"I am covered in blood.
Jesus has rescued me"
So sang the choir at the Assembly of God service I recently attended. What was I doing at this service? Well, I thought of this as a cultural experience. I had heard about right wing Christian fundamentalists in the same way that many of the people in this church had heard about gay & lesbian people. I figured before I endorsed the usual stereotypes, I should have some first hand experience with a conservative, Christian tradition.
What happened when I went to Church? Well, I certainly found a Fear of God. Just not in the way the preacher intended.
The service started out ok. There was singing. And praying. And music. Hands held to the sky & people swaying back & forth with the energy of the Lord. I understood that this is an ecstatic religious tradition. I was impressed with the power of the service. The energy in the room was palpable. This was full-body worship with members of the congregation moving with the presence of the Lord.
So far so good. I haven't had much exposure to this type of tradition. I was learning something. I could understand this part. It isn't something that works for me but I can certainly understand the appeal & how it could be very attractive to some people.
Then the preacher started. He began by ridiculing gardeners. He claimed that anyone who spends energy taking care of the Earth is a fool since Jesus is coming & anything in the physical realm isn't important. God will give us new bodies in the second coming. Christ is coming soon enough that there isn't any need to think about long term plans.
The preacher continued by attacking environmentalists in general, pro-choice individuals and anyone in favor of lowering international trade barriers. (don't ask me how these were related - I missed the link).
The main message was that Jesus is coming. There is no need to worry about the present or the future because there won't be a future. Christ's second coming is almost here so nothing else matters. Bow your knee to Jesus now or do it when He arrives. Either way, everyone will bow their knee.
Every bomb that goes off (he used the example of recent bus bombings in Israel) is a sign that we are that much closer to Jesus.
It scares me when I encounter someone in a position of power who believes they have Absolute Truth. That means there isn't any room for alternate viewpoints, different explanations. People who believe they have Absolute Truth believe that their truth is true for everyone. These are the people who want to pass laws to restrict what can be published on the Internet, to mandate prayers in schools, to determine who I can marry and how I will be allowed to live my life.
I want to find my own truth. I want to make my own choices.
I realized that this man is my enemy.