Why I've Stopped Calling Myself a Christian

The word "Christian" today has a myriad of meanings; some good, some bad.

Initially, it was used to denote followers or imitators of Christ. The word itself means "Little Christ", and was first applied to believers in Antioch who were exemplary in adhering to Christ's commands. But with the overwhelming negative connotations which are associated with this word nowadays, I've stopped calling myself a Christian.

"Christian" nowadays means anything from (courtesy of Urban Dictionary, paraphrased ;) ) :

Someone who is a self righteous legalist and legislates morality for everyone else based on THEIR narrow interpretation of the Old Testament

Someone who goes to church and has been baptized but doesn't really care about what the Bible teaches and lives exactly like everyone else

Someone who blindly adheres to everything their church teaches without checking it against the Bible

Someone who worships a grandfather in the sky

Someone who substitutes tradition and religion for an actual relationship with Christ.

Someone who stands on a box on the corner of the street yelling "You're all going to hell!"

Someone who hates gays, prostitutes, divorced people, feminists, abortionists, and anyone who doesn't agree with them on everything.

Someone whose God is a weak pushover with long hair and a girl's face

Someone who doesn't know how to have fun and is a goody-two-shoes

Someone who doesn't drink, smoke, swear, and hates those who do

The Wikipedia definition of Christianity, here, is "a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth"

Let me be the first to say that that is NOT what I am.

I am a follower of Christ, yes. A child of the King of Kings, yes. But I am not a "Christian".

I do not adhere to a religion. I have a relationship with the Living God.

I do not blindly follow everything my church says. I search the scriptures for myself.

I do not give two figs what tradition says if the Bible contradicts tradition.

I do not hate people who think differently than I do. I'll pray for them, sure, but if I want to witness to someone, I'll let my actions do the talking, and NOT my mouth.

I worship a God who created the universe and who couldn't have been a weak pushover because weak pushovers do NOT drive greedy people out of His temple with a whip.

I do not believe alcohol is inherently wrong, or that all swearing is necessarily evil either. And while I do believe the Bible has something to say about immorality, I'm not going to hate or judge you if you're homosexual, bi, or have had sex before your wedding night. That's between you and God, not me.

And I could go on. But honestly, I've just been so fed up with the blatant hypocrisy, legalistic attitude, and judgmentalism, which seem to be the trademarks of modern Christianity, that I am no longer calling myself a Christian.

I am a follower of Christ. I am His disciple and daughter.

But I can no longer identify with a religion whose overwhelming hallmarks seem to be judgmentalism, legalism, hypocrisy, discrimination, and hatred, all of which, I might add, are in direct contradiction to the life of Jesus himself.

The real Jesus dined with sinners.. I'll bet the drink of choice there sure wasn't water!

The real Jesus hung out with prostitutes... I'll bet their clothes weren't 'modest'

The real Jesus cared enough to deeply know those he associated with, and I'll bet people felt safe trusting Him with anything.

The real Jesus condemned the religious leaders of His day for just that kind of self righteous legalism which sees people as problems to be fixed and not wounded humans in need of healing.

The real Jesus drove money changers out of His house with a whip! This was no weakling God.

The real Jesus never forced anyone to "get their act together" before coming to Him, and severely despised those who attempted to legislate who was "worthy" of coming to God and who was not.

And, I refuse to blindly follow the masses of Christians caught up in a false religion worshiping a false god of their own creation.

So I am leaving Christianity.....in search of Christ.