Religious Tools - Don't Be One

"Is this a day to save life or destroy it?" - Jesus of Nazareth

Every time I see a headline that has Westboro Baptist Church in it my heart cringes. 

If you don't know who WBC is, they are a church from Topeka, Kansas that believes there purpose in this world is to let the gay community know how much God hates them and hates those who support them. They protest soldier’s funerals, school shooting funerals, and many other solemn events simply to prove a point. 

This is just one example of the messages of hate from WBC, and is actually pretty mild compared to most of the signs they protest with. I didn't feel right posting a picture of the more inappropriate signs.

I was reading this morning in Luke 6 where Jesus encounters a group of people like WBC. 

What happened was Jesus was in the Temple on a Saturday(Sabbath), and there was a man with a crippled hand. Now there were these men called Pharisees, the WBC of their day. They were no longer interested in God, they were only interested in upholding the man-made laws they had established based off of God's law, which meant doing ZERO 'work' on the Sabbath. These men already wanted Jesus dead because He was pretty good at making them look like the fools that they were.

On this beautiful Saturday in Jerusalem, Jesus knows that the Pharisees are watching Him like a hawk and they want Him to heal the man and therefore disobey the(man-made) law of Sabbath. Here's what happens:

"But Jesus knew their thoughts. He said to the man with the deformed hand,“Come and stand in front of everyone.” So the man came forward. Then Jesus said to his critics, “I have a question for you. Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” He looked around at them one by one and then said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored!  At this, the enemies of Jesus were wild with rage and began to discuss what to do with him."

The Pharisees were wild with rage, just like WBC they had lost sight of the heart of God. Yes, God has set up laws for us to live by once we are saved to help guide us towards living more like Him. But, God is first and foremost concerned with saving His children. He brought the Israelites out of slavery and then gave them the law. 

We (you and me) can't be stuck-up religious tools who demand everybody follows every law of God. Our desire should be to help them experience and get to know the God we know. The God who loves, not hates. The God who gives grace. The God who longs for us to know Him. 

"Is this a day to save life or destroy it?" - Jesus of Nazareth

Are you doubting\dispising Christianity because of people like WBC?

Have you been hurt in the past by someone who claimed to be a Christian?

If so, please give God another chance. Don't base your view of God solely on a few misguided people. 

Feel free to email me, peter.david.jenkins@gmail.com or friend me on Facebook with any questions you may have.