9/11.

America's response to 9/11 was the perfect example of the earthly dilemma.

America was big enough and secure enough to absorb the blow to its national ego (i.e. turn the other cheek) and increase aid to third world nations (i.e. love your enemies).

But America's leaders could not do what Jesus taught despite the fact that they called themselves Christians.

What they did was act according to the way of the world - to reinforce their dominance by violence and fear (shock and awe).

So, despite what they may say, they are not Christians because they did not do what Jesus taught.

They did this because they do not think that Jesus teaching will work (i.e. win).

This is the main reason why Christianity in the modern world bears no resemblance to what Jesus actually taught.

The doctrines and dogmas of the Church were formulated by people with little faith who wanted to win (i.e. dominate).

"'Why do you call me "Lord, Lord ", and do not do what I tell you?'" Luke 6:46 (NRSV)

"'This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me: in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.'"  Matthew 15:8,9 (NRSV)

In fact they ignore what Jesus taught and endorse a philosophy of worldly dominance disguised as religion.

They do this out of fear.
Fear of what will happen if they follow Jesus teachings which seem foolish and impractical.

So they changed what Jesus said to fit the world.

So when the hippies rejected the Church in the 1960s it was not a rejection of Jesus teachings at all it was a rejection of the worldly philosophy and hypocrisy of the Church.


(Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.)