So, You’re Done with the Church?

From the way it sounds, I wonder why it took so long…

Photo by Andrew Neel

When I hear people’s stories about leaving the ‘Christianity’ (yes, those quotes are intentional and you’ll see why soon) of their childhood, I‌ often wonder why they waited so long. These stories are filled with trite, angry, and accusatory men (yep, almost always men) commanding their congregants to “do more” and “try harder” in order to be “better Christians”.

We can only take so much. I mean, seriously… Why do I‌ need some guy up there proclaiming that he has all of his stuff together while shaming me into doing the same and living like him?

First of all, why is he assuming I might want to live like him?… Secondly, I don’t need a preacher to tell me to live better (whatever that even means), I do enough self-blaming, shaming, and comparing myself. The last place I want to hear this stuff is at church.

If Christianity is about me having to do more and flex my spiritual muscles more than the poor soul sitting next to me on the pew, I don’t need it.

Here’s the Jesus I’ve come to know…

“Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.

— Matthew 11:28