short of a standing miracle that Islam (or whatever beliefs the Huns and Mongols followed) didn't already overrun Europe. History is rife with petty infighting between Christian kingdoms of Europe who didn't understand that they need to hang together or they will hang separately. I take issue with other Christian denominations, but my Faith's leaders do not, and now i know why. They know that if we work together to bring people to Christ, we'll do more good for more people than if we look for the motes in each other's eyes. I don't have to agree with them in their dogma. I don't have to wage war against them for it either.

You don't hear as much about heresy in other religions as you do in Christianity because we are probably the most self-righteous group of believers. It's a heads I win tails you lose world where we are always competing it seems to eradicate each other rather than resisting wickedness and the world. The whole point of a congregation, besides authority to administer the sacraments of Faith, is to provide us with the opportunity to surround ourselves with people who will uplift and inspire us. Instead, it seems we gather together to tear down and disparage one another. I too am guilty of this, reproving betimes with sharpness without afterwards showing forth an increase in love towards those I reprove lest they esteem me to be their enemy. I don't feel TOO bad about this because I'm just a Sunday School teacher. Most people don't take my reproof too seriously. However, I think it might please Christ more if I apply the Pollyanna Principle and look for the good in them expecting to find it. That will bind wounds, even the wounds I opened. I think we need to bind together, to bind each other, to bind ourselves to Christ, to bind up the wounds between us, and focus on the Christ we all claim to revere and Follow Him.

Christians Must Speak of Christ More

My father shared a thought with us one Sunday night as we met together over Skype to discuss the chapters we were supposed to study and consider that week. He made an interesting observation which helped me immensely feel justified about my belief system and reject the notion of heresy. He pointed out that the scriptures are not really about the people in them at all. Those books feature those people, but the story is really the Saviour's story and His dealings with His children. Is that the response of a heretic? Heretics are usually anti-Christ. How is our belief system, our dogma, our narrative anti-Christ when it leads men like my father to distill all the doctrine down to this simple synopsis? You see, he's right. It's not about Sam or Nephi, Samson or Napthali, Paul or Baalim. It's about people who were either denying Christ or drawing closer to Him.

How do I know I'm not a heretic? Because I speak of Christ, I rejoice in Christ, I prophecy of Christ, and I write according to my prophecies that my childen, if I ever have any, may know to what source they should look for a remission of sins. Yes, sometimes I talk of other things. Money, politics, romance, but if you look at my videos, my blog, or my life, you will find Christ there ad libitum. Two years ago, a student walked into my office and was surprised to see a Greg Olsen calendar hanging on my wall where my "yay me!" wall (with my diplomas and awards) would be. The painting hanging for March is of John the Baptist baptizing the Christ. She could not believe that her Chemistry professor was a Christian. I asked, "Why can't I be both?" Yes, it doesn't come up much in class, and when it does it's the doctrine without mention of the Master, but when I can I talk of Him and how I pray and worship and read and believe, because I know many of them do but are too scared to admit it in academia because the rest of my colleagues are clothed in the black robes of a false priesthood and worship the devil over the divine. I'm tainted, but I'm trying.

Christians Must Live as Christ Would Have Us Live

The trick with this is twofold. First, the world competes with distractions. It wants to keep us too busy to "have time" to do the things that matter most. The second is that the world competes with din that drowns out our ability to receive and act on inspiration. A man I revere once taught "You want to be good and do good? That is commendable, but the greatest good that can be attained in this world is to be completely under the influence of the Holy Spirit. He will tell you what is truly good and necessary for YOU to do" (F Enzio Busche, emphasis added). We need to live as Christ would have us live so that we can maintain Christ in our lives.

Our world's problem is not one of stone and steel, of specie or equality. Our problem is that people have drifted away from Christ. We took Him out of our schools. We took him off our buildings. We removed Him from our worship services. We don't speak about Him or to Him enough in our homes with our families or on our knees. We trust in the UN to restore "Human Rights" and ignore the inalienable rights bestowed on us by our Creator.  For the past four years, the world has driven full speed ahead to a life devoid of Christ and distracted us with vaccines, war, and government largess. In our time it will not be possible for us to survive, either the spiritual onslaught against our souls or the mortal onslaught on our livelihoods without a significant and personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Only He knows what your purpose is. Only He knows what's truly good and necessary for YOU to do. Only He can speak to you in a way that you will understand. Only He won't be able to speak to you if you don't want to listen. That's what a Christian life is all about. It's not about a scale of your good versus your bad or getting into heaven with works. It's because when you live the commandments you qualify for the presence of the Holy Spirit who guides, comforts, teaches, directs and sanctifies you. No matter what happens then, if you were guided by the Spirit it will be counted for good, at least to you and God the Father.

I am blessed to have time, opportunity and discipline to kneel by the couch each morning and pray before I leave work. Often the prayer is the same. However, it is a prayer all the same. It is time I take every day before I go into the world to do things of the world to ask the God of the World to protect me from the World. I don't say it like that, but I think I'll start doing it that way. To ask Christ to protect me, guide me, forgive me, and make my work useful to someone somewhere. I begin my day with my dog and with Christ, and I don't feel bad about the Dog, because he's the best approximation of what I think God would be like in my life if I could see Him. And because the Dog is a reminder that God has neither forgotten nor forsaken me. So I should not forget nor forsake Him.

We are too proud to pray I think. We don't need Christ. We don't want Christ. We don't acknowledge Christ's hand in our lives. We don't want Him in our business. We know that we are proud and that makes us ashamed to invite Him. But that's exactly the right recipe for redemption. Maybe I'm not right about some things, but I know that if I encourage people to come to Christ, I'm giving good advice. If I inspire them to turn to Him, I'm setting a good example. And if I teach about Him I'm passing on a good message, the only one that really matters. Nothing heretical about that unless of course you are a closet Christian, a jacket Mormon, who puts on his faith only when it suits him.

We need to support one another better. We need to love one another better. We need to be better about making Christ the centerpiece of our homes, our hearts, and our honour. Then, even when we err, for Christ knew we would, we are centered on Him, and a house built on that foundation cannot fall even when it gets damaged or neglected or assaulted. Christ is the only sure foundation. It is all the rest that is truly heresy.