Can We Have Christian Values and Not Be a Christian? I have always had great respect for and interest in Christianity and those who practice Christianity. Perhaps this just stems from the same spiritual energy that we all possess. It might also have been influenced somewhat by the fact that I was involved with a neighborhood church when I was a child, though I could not say that that involvement was a constructive or positive one. I remember playing hooky from Sunday school and sometimes thinking that the actions and attitudes of many of the people who led or worked at the church or attended the church seemed somewhat ungodly. The first minister at the church that I knew was a child molester and when he retired he was replaced by one who had a problem with drinking. It does not mean that they were not devoted Christians, but it does mean that they had lost their way in some manner, perhaps not having the strength or wisdom to totally bring their knowledge about and connection with the teachings of Christianity and God into their consciousness in such a way that it healed them, or at the least, got them away from their ungodly thoughts and ways. We have seen similar examples of this more and more in recent years, and now it seems to almost be assumed that those in the Christian clergy are troubled or confused people. In meeting Christians in various countries, it has always been a source of interest and at times frustration to see how quickly they ask you if your are a Christian and how your answer can lead to all sorts of thoughts, feelings and words on their part, most of which seem to be demeaning to you if your answer was “no”. Many will understand and agree that this is an aspect of Christianity that is breeding resentment to Christians and Christianity as a whole, that being a judgmental and critical attitude to those who do not say that they are Christians. And many times, when asked if I was a Christian, I have always wanted to clarify how the questioner defined Christianity. Was it a belief in the teachings put forth in The Holy Bible or was it a belief that Jesus Christ was the Son of God? Sometimes some Christians have had to hesitate when asked such a question, perhaps implying that they had not thought about it so much themselves. We can all tend to be too quick to being judgmental about others over the smallest things. Whether someone is a Christian or not, or a Muslim or not, or a Buddhist or not, or a practitioner of Yoga or not, should not be a cause of concern for us. Maybe we just need to look at their character alone. And even then, we can look at their character with an understanding and compassionate consciousness, and make an attempt to see what has conditioned and got them to their current state. Christian values are not ways of thinking and living that are beyond the understanding and practice of man. They are rooted in the same understanding of life and humankind as the values of Yoga or Buddhism. That if we make some sort of sincere effort to love others, things will be better for ourselves and for them also. One wonders how important a belief in Jesus Christ is in such a way or if “God” will look more favorably on the unskillful and troubled Christian who can not or will not practice Christian values, while looking with joy at those non – Christians who can embody Christian values in thought, word and action. Perhaps it is not a matter of whether we are Christians, or Buddhists or whatever, but if we can see beyond ourselves in what we think, say and do, so that tendencies to selfishness, fear and anger are weakened in ourselves, others and the world to some extent, and replaced with more wholesome and skillful ways of thinking and feeling. Experience has shown that such a change is not dependent on a belief in Christ as being the messiah and Son of God, but more dependent on how we live, what our conditioning has been and what kind of faith, strength and wisdom we have about ourselves and others. ©2004 John C. Kimbrough (Bangkok, Thailand)
Posted on: Tue, 30 Jul 2013 09:38:44 +0000