Sara, as you well know, I am confused, in a state of confusion, going through hell of my own, witnessing the worst of humanity among Christian church goers, one of them my birth sister, who at the same time consult Tarot and other occultist magics. And who betrayed me and betrayed others just like a-ringing-a-bell, to quote Chuck Berry. Where is Jesus in all of that, the Church, where am I? I can only ask hard, desperate questions, which the strict doctrine doesn’t seem answer.
If the Dalai Lama is a marketing image, then I know a Nepalese man, who is good and saintly, giving up a career in the U.S, to run at a great sacrifice an orphanage on the outskirts of Kathmandu, just because, I don’t know, perhaps because he himself came from one. Is he headed for hell?
I am on a Grand Jury this week, seeing, as you can imagine, the absolute worst of humanity. (And I am not allowed to discuss any of it.)
I know all about confusion and bad sisters. I know about disappointment in people of all sorts including Christians. We are fallen critters; no two ways about it.
Jury duty! Yikes! Good luck, RC!
My FRiend, it is not church attendence that makes a person a Christian, it is a personal encounter and relationship with Jesus Christ. Christ himself said that many of those that really look pious would be turned away from Him because they were evildoers that never knew him.
The Old Testament clearly prohibits occult practices and that is reinforced in the New Testament. Strike one. The new testament clearly commands followers of Jesus to be at peace, as much as possible, with all men and denounces the "double minded". So betrayal of ones family is off the reservation. Strike two. Fruit is mentioned several times in the new testament and one of the most important mentions is "by their fruit you will know them". Bitter and rotten fruit is not of God. Strike three.
I will pray for you and your sister to have an encounter with the Christ I know. The Christ that took a drug addict, criminal, lying piece of s___ wrapped in human skin and changed him completely. Be blessed, RC. There are some real followers of Christ in America, some of whom have not set foot in a modern american church in years, some that go to their local church a couple of times a week. And conversely, many that go to a christian church weekly are as lost as the most hard core atheist.