A non-Christian follower of Christ?

Hi everyone!

This post is going to put on paper some thoughts I mused upon after overhearing a conversation between two girls after a club meeting. One, a pro-gay marriage Christian, said that she had a hard time coming back with anything anytime someone hit her with "It's in the bible!" or, as I like to call it, the Bible Bomb.

Though I didn't interrupt, it got me thinking. As you guys know, I grew up in a family that was (and is) largely conservative and very very Christian. I, too, when trying to make the case for marriage equality, ran into the Bible Bomb. And I know personally that, if you're a Christian and put the same amount of authority in the bible that your anti-gay marriage coreligionist does, it's hard to overcome that.

But, it's possible. Even besides the fact that we have separation of church and state written into our Constitution that prohibits non-believers and those of other religions from being bound by Christian law, the Bible itself does not support the argument it is used for. Here's why:

People who are against gay marriage usually justify their position with Leviticus 18:22:

You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. [ESV]

The most obvious reason for this argument to be written off as blatant hypocrisy is that EVERY other verse in Leviticus is currently ignored by Christians. If Leviticus was still strictly adhered to, there would be no tattoos (even Christian ones), football, haircuts, or working on Sunday. Slavery would be okay, but say goodbye to lobster dinner. So why does 18:22 get special treatment? The honest answer is that there's absolutely no reason to throw out everything else and keep that ONE verse. The next logical question here is simply, "Why did the rest get thrown out?"

The answer: Jesus. Leviticus is in the OLD. TESTAMENT. Christians, who profess to be followers of Jesus Christ (hence, CHRISTians), have no business throwing the Old Testament at people. The Old Testament is a Jewish text, only useful because it shares a creation myth. They are (though they don't seem to realize it) free from the Old Testament because Jesus died on the cross for their sins while preaching love, tolerance, and peace. 

I should, for the record, state that though I am no longer a "Christian," I. Love. Jesus. Very very much. I love and admire his teachings, no matter what. And for this reason I'm happy that Christianity was a part of my life, even though it isn't anymore. I don't even care how the debate about whether he was real or not ends up. If he was real, then he's my hero. If he isn't, he's my favorite fictional character of all time. This brings me closer to my point. 

After I mused upon all of this, I realized that had I been taught this the whole time, that the atrocities of the Old Testament had no bearing on my life and that my focus was to be on Jesus, I would probably still be a Christian today. And it got me thinking: do I go back now that I realize this?

I ended up deciding, no. Even though I love and admire Jesus the person, I feel unqualified to truly call myself a Christian when I don't buy into the mythology of the Bible and follow all of the rules of the religion. However, I have no problems calling myself a follower of Christ. Because I do strive to live my life by his teachings - love, kindness, caring for those in need, frowning upon corruption and greed - and I already do make them a part of my spirituality and beliefs. By my pantheistic worldview, we're all we've got, so we need to treat each other well .

So, I'm a non-Christian follower of Christ. And I'm proud of that. 

I'm sorry that I took such a long and roundabout way to get to the rather short point, but I felt like it was necessary to give context and provide at least a little bit of the thought process behind it. I'm also sorry if it comes across as anti-Christian, because I most certainly didn't intend it to. Like I said, I'm glad that Christianity has been a part of my life and that I can talk about it having lived it. But, I can't help the facts. 

Any thoughts/commentary/dialogue are WELCOME! This is a journey for me, and a wise person never makes journeys alone. :)

See you guys during/after fall break!
<3. Ali