Like filthy rags

"Which is more moral, helping people purely out of concern for their suffering, or helping them because you think God wants you to do it?"

It's no secret that the Christian religion thrives on guilt and fear. Even among more progressive, postmodern (or, emergent, as the cool kids say) churches, parishioners are constantly inundated with a message of obligation. We're taught that God needs us, that we're his "hands and feet" on earth, that there are certain things we should be doing and certain things we shouldn't be doing. We're told that Christian service is a noble endeavor. Every year, thousands of North American youth groups go on mission trips to Africa and South America and other heathen lands because Jesus commanded us to "go into the all the world and rape cultures of their heritage." Young teenagers are taught that third-world citizens are uneducated, unsophisticated drones who are doomed to an eternity of hellfire unless they renounce their silly gods and accept our True God. And it's your job to make that happen! For impressionable children raised in the church, this is an awful lot of pressure.

Christian authors and pastors and speakers are motivated by contrition. It's what attracts attention, pulls people in, and makes those people cry. I'm convinced that ministers feed off the tears of their congregation: If we're making them cry, we're burdening their hearts; and if we're burdening their hearts, we can manipulate them to do more things for Jesus; and if we can manipulate them to do more things for Jesus, our congregation will grow; and if our congregation grows, so does our fame/ego/bank account.

Everyone has a different method. Some pastors take the direct approach: these are the guys who explicitly berate their listeners with guilt, beseeching you to think about how much God gave up for you. He sacrificed his Son! Jesus hung on the cross and bled and died! It was awful and painful and he did it for you! He loves you that much! Now, what will you sacrifice for him?

Trendier pastors prefer a different avenue: they aren't as "in your face" about it, but they want to remind you that you are loved. You are accepted. You are cherished. No matter how bad you are, God loves you. And you're a bad person, aren't you? You've done some naughty, terrible, shameful things. You must feel really dirty. You must feel like a whore. Well, you're not. Because Jesus is here. He's holding you in his arms. He loves you. He loves you. He loves you. Now, what will you do for him?

Ultimately, the end-goal is the same: Christian leaders want people to feel a sense of obligation to God. Because if people don't feel a sense of obligation to God -- if they don't feel guilty -- they're not going to follow him.

A good friend of mine is an adamant atheist. He has no use for faith, or Christianity, or Jesus. He's too busy volunteering at a downtown homeless shelter, caring for the impoverished and underprivileged. He's too busy petitioning the government to reduce third-world debt. He's too busy raising money to help fight AIDS in Africa.

My friend has never set foot in a church. His parents raised him to be socially conscious, to care for the planet, to be mindful of those who have nothing. His parents raised him to be a good person, not because that's what God commanded them to do, but because they're genuinely concerned about the plight of humanity. These folks are the most moral, upstanding citizens I have ever met. And according to every single Christian I know, they're also destined to spend eternity in hell.

What a messed up religion, indeed.