S
SpeakerForGod
Guest
To Whom It May Concern,
My name is Mark Rainey. I’m a 19 year old college student living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I’m originally from Mobile, Alabama and I grew up in a Christian home. Around 2004, my father was diagnosed with a terminal stomach cancer and was given 4 weeks to live. During these times, my family turned to God and the church. For the next few years, I was 100% involved and loved the church. I would do anything for it. My family and I helped run a daycare service to help out for about 3 years.
Miraculously, my father made a swift and remarkable recovery. Just recently, he was given another 40 years to live. 40 years is a lot longer than the four weeks I originally thought I had to spend with my father. For that, I thank God every day.
In 2007, I moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to attend the Art Institute of Pittsburgh’s “Game Art and Design†program. I was 17 at the time and all alone in a very foreign city. Again, I turned to God. I went in search for a church, as well. This is why I’m writing you.
The church has strayed from Jesus’ Word.
That’s a very, very bold statement to make, and I know. But, God has been putting this on my heart for the past 2 years. Before you throw my letter away, dismissing it as another pseudo-intellectual teenager’s problems with authority, think about what Jesus would do. He didn’t follow the church in his day; in fact, he cursed it.
Why do I believe that the church has strayed? Because, when I see Christians and “people of Godâ€Â, all I see is hate. Hate for homosexuals, hate for Muslims, hate for drug users, and the list goes on. How do I know? Well, because I was once participating in the hate.
One example that stands out in my mind really disturbed me. I was sitting in my church, and I noticed a small little skirmish in the lobby. I was, of course, curious. A prostitute, dressed in dirty, ragged clothes tried to attend service. They turned her away. This BLOWS my mind. If anyone in this world needed to hear Christ’s word, it was her.
Does the Bible that we so desperately cling to not say in the book of John, “If any of you is without sin, cast the first stone?†Those words came directly from our Savior’s mouth. Yet, I hear more pastors and “men of God†every day cursing homosexuals, cursing the prostitutes, and cursing the people who broke down in a time of weakness and did some morally wrong things.
Did Jesus, Himself, not hang with the vilest criminals of his time? Of course he did! Andrew was a tax collector, a group of people classified with prostitutes and other criminals. Simon, himself, was an anti-Christ zealot who’d kill without question. And, though this was way before Christ’s time, Abraham and Lot had quite a few sinful times in their lives (incest is the story that stand out the best in my mind for both men). Another more extreme story is the tale of Jesus at the well with the prostitute. He showed her God’s way by showing her respect, care and the kind of intimate love that only a true man of God could. She ended up washing his feet with her tears and repenting.
But, did God and Christ condemn these men and women? Did they condemn them to Hell. Did he hate them? No! Christ loves everyone, and he showed it through his actions, not always through their words.
Why are we straying? What can we do to fix the very same problems the church had in the time of Christ? I believe it’s our leadership. It’s the church. I’ll now outline some very important points, backed by Bible verses for validity.
1) The Church isn’t fueled by the strong desire to love and act like Christ, as I’ve proven above and will continue to prove. The church is fueled by the love of money. This is obvious by the huge mega churches, and the pastors that run them. It’s obvious, even in my own church, by my own pastor’s exceedingly large house. More and more every day, these MESSENGERS OF GOD are being exposed as just the opposite.
a. “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.†James 5:1
b. “Verily I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.†Matthew 19:23-24
2) The church doesn’t teach us to love. I’ve already covered this plenty, but I don’t feel like I’ve made my point clear enough. This is very much clear to me, simply because of the churches’ strict alliance with the Republican Party. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe that the Democrats are going down the correct path either! But, the Republican Party is filled with corrupt, hateful, rich, and selfish men and women. They claim, like many others, to be Christians and follow Christ… yet, they’ll send tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of men, women, husbands, wives, sons and daughters to die in an unjust war. I won’t get into the reasons why the war is wrong, but I will direct you to the first point. Money. The republicans also push to teach Christianity in our school system, despite (not only our government) but the word of Christ himself.(a)(b) Furthermore, Christ would NOT approve of the killing. Muslims are still PEOPLE. Terrorists are still PEOPLE. God LOVES them. We’re destined to die if we continue this zealot, bigoted war (c).
