Inclusion Is Not A Bad Thing

by Jim Gordon

Why does the word inclusion make so many of us Christian people cringe?

We often want to only include our preferred group. People who think like us and have faith like us. If a person thinks differently, we feel you should stay in your own group with like-minded people, but leave us alone. Fortunately, many of us are changing our mind on such feelings.

We see this so much within Christianity with such a wide variety of denominations and interpretations of the Bible. Yet, I am not necessarily just talking about organized religion or institutional church, but accepting people in general in our daily lives.

When it comes to including people who we see as different from us aside from spiritual matters, it is even worse. African-American/White, LGBTQ/Straight, American/Foreign, Atheist/Muslim/Jew/Hindu and on it goes. We seem to think as believers in God, we need to separate ourselves from those who see things differently and should not associate with them.

Really, behind all the labels we put on people we are all basically the same, so why not associate and get to know people who we feel are different from us? We can learn from one another and get to know one another and find that we really are not all that different.

We see Jesus do this all the time when reading the gospels in the Bible. He did not differentiate people based on their religion, belief, lifestyle or nationality. He did not separate himself from those who thought, believed, looked and lived differently. He loved and respected all people.

Obviously, loving and accepting people does not mean we always agree nor are we always going to get along in life. Yet I believe it does mean treating others equally, respectfully, with kindness, acceptance and the love of God.

Inclusion is not a bad word. It is not a bad or unholy way to live. Inclusion is about ALL of us. Inclusion is about living full lives and about learning to live together. It makes the world our classroom for learning about our fellow human beings. Inclusion treasures diversity and builds community. It is about our abilities, our gifts and how to share them. Inclusion is the way of God and the way of showing the love of God to everyone.

Jim Gordon and his wife left the institutional church after spending over fifty years within the system. Jim wanted a way to express his thoughts and concerns about the religious system and why he and his wife decided to leave the institution but not their faith in God. Jim can be contacted by email at: jimgordon731@gmail.com 

Can I Follow God If I Can’t Stand Reading The Bible?

By Mike Edwards

Let’s be honest. The Bible is a difficult read and a bit strange. It claims God often ordered Israel to commit atrocities (“Now go, attack the Amalekites… put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys” (I Sam 15:3). I doubt God inspired that writer’s thoughts about God. The biblical truth is the writers may have gotten God wrong at times. 

It’s not true we can’t know God unless we read the Bible 

The majority of the people born into this world didn’t have a Bible or know of Jesus. The Bible can’t be the authoritative guide about God, because we disagree what it says for major moral issues. It is only intuitive that a Creator loves the ways their creations ought to love one another. Every reasonable human being respects the golden rule in relationships. God’s love and perfect human love are surely one and the same. Views of God that don’t seemingly lead to loving your neighbor more may be amiss, because they are contrary to our moral intuitions of perfection.

It’s not true the Bible claims only Scriptures is used by God to teach

II Tim 3:16 is often cited to suggest God only inspired Scriptures: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” The word Scripture isn’t in the original. The Greek word translated as Scripture is “graphis” or writings. This passage could be declaring: God can use all writings including Scripture, whether having right or wrong views of God, to equip us for good works. God may speak to use through other writings, even possibly mediums such as music, so we can be equipped for good works. 

My personal journey with the Bible 

Confession – I don’t read the Bible as much anymore but God and I still rock. Okay, I have a long way to go in my moral perfection journey, but I am inspired by God daily to pursue a legacy worth having. For years I would study the Bible hours at a time. Commentaries line my shelves and I even attended Seminary for a year. Unfortunately, I assumed I could only know God through Scriptures, and I failed to have enough respect for interpretations different than mine. Each has their own journey. Currently, I draw close to God by writing, reading books that discuss God, and listening to podcasts.

Why bother to read the Bible 

The Bible does seem to be chocked full of wisdom. You can read the Bible over and over and come away with fresh insights for relationships. I am convinced God is delighted a recording of God’s beginnings with Israel culminating in the life of Jesus was written to encourage questioning and contemplating what a loving God is really like. 

How should we read the Bible?

If reading the Bible, it is important to read the Bible with a questioning and open spirit. Not questioning the writers’ views of God or our interpretations that don’t make human moral sense can led to carrying out immoral acts in the name of God. Don’t read the Bible if it discourages you from loving others like you want to be loved. We may be better off without the Bible if a Book replaces our relationship with God and common moral sense. But God has drawn billions to do good and shun evil when reading and reflecting about God.

Can I Follow God If I Can’t Stand Reading The Bible?

Mike Edwards has been writing for Done with Religion for some time and has been a great addition to the site. Mike also has his own site where he writes that can be found at What God May Really Be Like  He can be contacted by email at: medwar2@gmail.com