Paid In Full - Part III

Naive.

Yep, that about says it all.

I'm sure I could use some more explanatory and descriptive terms, such as sheltered, cloistered, alienated, socially and culturally ignorant, but the word, naive, sums it up rather nicely.

I honestly thought that we were all on the same side.

Having been accustomed to the way that missionaries from all different kinds of organizations worked together toward the common goal of reaching the people of our host nations, I had no idea what I was getting into when I got back to the States. Every single denomination believed that they were the only ones with their finger on the pulse of the word of God; that they had exclusive access to truth.

I thought that I may be able to find solidarity among the rockers since we were universally rejected by all of American Christendom. Man, was I wrong.

I went to see Tourniquet, one of the better Christian metal bands of the time, at the King's Place in Columbus, Ohio. It was a great show. I stayed after they were done so I could try and meet some of the guys in the band.

I met the guitar player, Gary Lenaire, in the lobby, and began to tell him how much I enjoyed the show. I mentioned, in an attempt to make a connection with the guy, that I had been listening to Kenneth Copeland on TV a lot and that it was really helping me. His reply took me by surprise.

"Oh, I see what this is."

"What?" I had no idea what he was talking about.

"No, I get it, but you're wasting your time."

I didn't know what to say.

He told me to order their writeup on their song, A Dog's Breakfast, and walked away shaking his head.

I found out after the fact that their song put Kenneth Copeland in the same category as L. Ron Hubbard, Joseph Smith, and other infamous heretical cult leaders.

I was just trying to connect with someone as a fellow Christian rocker and had been shot down as if I were an emissary of the devil.

Ironically, in 2006 the same Gary Lenaire released a book called, An Infidel Manifesto: Why Sincere Believers Lose Faith, in which he amateurishly denounces Christianity as a whole.

I could have helped him shorten his book down to about one line of text: people like him are the reason many lose faith.

People like my parents. People like their friends. Christians.

I do still believe in God, but I no longer believe in anyone who calls themselves a Christian. I have never observed a more divided and hateful group of people, and anyone who would title themselves such assimilates the guilt of all of their predecessors.

To quote George Carlin:
Do you believe in god?
No.
BAM! Dead.

How about you? Do you believe in god?
Yes.
Do you believe in MY god?
No.
BAM! Dead!

I won't state this as fact since the basis for it is hearsay, but for the sake of argument, considering that those who subscribe to it believe it to be so, I'll treat it as such: the Christian bible makes the claim that Jesus paid the price to redeem all of mankind and reconcile us with our creator.

But what did that sacrifice really pay for?

I wonder if Jesus knew, while he was dying on the cross at Calvary, that some day his name would become a license for arrogance, self-righteousness, megalomania, exclusivity, racism, violence, and hate.

If he did know I guess that would explain why so many Christians, especially those I've encountered in my life, are complete assholes.

I'd like to think that it wasn't the case, that like me and my stupid naivety, Jesus hoped for the best and thought that people would appreciate His sacrifice, treat it as a gift, and share it freely with anyone they met, without pretense or precondition.

But like I said, it's all hearsay, right?