Not Very Good Christians
I have a friend. His now ex wife is very Christian. Bible based. So my friend accepted Jesus as ‘his Lord and Saviour’ and has proceeded to carry on as he always did -namely bolting from his house to go on benders, borrowing the money to do so because he has lost most of it gambling, taking absolutely no interest in his young son.
I could go on but I am conscious of a Bible verse ‘He who casts the first stone…’but take it from me he really is bad. Better say a kind of lovable rogue type. But really what takes the biscuit is he knows I am a Catholic and sits me down (invariably he falling off the sofa) and tells me where I am going wrong. I can see him now pointing to his head ‘the journey of faith is from here to here’ pointing to his heart.
I cannot but think that the ‘ease’ with which found faith is indicative of its superficiality. It has not gone very deep I believe.
I mean you have to work at it. Simeon Stylites sat atop a pillar for 37 years wrestling with the things of faith.You might think it a pointless but at least it took some EFFORT.
I anticipate criticism of Catholicism here. Often said you can drink and debauch then go go confession and you’re forgiven and you do the whole thiing all over again the next weekend. But once again there is some effort to get up and go. Whereas my friend just has to lift his eyes to heaven…
I don’t know what I am saying here or who I am criticising. Luke warm Christians I suppose.
But then my friend’s ex wife comes to mind. Oh she’s soooo Christian. She gave me a lift to work one morning. For small take I said ‘nice day?’ ‘yes I’ve been out earlier photographing the beauty of God’s creation’.
I am conscious once again of ‘He who cast the first stone…’ but I was always a bit of a Pharisee.
I know do it this way.
‘The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.’ Chesterton. Discuss.
‘I’d be a Christian if it wasn’t for Christians’. Was that Ghandi? Discuss.
My long dead brother- ‘it is only a veneer Christian civilisation’.
Discuss.
Nominated by: Miles Plastic