{"id":1860,"date":"2024-06-05T03:43:19","date_gmt":"2024-06-05T07:43:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/snarkyfaith\/?p=1860"},"modified":"2024-06-04T16:15:18","modified_gmt":"2024-06-04T20:15:18","slug":"i-dont-feel-at-home-in-this-world-anymore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/snarkyfaith\/2024\/06\/i-dont-feel-at-home-in-this-world-anymore\/","title":{"rendered":"I Don\u2019t Feel at Home in This World Anymore"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
Image created via Leonardo.ai<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
Lately, I\u2019ve <\/span>been feeling<\/span> like a stranger in the place I once called home. The overwhelming bigotry, misogyny, and <\/span>vitriol<\/span> masquerading as Christianity are unbearable. It\u2019s as if hate has put on a clerical collar and started preaching from the pulpit, all under the guise of faith.<\/span><\/p>\n
The insanity of hate is proliferating, grabbing for more power and authoritarian control. And you know what? Maybe this is exactly what Jesus <\/span>was talking<\/span> about when he said, \u201cMy kingdom is not of this world.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
Much of what is causing my disconnect is people claiming the authority of Christ and the church while acting like devils<\/span>. From<\/span> MAGA rallies to Christian conservatism, from grifting pastors to those regulating women\u2019s bodies \u2013 banning abortion, IVF, and contraceptives. They treat trans people as mentally ill and the LGBTQ+ community as filth. They see the poor as trash and immigrants as subhuman. And they do it all with the delusion that God is on their side.<\/span><\/p>\n
There\u2019s an arrogance and a false confidence that comes with this \u2013 a shortsighted, maligned hubris. They deny climate change while desecrating creation with reckless abandon. They say they want a theocracy, but what they really want is a king. All of it fueled by fear, hate, and ignorance.<\/span><\/p>\n
Christianity and the Insanity of Hate<\/span><\/h2>\n
Our attachments, our petty grievances, our biases \u2013 none of these matter in the Kingdom of Heaven as Jesus preached it. The message was never about securing a prime spot in the afterlife. It was about living differently here and now. It was about being in this world, but not of it. It was about being a stranger in a strange land, yet still offering compassion, humility, grace, and love.<\/span><\/p>\n
Jesus didn\u2019t come to reinforce the status quo. He came to turn it on its head. He didn\u2019t come to build an empire. He came to build a community \u2013 one that welcomed the outcast, the sinner, the downtrodden. He didn\u2019t come to wield power over others. He came to serve.<\/span><\/p>\n
The Arrogance and False Confidence of Modern Christianity<\/span><\/h2>\n
But look around. What do we see today? Christianity, or at least the loudest version of it, has become a tool for division and oppression. It\u2019s become about power, control, and maintaining the status quo. It\u2019s become about drawing lines and building walls, rather than tearing them down.<\/span><\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t to say all Christians or conservatives fit this mold. Many genuinely strive to live by the teachings of Jesus, embodying love, humility, and service. But the loudest voices often overshadow these quieter, more compassionate ones, contributing to a sense of alienation for those who seek a more authentic faith.<\/span><\/p>\n
Living as a Stranger in a World of Hate<\/span><\/h2>\n
If this is what Christianity is about, then no wonder I don\u2019t feel at home. But here\u2019s the thing \u2013 I don\u2019t think this is what Jesus had in mind <\/span>at all<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n
To live as a follower of Christ is to live as a stranger in this world. It\u2019s to reject the power games, the hatred, the bigotry. It\u2019s to offer compassion where there is none, humility in the face of arrogance, grace amidst judgment, and love where there is only hate.<\/span><\/p>\n
So, no, I don\u2019t feel at home in this world anymore. And maybe that\u2019s the point. Maybe feeling like a stranger means I\u2019m doing something right. <\/span>Maybe<\/span> it means I\u2019m trying to live as Jesus did \u2013 not of this world, but still very much in it, offering a different way, a better way, a way of love.<\/span><\/p>\n
Maybe it\u2019s the mystical way Jesus talked about \u2013 living selflessly, with a heart open to the divine and <\/span>to<\/span> others. It\u2019s a way that sees beyond the superficial and seeks the profound. It\u2019s not about belonging to a system, but about connecting to a truth that transcends all systems.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
For more Snarky Faith, check out the podcast:<\/h2>\n