Biting My Tongue

Today The Husband and I started a new small group with our church. This time, we're not leading it (gotta get in your breaks when you can!) but it's still a marriage class. This one is called Our Secret Paradise, and so far it's pretty neat. This week's session was about the unrealistic expectations people go into a marriage with and how they get their hearts broken because of it. Very relevant and very, very true in many marriages today.

We watched the video and then did a roundtable discussion afterwards. At one point, the subject came around to why Christ died. Of course, good Christians all, we were able to chorus that it was to take away sin. But the leader of the group didn't leave it at that. No, he had to push it to the "fact" that Christ died to take away the sins of Christians. Only.

Now me, being as how I believe that Christ died for everyone and that He will complete his stated mission of saving the whole world, had to "correct" the man. "You mean to say that Christ came to take away the sin of the world," I responded.

"Oh, but only those of us who believe and who have accepted the substitutionary attonement of Christ's sacrifice . . ." and this is where I just tuned him out.

Hrm. Let's see here. Where is the verse in the Bible that talks about substitutionary attonement? Can anyone find "substitutionary attonement" ANYWHERE in the Bible? I can't.

This terminology, along with a whole bunch of other things like oh, say the Trinity, have been used over the years to try and explain away the plain, simple truth that is laid out for us and instead to insert a different viewpoint to what can be read, or to even cover it over with something else entirely.

Why can we not trust the words that are given to us? Why do we have to substitute the "learning" of man when everything that is in the Word says something else? Why do we not take the Word of the God we worship seriously? I mean, we claim that we do, but in practice, we have to make up all sorts of things to impress others with our stunning knowledge of what God really meant. Especially when He doesn't say anything of the sort at all.

It's getting really hard to bite my tongue about things like this. I know that anything I say will be considered at least a silly frippery or at worst, rocking the boat - which is most definately Not To Be Done. Christians are too schooled in their beliefs - man-made beliefs - to actually try and search these things out for themselves. Oh, but of course we read and study our Bibles daily with great furvor.

It's as if we never came out of the Dark Ages. Yes, we all have our copies of the Bible now, but we're still being controlled by whichever sect we decide has the most "truth" instead of just the RCC. At least the RCC is honest in saying that the average layperson doesn't understand the Truths of God. The Reformation is such a crock of bullshit - we just traded one yoke for another.

I guess this is all about my journey, rather than about my frustrations over this. I suppose it's preparing me for something - goodness only knows what. Guess that'll be what's fun to find out in the end, right?