Ok, I must admit it. I loved reading Anne Rice's vampire novels way before she decided to become a Christian. And then unChristian herself. (Is that like unfriending on FB?) I loved Lestat and was mesmerized by the stories of those who roam the world at night. Frightened a bit, but very enchanted. Like in a good way.
But the other day my son revealed that Anne was back to being a non-believer. I think the way he put it was that Anne decided not to be a Christian because she saw so many mean ones. Well, yeah. I have seen them, too. And I had the same feeling - if these are the people called to God, why in the world would I want to spend eternity with them??????
Now, some Christians might like that. You know, the ones who have a certain maximum of those who will make it to the floating kingdom in the sky. They don't want more to join them. Then there are those who believe that unless you formally acknowledge Jesus Christ as your savior, you will also be condemned to hell. Who wants to be with those narrow minded tweets?
So, those of us who believe that God wants all of his children to be rewarded - except for those dastardly evil hate mongers who spread negativity throughout the world - except for those, what is the answer?
Not to get too deep into theology, I must admit that I love being a Catholic, for the prevailing theme there is justice for all who believe - but those who believe in what they have been taught - there is a difference. For instance, if you are a Buddhist living in rural Japan and have been a good, law-abiding, kind individual, when you die,you will be rewarded for you have had Baptism of DESIRE! You have desired the truth and you shall be rewarded for that.
According to Catholicism, there are three baptisms: desire, water, and blood. We know about the water one. But the blood one is for those who give their lives for goodness. And goodness is God. What more do we need?
So, I have some advice for those prosletyzing Christians who are turning people off with their vain and preposterous attitudes - stop judging and walk the life of Christ. Stop talking. Do. Then ask God for forgiveness so that you don't judge others. And here I find myself in a quandry. Am I judging these Christians myself? Anne, are we just as guilty as they are? What do you think?
Here are Anne's own words:
Important Information On Anne's Decision to Quit Christianity in the Name of Christ
Anne's Statements Regarding Christianity as Posted:
For those who care, and I understand if you don't: Today I quit being a Christian. I'm out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being "Christian" or to being part of Christianity. It's simply impossible for me to "belong" to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten ...years, I've tried. I've failed. I'm an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.
07/28/10
As I said below, I quit being a Christian. I'm out. In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life. In the name of ...Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen.
07/28/10
My faith in Christ is central to my life. My conversion from a pessimistic atheist lost in a world I didn't understand, to an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God is crucial to me. But following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been, or might become.
07/29/10
I quit Christianity in the name of Christ on this page so that I could tell my readers I was not complicit in the things that organized religion does. I never dreamed others would be so interested, or that they would feel the need to talk about their own religious struggles. But they do. And the public conversation on... this is huge, and I think important.
08/08/10
