Bruce Gerencser: Why I Hate Jesus

[_Maksutov]

By Bruce Gerencser, former minister...

https://brucegerencser.net/why-i-hate-jesus/

..................

I don’t hate the flesh and blood Jesus who walked the dusty roads of Palestine, nor do I hate the Jesus found in the pages of the Bible. These Jesuses are relics of the past. I’ll leave it to historians to argue and debate whether these Jesuses were real or fiction. Over the centuries, Christians have created many Jesuses in their own image. This is the essence of Christianity, an ever-evolving religion bearing little resemblance to what it was even a century ago.

The Jesus I hate is the modern, Western Jesus, the American Jesus, the Jesus who has been a part of my life for almost fifty-eight years. The Jesuses of bygone eras have no power to harm me, but the modern Jesus – the Jesus of the three hundred thousand Christian churches that populate every community in America – he has the power to affect my life, hurt my family, and destroy my country. And I, with a vengeance, hate him.

Over the years, I have had a number of people write me about how the modern Jesus was ruining their marriage. In many instances, the married couple started out in life as believers, and somewhere along the road of life one of them stopped believing. The still-believing spouse can’t or won’t understand why the other spouse no longer believes. They make it clear that Jesus is still very important to them and if forced to choose between their spouse and family, they would choose Jesus. Simply put, they love Jesus more than they love their families.

Sadly, these types of marriages usually fail. A husband or a wife simply cannot compete with Jesus. He is the perfect lover and perfect friend, one who is always there for the believing spouse. This Jesus hears the prayers of the believing spouse and answers them. This Jesus is the BFF of the believing spouse. This Jesus says to the believer, you must choose, me or your spouse. It is this Jesus I hate.

This Jesus cares nothing for the poor, the hungry, or the sick. This Jesus has no interest in poor immigrants or unwed mothers. This Jesus cares for Tim Tebow more than he does a starving girl in Ethiopia. He cares more about who wins a Grammy or ACM Award than he does poverty-stricken Africa having food and clean water. It is this Jesus I hate.

This Jesus is on the side of the culture warriors. This Jesus hates homosexuals and demands they be treated as second class citizens. This Jesus, no matter the circumstance, demands that a woman carry her fetus to term. Child of a rapist, afflicted with a serious birth defect, the product of incest or a one night stand? It matters not. This Jesus is pro-life. Yet, this same Jesus supports the incarceration of poor young men of color, often for no other crime than trying to survive. This Jesus is so pro-life he encourages American presidents and politicians to slaughter innocent men, women, and children. This Jesus demands certain criminals be put to death by the state, even though the state has legally murdered innocent people. It is this Jesus I hate.

This Jesus drives fancy cars, has palaces and cathedrals, and followers who spare no expense to make his house the best mansion in town. This Jesus loves Rolexes, Lear jets, and expensive suits. This Jesus sees the multitude and turns his back on them, only concerned with those who say and believe “the right things.” It is this Jesus I hate.

This Jesus owns condominiums constructed just for those who believe in him. When they die, he gives them the keys. But, for the rest of humanity, billions of people, this Jesus says no keys for you. I have a special Hitler-like plan for you. To the ovens you go, only unlike the Jews, I plan to give you a special body that allows me to torture you with fire and brimstone forever. It is this Jesus I hate.

It is this Jesus who looks at Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Atheists, Agnostics, Deists, Universalists, Secularists, Humanists, and Skeptics, and says to them before you were born I made sure you could never be in the group that gets the condominiums when they die. This Jesus says, and it is your fault, sinner man. It is this Jesus who made sure billions of people were born into cultures that worshiped other Gods. It is this Jesus who then says it is their fault they were born at the wrong place, at the wrong time. Too bad, this Jesus says, burn forever in the Lake of Fire. It is this Jesus I hate.

This Jesus divides families, friends, communities, and nations. This Jesus is the means to an end. This Jesus is all about money, power and control. This Jesus subjugates women, tells widows it’s their fault, and ignores the cry of orphans. Everywhere one looks, this Jesus hurts, afflicts, and kills those we love. It is this Jesus I hate. What I can’t understand is why anyone loves this Jesus? Like a clown on a parade route, he throws a few candies towards those who worship him, promising them that a huge pile of candy awaits them when they die. He lets his followers hunger, thirst, and die, yet he tells them it is for their good, that he loves them and has a wonderful plan for their life. This Jesus is all talk, promising the moon and delivering a piece of gravel. Why can’t his followers see this?

Fear me, he tells his followers. I have the keys to life and death. I have the power to make you happy and I have the power to destroy your life. I have the power to take your children, health, and livelihood. I can do these things because I am the biggest, baddest Jesus ever. Fear me and oppress women, immigrants, orphans, homosexuals, and atheists. Refuse my demand and I will rain my judgment down upon your head. But, know that I love you and only want is best for you and yours. It is this Jesus I hate.

Perhaps there is a Jesus somewhere that I could respect, a Jesus who might merit my devotion. For now, all I see is a Jesus who is worthy of derision, mockery, and hate. Yes, hate. It is this Jesus I hate. When the Jesus who genuinely loves humanity and cares for the least of these shows up, let me know. In the meantime, I hate Jesus.

[_Jersey Girl]

I can so totally relate to this however, let me express what I think using some of his comments. Bear with me, I'm going to plagiarize the heck out of him.

