To a friend who asked my opinion of the idea taught in Fundamentalist Christianity “that nations or individuals who deliberately, intentionally and consciously engage in evil deeds in order to enrich themselves at the expense of others can be simply salvaged/redeemed and liberated by just saying: ‘I believe in Jesus Christ,’ without reforming and transforming their obnoxious behavior, greed, ruthlessness and cruelties and wickedness.”
Your question reminds me of one Sunday in the late ’sixties, when I had been invited to speak to a Methodist Sunday School class of high school students about Indian philosophy and yoga.
The teacher and students were very open and accepting of what I had to say, but all through most of our conversation there was a terrible din of trash “contemporary Christian” music being pounded out in the main part of the church by a group of college students.
Toward the end of our conversation the noise stopped and shortly we were invaded by the “musicians” who had heard I was speaking there and wanted to make sure I did not corrupt my hearers.
A challenge from the “faithful”
Immediately they began challenging me with words so fatuous that I had no trouble in showing their silliness. Throwing reason aside, one young woman finally said: “We know we are all sinners, and always will be, but we believe in Jesus as our Savior, and in the day of judgment he will say to God: ‘They believed in me down there,’ and God will honor that and let us enter heaven.”
“What a hideously immoral thing you have just said,” I replied. “The picture you present is like that of a criminal in a court who is obviously guilty, but a rich and powerful man comes up to the corrupt judge and says:
‘Look, Dave, you and I have been friends all our lives, and for your friendship with me, please pardon my boy here who I love and who has always been a good son to me.’ So the judge ignores the law, bangs the gavel, declares the case dismissed and lets the criminal go home free.”
This is the terrible image you want people to have of God: Just a graftee who pardons his friends even through they are guilty.”
They stuttered and stammered, and the teacher quickly thanked me and sent me on my way.
The destiny of man
Christianity has trafficked in this evil teaching for centuries because it has no grasp of the nature, purpose and destiny of the human being–which is spiritual perfection and union with God, not heaven. Nor has it any reasonable or legitimate idea about Jesus, his nature, purpose and teachings.
In fact, it has no reasonable or legitimate idea about hardly anything. Churchians are followers of Lady Macbeth, who said regarding her sin: “A little water clears us of this deed: How easy is it, then!” (Act II, Scene II). Yes; how easy.
A religion that does not teach reincarnation, karma and the evolution of consciousness knows nothing about life, death or the soul. They are those Jesus spoke about as “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.”
And his advice to us regarding them is: “From such turn away” (II Timothy 3:5)!