#Fundamental #Christianity: The #Literal #Word of #Christ

There are few parts in the Bible where god speaks directly. The rest is history, laws, culture, and interpretation through and by prophets and clerics, none of who are infallible or divine in knowledge.  The largest number of god’s literal words is spoken by Jesus in the four Gospels. The word he speaks is the word of which he speaks when he talks of not living on bread alone. The rest of the Bible is the bread around the Word, important but not essential to the meat of the sandwich. Jesus preached and practised compassion, forgiveness, moderation, mercy, peaceful protest, and self-sacrifice leading to the ultimate martyrdom. This is what those who take upon them his name as Christians are supposed to do to identify themselves. Jesus drove merchants from the sacred, chastised the legal and religious hypocrites in power, fulfilled the laws of the Old Testament instituting his one law of love, and condemned only child abusers, without reservation or mercy.   

We are to judge only ourselves and save attempt to save only our own souls. That’s tough enough for one life. We help others but only god can save a soul. Jesus wasn’t violent and he had the most compassion for the least amongst us, the addicts, the sex workers, the diseased, the foreigner, the insane, the poor, and the lost. He had more respect for camels than the rich and actually said to pay your taxes to the nation and your tithes to god, to give the shirt off your back, especially if you are especially blessed. If you are a conservative Christian you can’t believe that anyone does it by themselves. We always have help and guidance, often in “mysterious ways”, we only recognize in long hindsight. 

Jesus despised hypocrites who acted holier than thou, but someone who lives and promotes the opposite of his words is an Antichrist. The Bible doesn’t say there will be just one.  Anyone preaching hate, violence, intolerance, dehumanization, judgment, and fear, is an Antichrist and should be thus named. They have taken it willingly upon themselves through their actions. Their fruit rots on their tree and poisons all who partake.

I am a Christian fundamentalist trying to follow the fundamentals of Christ, the literal Word of God. Read them.

I say this as an ordained priest in the name of Jesus the Christ.

Amen.