These people care nothing for the poor, the hungry, or the sick. These people have no interest in poor immigrants or unwed mothers. These people care for Tim Tebow more than they do a starving girl in Ethiopia. They care more about who wins a Grammy or ACM Award than they do poverty-stricken Africa having food and clean water.

These are the so-called expressions and priorities of the Christians I can no longer stand to affiliate with.

These people are on the side of the culture warriors. These people hate homosexuals and demand they be treated as second class citizens. These people, no matter the circumstance, demands that a woman carry her fetus to term. Child of a rapist, afflicted with a serious birth defect, the product of incest or a one night stand? It matters not. These people are pro-life. Yet, these same people supports the incarceration of poor young men of color, often for no other crime than trying to survive. These people are so pro-life they encourage American presidents and politicians to slaughter innocent men, women, and children. These people demand certain criminals be put to death by the state, even though the state has legally murdered innocent people.

These are the so-called expressions and priorities of the Christians I can no longer stand to affiliate with.


These people drive fancy cars, has palaces and cathedrals, and followers who spare no expense to make his house the best mansion in town. These people have Rolexes, Lear jets, and expensive suits. These people see the multitude and turns his back on them, only concerned with those who say and believe “the right things.”

These are the so-called expressions and priorities of the Christians I can no longer stand to affiliate with.

And why? Because they have warped the Jesus of the Bible and genuinely created a Jesus in their own image. They have made him indifferent to the suffering of others, they have chosen a type of religious ethnocentricity over his teachings, they have chosen material wealth and status as a sign of their "fruits" and if Jesus were here today, they would turn a blind eye and pass him by on the street like the homeless and penniless person that he would be.

And there you have my own take on much of what is passed off as Christianity today, how Christianity often reveals itself to the world and why I no longer participate in organized religion. Thankfully, not all Christians live that way, however, it was enough for me to vote with my feet and walk out the door.

[_MeDotOrg]

The headline is fairly misleading, because obviously he doesn't hate Jesus, he hates the Christian interpretations of his life. I don't know very much about early Christian history, but before the Council of Nicea there were many records of the life of Jesus that did not make it into the Bible. The synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) all came from what was called 'Document Q', an earlier document, and even Document Q was estimated to have been written 70 years after the death of Jesus. Portions of the synoptic gospels are virtually identical. So of the 4 Gospels, the bulk of 3 of the gospels came from an original document.

A more accurate title would be 'Why I Hate What Has Become of Jesus'. I would love to see a book that a layman could understand that explains the process of how the final selection the books for the New Testament happened.

[_Maksutov]

The headline is fairly misleading, because obviously he doesn't hate Jesus, he hates the Christian interpretations of his life. I don't know very much about early Christian history, but before the Council of Nicea there were many records of the life of Jesus that did not make it into the Bible. The synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) all came from what was called 'Document Q', an earlier document, and even Document Q was estimated to have been written 70 years after the death of Jesus. Portions of the synoptic gospels are virtually identical. So of the 4 Gospels, the bulk of 3 of the gospels came from an original document.

A more accurate title would be 'Why I Hate What Has Become of Jesus'. I would love to see a book that a layman could understand that explains the process of how the final selection the books for the New Testament happened.

[_Jersey Girl]

I edited all that stuff and Me lays it out in 7 sentences. And, I probably didn't even count those right.

Seriously.

[_subgenius]

The headline is fairly misleading, because obviously he doesn't hate Jesus, he hates the Christian interpretations of his life.

which is peculiar given that the criticism is how people use misrepresentations to achieve self-centered justification/excuses... "click bait" Christianity being criticized for being click-bait by click-bait writing.

[_Maksutov]

[_Some Schmo]

I don't think there are many people in the world who follow a religion. I think most people find a religion (or a group of people apparently representing that religion) that loosely matches their own personal style and warp it in their own image. Everyone has their own personal god, because of course, since we don't have an actual example, everyone is forced to make up their own personal god (should they insist in believing in one).

Everyone discards from their religion what they don't like. Quote a bad verse from the Bible and a believer will recast what it's saying or simply deny it's meaningful at all.

By the rules of religion, everyone's going to hell, because there's no way to get the right answer; there's no answer key. Everyone's making this crap up as they go along.

I've met incredible people who are avid churchgoers and incredible dicks. Religion doesn't make people better, people make religion better (if at all). Religion is only as good as what the people who practice it bring to the table. So if you want to be a dick, religion is as acceptable an excuse as any.

If only people realized they can continue being who they are without all the pretense and unnecessary burden of a religion.

[_Maxine Waters]

By the rules of religion, everyone's going to hell, because there's no way to get the right answer;

I think you're onto something. You can never really say you've done enough to be worthy of heaven in religion because that would be pride.

I've met incredible people who are avid churchgoers and incredible dicks.

I think you're right on the mark with that as well. I'd rather do business with a 1950s New York Jew than an LDS man from Provo UT.

If only people realized they can continue being who they are without all the pretense and unnecessary burden of a religion.

Belief in an afterlife with consequences is who I am. If you think I'm a monster now, imgagine if I believed there were no accounting for the decisions we make in life. My disagreement with most Christians is their belief that you can live however you please and ultimately be saved by grace and thus get the same result.

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

If you think I'm a monster now, imgagine if I believed there were no accounting for the decisions we make in life

Uh. What would you be like without religion or faith in your life?

- Doc