Many Paths

On the Internet, I associate with a group of Christians who have had bad experiences with the institutional church. What I like about them is that they're not afraid to challenge sacred cows---such as Christianese, biblical inerrancy, etc. My beef, however, is that some of them take it upon themselves to define Christian liberty. According to certain people, if you go to church, then you are not truly free---you are desiring the security of bondage in Egypt rather than the liberty you can find in an authentic relationship with God. Hmm. I thought liberty was me being able to do what I want to do (within reason, of course---I'm not saying anything and everything goes!).

Recently, people posted that it's been years since they asked God for stuff. To be honest, I still ask God for stuff---like a job, for instance---because that's what I do when I'm in a state of vulnerability. But some people act like they're spiritually mature because they don't go to church, or they don't ask God for stuff. Many in mainstream Christianity, by contrast, act like they're superior because they do go to church, ask God for stuff, etc.

Is it me, or is so much of religion a matter of one-upsmanship---of "Lord, I thank thee that I'm not as other men?" It also seems to be a matter of thinking that one's spiritual path is the way that everyone else should do things. Personally, I think people should be honest before God about where they are, and try to regard all others as people of worth. This is a struggle for me, and others as well. If church helps them to do this, good. If it doesn't, fine. If asking God for stuff creates an environment in which a person can acknowledge her vulnerability and her dependence on God, awesome! If a person trusts God so much that she doesn't need to present God with a laundry list of concerns, that's good, too! There are many ways to have a relationship with God!