NOTE: This blog was first published in 2016.
Greetings, folks! I am Harry Agina, and this is No Bullshitting radical Social-Political Critic.
Whatever you do, please do not let anybody turn you into a blind follower in Christianity like a zombie! This is really part of the essence of this passage. Don’t let anybody brainwash you to the point of believing that it is a sin to question anything done by your fellow man, or woman just because he/she is a pastor. I emphasize this by reminding us that Christ encouraged questions, indeed, God Almighty Himself encourages questions. Hence, I take exception to anybody implying that I am blasphemous for asking questions if I doubt or disagree with the deeds of ordinary mortal pastors.
For instance, I have to ask the question—is it right when our pastors indulge in outlandish affluence and stupendous comfort? The Levites of old and Christ himself did not know or encourage so much comfort for his apostles! Sure, I am willing to accept the view that today’s pastors may live reasonably comfortably; but it would take Jesus Christ himself to convince me that it is okay for pastors to be stupendously wealthy and flamboyant, to the point of owning private jets and fleets of exotic cars and heavenly mansions all over the place. And if and when any being identifies himself as Jesus and tells me that it is alright for pastors to live so large and flamboyantly, then there would be yet another problem to address—I am not likely to believe immediately that he is indeed Jesus, because I would wonder why Jesus now has a completely different view from what is in the bible. I would definitely ask Christ to explain to me why it is now alright for pastors to be so materialistic as to intimidate and Lord it over the people that they are supposed to “serve” in humility.
“My Lord,” I would humbly point out, “it is clearly written in the bible that you asked your would-be disciples to sell their property and give away the proceeds in order to follow you. And, my Lord, even you owned nothing!” Then I would humbly ask him—“Why have you now changed your mind, my Lord?”
Of course, if he does perform some convincing, Christ-like miracles or wonders, then I may have to believe that he is indeed Christ. And then, when I believe that he is indeed Christ, I would still respectfully ask him how-come he has modified the rule to suit the whims of the new-wave pastors. If indeed he is Christ, I am sure that he would have a way to convince me. Then and only then, would I finally accept that it is probably okay to live so large as a pastor. Mind you, I am not challenging the authority of Christ; I am asking questions where I have doubts, and challenging the authenticity of any person that may claim to be Christ himself, just in order to justify the vanity of the contemporary Christian clergy.
By the same token, I challenge the authenticity of anybody who claims to be a pastor (a servant of Christ), but is not behaving like Christ. Do you get my point yet; I mean really get the point? I am simply illustrating how important it is to ask questions on any topic once that question stirs in your mind. A great number of times your intuition is correct.
Don’t wave it aside just because you don’t believe that it is right to question the word or act of your pastor. I have discussed the Papal Inquisition and the Spanish Inquisition that happened in the 4th Century AD and 15th Century AD, respectively, where Popes, the highest authority in Christianity at the time (among the highest today) committed atrocities in the name of Christ and God. Ask yourself if your pastor is more holy than the popes that committed those atrocities, and other clerics that are still committing many heinous acts in highest places today.
This is to emphasize that too many false prophets and too many true or sincere but erroneous prophets claim to be doing or preaching the will of God; and, we must all be cautious about whom to believe. Beyond this, I also say that Christ himself understood/understands that we should ask questions when in doubt.
And you should know this because a bunch of his sermons were based on answers to questions that the Pharisees and the scribes, and his disciples asked. He did not forbid the people to ask questions; rather, he encouraged them! And he gently answered them. The Almighty God Himself in His infinite wisdom and might allows us to ask questions, too!
Can you recall Abraham’s encounter with God when He wanted to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah? Abraham wondered about the wisdom in the total destruction of that region, and he asked God questions as he pleaded for leniency to Sodom and Gomorrah. God could have simply told Abraham to shut the heck up! He could have told him that He did not have to answer to him or anybody at all, because He is the Almighty God! But, rather, He patiently explained to Abraham why it was wise to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Think about this whenever you get overwhelmed by the fear to question your pastors’ commands, some of which do not actually make sense to you, but you still go ahead and obey.
Ask yourself: is your pastor mightier than God? If your answer is no—which I hope it is for us who believe in God, otherwise we should actually be questioning the state of our minds—then think of the Almighty God and Abraham in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Ask yourself the next question—Are the pastors not supposed to be and behave like Christ? And, if they should be following the footsteps of Christ, why then can’t you question some of their words and acts as Christ was constantly questioned? And when you ask these questions; why would they wave you aside or chastise you like a bad child? Did Christ ever do that to his followers? Then, finally, ask yourself the vital question—why am I following a pastor that does not follow what is written in the bible about God, righteousness, humility, Christ and his teachings? Always remember this—so many Christians have died worldwide by blindly following the commands/doctrines of deranged pastors…No Bullshitting!