Straight Up...

A week has passed since a fairly heavy debate with a client/friend regarding modern day churches and 'other' religions belonging in the enemies camp.

It has taken me this long to sort through triggers and accompanying twitches that relay along every nerve ending.

It has taken this long to sort through the bullsh*t and lies spoken over these past decades into the church and consequently into the body (congregation).

The discussion was friendly, if passionate, however, it sparked memories of 'truths' spoken from the pulpit and within those holy walls; truths that never settled well on war-weary shoulders.

How then dear friends, do we take religions and people we know NOTHING about and demonize them? If this sounds dramatic, take some time to sit in a church and listen.

The words out of her mouth were straight from a past surfed, diced, chopped and swallowed within a church based on manipulation and control.

'Those religions are demonic. All of them.'

Full stop...

When pressed to the 'why' behind that thought and belief that those people couldn't all be in league with the devil, it was backpedaled to 'the religion itself that is demonic.'

I tell you true dear treasures...I hardly know where to start dismantling and disseminating these far out beliefs.

Do we then include First Nations beliefs regarding Creation and a higher power?

Do we then include everyone who isn't US and somehow in the right?

Everyone wrong but christianity?

Ah, the arrogance of such thoughts.

The christian church has the corner on the market and all else fall into demon-kind or its lesser cousin known as ignorance and false teachings.

Of course Israel was brought up, and the fearsome, loathsome genocide happening along the Gaza strip.

Is that too much for some reading this?

Oh dear friends, the knee jerk reaction of every christian-born follower (closely follows my past days in church) in defence of Israel; God's chosen.

The defence of Israel was instant...

'They are God's chosen!' (so genocide is ok?)

'As are we my friend.'

'Yes, but THEY are God's first choice.'

'So...they're exempt from judgement and laws of the land?'

'it's THEIR land, and everything we see on social media is a lie formed by the Palestinians!'

So...apparently turning a blind eye to the atrocities being commited is ok, as long as its Israel.

Dear God, it's me....

To these ears it closely resembles the church in their protection of pastors and parishioners who are found to be committing wrongs, keeping it all 'in house.'

Despite sexual assaults, abuses of many, many kinds, molestation, pedophilia...let's invite these souls to leadership roles...let us invite these souls to teach sunday school and time alone with children.

Horrifyingly true...

Despite being God's chosen...no one is above the law...

If its wrong, its wrong and God does not sit and watch these things thinking...'oh, they get a pass, cause its where and when I was born.'

Forty percent of Palestinian deaths are women and children.

Let that soak in for a time...

All routes providing aid to over two million Palestinians has been cut off by the Israeli government...lead by a man wanted for War Crimes.

Does this sound like something God would stand behind? The destruction of people HE created alongside Israel? The starvation of women, children and relief aid to those soldiers in need of medical care?

Truly?

Your church leader who has a past history of hurting children (lets be transparent here and say 'inappropriately' touched children) should be protected from the law?

Your elder who has a history of sexually harassing young teen girls, lets protect from the law and after a period of time has passed, place him back in that population?

What garbage is this?

Let's be transparently clear here....

NO ONE is above the law...

We are ALL chosen, each one of us loved and graced with a God who will never leave nor forsake.

This woman declared the church to be lukewarm...oh if I had a dollar for every time I heard this statement from the pulpit...

The same pulpit that protects molesters, assaulters, abusers.

Yeah Pastor Joe...and God is coming to shake you up, to blow wide open the doors of a church so steeped in evil workings it hides in the shade. Damn straight your congregation is lukewarm and stagnant, look who's leading it.

Elsewhere I see reform...I see excitment...I see God moving and it isn't lukewarm, it's full of the fire of love, of joy, of change...and that change will NOT be happy times for those hiding in shadows and dark deeds.

Israel will be held accountable and rightly so.

By the world and by God...chosen or not.

We fall, we fail and are crushed by the weight of remorse and accountability until we are ready to rise to choose to live better, to choose wisdom in place of perversity.

No more hiding, no more protection for those who use power for gain, for going against the very edicts of the Word they preach.

My friends, we must take a stand...we must come together and hold those accountable who are in places of power and authority. They MUST be held to a higher standard or else find themselves sitting in and amongst a cesspool of skewed actions and thoughts.

We are NOT less than these leaders; they shepherd and meant to be held accountable by the people they provide care for...

We will NOT be struck by lightning or hard times because we stand and speak truth.

'we are more than conquerors through Christ who strengthens us.'

Each one blessed with a conscience...

It is not enough anymore dear hearts...it is not enough to sit idly by while within your circle these issues arise.

It is time to rise, to stand, to place feet upon the rock and proclaim justice for those who cannot do it for themselves. Too steeped in brain washing, manipulation, gas-lighting...no less lost than a woman trapped within an abusive relationship.

God knows...He knows...and waits for warriors to step up, to fight the darkness living IN the church today.