a. “… Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's.†Matthew 22:21
b. “Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here." John 18:36
c. “Those who live by the sword die by the sword.†Matthew 26:52
Going back to my story about the prostitute trying to enter my old church and being turned away. I believe that this is one event that really turned me off of organized religion in its current form. Christ didn’t dress in Sunday best. He didn’t wear jeans, a tie, and dress shoes. Christ traveled the African and Asian continents spreading the love of his master. He was DIRTY. He probably had dread locks, ragged clothes, sandles, and dirty skin. He probably smelled bad. Yet, he made his point. He spread his gospel of love, and people loved him.
My whole point in this letter is simple. Stop the hate. Christians aren’t any better than anyone else. 1 John 4:8 says that “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.†Christ then says "I am the way, the truth, and the life, nobody comes to the father but by me." (John.14:6). Christ’s whole message was to LOVE. Many, many people in this world have shown the same love that Christ would have wanted them to. Jesus’ WAY was to love and Gandhi is a great example. He loved. He was a pacifist, and I’m sure that he has a nice spot in Heaven, right next to ours. Why? He had Christ (love) in his heart, no matter what religion he followed.
Please, think about these things I’ve said. Teach your churches, speak on your radios, and stop the Christian hate. Spread love. Stop excluding the people who need YOU the most. Many people, atheist or not, in times of need try to go to God. They go to the church…Only to feel excluded and hated. The passing glaresââ¬Â¦and murmuring… the hate… Don’t deny these don’t happen, or you’re just letting Satan fool you.
For, who else but sinful “men and women of God†would be a better target for Satan to spread his word. His word that the church so readily passes along.
Thank you for reading this, and please… Don’t shrug and go on with your lives the way the Church has laid out. Christ rebelled, and I am too. Please join me in Christ’s love.
Mark Rainey, II
My name is Mark Rainey. I’m a 19 year old college student living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I’m originally from Mobile, Alabama and I grew up in a Christian home. Around 2004, my father was diagnosed with a terminal stomach cancer and was given 4 weeks to live. During these times, my family turned to God and the church. For the next few years, I was 100% involved and loved the church. I would do anything for it. My family and I helped run a daycare service to help out for about 3 years.
Miraculously, my father made a swift and remarkable recovery. Just recently, he was given another 40 years to live. 40 years is a lot longer than the four weeks I originally thought I had to spend with my father. For that, I thank God every day.
In 2007, I moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to attend the Art Institute of Pittsburgh’s “Game Art and Design†program. I was 17 at the time and all alone in a very foreign city. Again, I turned to God. I went in search for a church, as well. This is why I’m writing you.
The church has strayed from Jesus’ Word.
That’s a very, very bold statement to make, and I know. But, God has been putting this on my heart for the past 2 years. Before you throw my letter away, dismissing it as another pseudo-intellectual teenager’s problems with authority, think about what Jesus would do. He didn’t follow the church in his day; in fact, he cursed it.
Why do I believe that the church has strayed? Because, when I see Christians and “people of Godâ€Â, all I see is hate. Hate for homosexuals, hate for Muslims, hate for drug users, and the list goes on. How do I know? Well, because I was once participating in the hate.
One example that stands out in my mind really disturbed me. I was sitting in my church, and I noticed a small little skirmish in the lobby. I was, of course, curious. A prostitute, dressed in dirty, ragged clothes tried to attend service. They turned her away. This BLOWS my mind. If anyone in this world needed to hear Christ’s word, it was her.
Does the Bible that we so desperately cling to not say in the book of John, “If any of you is without sin, cast the first stone?†Those words came directly from our Savior’s mouth. Yet, I hear more pastors and “men of God†every day cursing homosexuals, cursing the prostitutes, and cursing the people who broke down in a time of weakness and did some morally wrong things.
