Tuesday, November 26, 2013

[My opinion post from Facebook regarding the article "EX-DISNEY STAR RENOUNCED CHRISTIANITY AND BECAME A PAGAN – BUT THAT’S NOT THE END OF THE STORY" by Billy Hollowell, about Matt Morris/Teo Bishop, a former Disney star who left Christianity several years ago to become a Druid.  Read the article here (http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/11/25/ex-disney-star-renounced-christianity-and-became-a-pagan-but-thats-not-the-end-of-the-story/)]


“I’m overwhelmed with thoughts of Jesus,” he wrote. “Jesus and God and Christianity and the Lord’s Prayer and compassion and forgiveness and hope and judgement and freedom from judgement and all of the things which made (and make) me feel connected to the Sacred." ~Teo Bishop


That simple description, of compassion & forgiveness & hope... & freedom from judgement -- to me, THAT is what Christ brought us. Those who focus on the judgmental side of the people who call themselves "Christians" are missing the point of what Christ taught. Unfortunately, people (Christians included!) are imperfect. We are called to love the unlovable, and to be kind and compassionate, forgiving as we have been forgiven. We can have opinions, but opinions are not necessarily "judging."

Regardless of what he does with his new-found confusion-of-faith, this is an interesting read, and should challenge many of us to do a bit of navel-gazing, as we search out the meaning of our OWN faith. "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander." (1 Pet. 3: 15b-16)