"To the Church of My Youth"

reposting a "Christian " statement

The church I walked away from at age 13

As a recovering Protestant and agnostic, I search for “church people” who haven’t been captured by the fascists. Last year I did a story called “A True Christian”. I like to applaud the good stuff.

A person I don’t know much about, Kellie Galarneau, posted the statement below on Facebook. I believe it was written by Chris Kratzer. Some would call them heretics or religious rebels. I call them “Originalists”. If you wish, view their profiles to learn more. My quick scan suggested that they thump their Bibles for the right reasons.

Is he serious?

The statement below is the part of Sunday School that I remember fondly. I couldn’t buy all the supernatural stuff. The Bible seemed like some crazy historical novel. In retrospect, something like Ken Follett’s work. Long and tediously detailed fantasy.

But the lessons about how we should view others always resonated with me. It just makes sense to treat others as we would wish to be treated, doesn’t it? It just feels “right”. Anything other than that unleashes chaos and creates a brutal lawless society.

Anyway, this short burst of literary sanity really stands tall in a world of incredible hypocrisy. Please share it. If you do, give credit to the author. I just copied and pasted it. I did add bold to some of it for my emphasis.

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“To the church of my youth,

What the hell did you expect me to do?

You told me to love my neighbors, to model the life of Jesus. To be kind and considerate, and to stand up for the bullied.

You told me to love people, consider others as more important than myself.

You taught me to sing "red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight."

We sang it together, pressing the volume pedal and leaning our hearts into the chorus. You said that “He loved all the children of the world”.

You told me to love my enemies, to even do good to those who wish for bad things. You told me to never "hate" anyone and to always find ways to encourage people.

You told me it's better to give than receive, to be last instead of first. To help the poor, the widow, the stranger at the gate.

You told me that Jesus looks at what I do for the least-of-these as the true depth of my faith. You told me to focus on my own sin and not to judge. You told me to be accepting and forgiving.

So I payed attention.

I took in every lesson.

And I did what you told me.

But now, you call me a libtard. A queer-lover. You call me "woke." A backslider.

You call me a heretic. You make fun of my heart. You mock the people I’m trying to help.

You say I’m a child of the devil.

You call me soft. A snowflake. A socialist. You shun the very people you told me to help.

What the hell did you expect me to do?

I thought you were serious, but apparently not.

You hate nearly all the people I love. You stand against nearly all the things I stand for. I'm trying to see a way forward, but it's hard when I survey all the hurt, harm, and darkness that comes in the wake of your beliefs and presence.

What the hell did you expect me to do?

I believed it all the way.

I'm still believing it all the way.

Which leaves me wondering, what happened to you?”

Kellie Galarneau posted the above on Facebook

But Chris Kratzer wrote the original

Chris and Kellie are addressing the “Christians” who embraced the paranoia and hate of MAGA. They are calling out bigots who claim they are faithful. But faithful to what?