Did Jesus, Himself, not hang with the vilest criminals of his time? Of course he did! Andrew was a tax collector, a group of people classified with prostitutes and other criminals. Simon, himself, was an anti-Christ zealot who’d kill without question. And, though this was way before Christ’s time, Abraham and Lot had quite a few sinful times in their lives (incest is the story that stand out the best in my mind for both men). Another more extreme story is the tale of Jesus at the well with the prostitute. He showed her God’s way by showing her respect, care and the kind of intimate love that only a true man of God could. She ended up washing his feet with her tears and repenting.
But, did God and Christ condemn these men and women? Did they condemn them to Hell. Did he hate them? No! Christ loves everyone, and he showed it through his actions, not always through their words.
Why are we straying? What can we do to fix the very same problems the church had in the time of Christ? I believe it’s our leadership. It’s the church. I’ll now outline some very important points, backed by Bible verses for validity.
1) The Church isn’t fueled by the strong desire to love and act like Christ, as I’ve proven above and will continue to prove. The church is fueled by the love of money. This is obvious by the huge mega churches, and the pastors that run them. It’s obvious, even in my own church, by my own pastor’s exceedingly large house. More and more every day, these MESSENGERS OF GOD are being exposed as just the opposite.
a. “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.†James 5:1
b. “Verily I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.†Matthew 19:23-24
2) The church doesn’t teach us to love. I’ve already covered this plenty, but I don’t feel like I’ve made my point clear enough. This is very much clear to me, simply because of the churches’ strict alliance with the Republican Party. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe that the Democrats are going down the correct path either! But, the Republican Party is filled with corrupt, hateful, rich, and selfish men and women. They claim, like many others, to be Christians and follow Christ… yet, they’ll send tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of men, women, husbands, wives, sons and daughters to die in an unjust war. I won’t get into the reasons why the war is wrong, but I will direct you to the first point. Money. The republicans also push to teach Christianity in our school system, despite (not only our government) but the word of Christ himself.(a)(b) Furthermore, Christ would NOT approve of the killing. Muslims are still PEOPLE. Terrorists are still PEOPLE. God LOVES them. We’re destined to die if we continue this zealot, bigoted war (c).
a. “… Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's.†Matthew 22:21
b. “Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here." John 18:36
c. “Those who live by the sword die by the sword.†Matthew 26:52
Going back to my story about the prostitute trying to enter my old church and being turned away. I believe that this is one event that really turned me off of organized religion in its current form. Christ didn’t dress in Sunday best. He didn’t wear jeans, a tie, and dress shoes. Christ traveled the African and Asian continents spreading the love of his master. He was DIRTY. He probably had dread locks, ragged clothes, sandles, and dirty skin. He probably smelled bad. Yet, he made his point. He spread his gospel of love, and people loved him.
My whole point in this letter is simple. Stop the hate. Christians aren’t any better than anyone else. 1 John 4:8 says that “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.†Christ then says "I am the way, the truth, and the life, nobody comes to the father but by me." (John.14:6). Christ’s whole message was to LOVE. Many, many people in this world have shown the same love that Christ would have wanted them to. Jesus’ WAY was to love and Gandhi is a great example. He loved. He was a pacifist, and I’m sure that he has a nice spot in Heaven, right next to ours. Why? He had Christ (love) in his heart, no matter what religion he followed.
Please, think about these things I’ve said. Teach your churches, speak on your radios, and stop the Christian hate. Spread love. Stop excluding the people who need YOU the most. Many people, atheist or not, in times of need try to go to God. They go to the church…Only to feel excluded and hated. The passing glaresââ¬Â¦and murmuring… the hate… Don’t deny these don’t happen, or you’re just letting Satan fool you.
For, who else but sinful “men and women of God†would be a better target for Satan to spread his word. His word that the church so readily passes along.
Thank you for reading this, and please… Don’t shrug and go on with your lives the way the Church has laid out. Christ rebelled, and I am too. Please join me in Christ’s love.
Mark Rainey, II
