Post-Christian America? Secular Spirituality?

Today I explore a topic I believe is motivating people here in the US. I want to see just what the term post-Christian really means and how that affects (and offends) people who are Christian. Today I want to ask, “What does it mean to be Christian?” And then, “What does being post-Christian mean?”

To be a Christian, one has to believe in Christ? Is that it? Surely people have different understandings of what Christianity means. People disagree on the precise meaning, which is why there are Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox churches. And then within those “main” churches of Christianity there are many sects, but to believe in Jesus as the Christ is one part that is unanimous. So what does it mean to be Christian? And does one have to believe whole-heartedly that the Bible is the direct word of God? Does one have to believe that the only way to God is through Jesus?

Let’s say that Christianity entails the belief in Jesus as the only Lord and Savior. He is the biological son of God, the truth, the light, and the way, and the only way to eternal salvation. Let’s say that to be a Christian, one must feel a full conviction that the tenets are true and real and cannot be compromised. Let’s say it’s the only avenue to heaven and away from hell. Let’s also add the idea that the commandments are law and must be adhered to, and the Bible is the exact, precise guidelines for life.

Post-Christian … The prefix post- means after.

After what? After one realizes those tenets just might possibly be incomplete or unfinished? Or does “after” mean “a response to” Christianity?

People of many organized churches are in an uproar all over the US because President Obama has stated or implied that his intent is to move toward a more secular America. People have heard him refer to America as post-Christian and many do not like it. People claim our country is still a Christian America, they profess to be Christian, they say they practice Christianity all while they are condemning others for being non-Christian, speaking negatively about our president, practicing intolerance, exclusivity, and blaming others for the current state of the economy.

If Christianity is a religion based on the teachings of Jesus as the Christ, then what has happened? Where are the compassion, humility, and love that Jesus displayed? These are the same behaviors and actions that each person is thought to strive toward and emulate as he or she becomes closer in the relationship with Jesus and through Jesus, with God. Did He really want us to proselytize everyone toward Christianity while telling them their beliefs are not good enough to get them into what Christians call heaven? Did he mean that? Or has man messed that one up too? Did he really mean that non-Christians cannot experience God because they do not know Jesus personally? And how does a Christian really know that a non-Christian cannot know God? Isn’t that judgment and exclusion?

And are there theologians all over the world who can honestly say that they do not doubt, question or wonder if Jesus was truly the biological son of a formless form? Are there preachers, pastors, rectors, priests, and the like who also have some question of the literal truth expressed in the holy book? Does that make them less Christian? Is being Christian “all or none” or can one truly pick and choose and still be Christian? And don’t we all know someone who lives from a place of love, compassion, selfless service, and humility but does not believe that Jesus was born of a virgin who was impregnated by the formless form of and the only way to God? And that person acts more like Jesus than many of the most well-known political spokespersons of the religious right? Can we love our family member who is gay while telling them being gay is wrong, while telling them they will not make it into heaven behaving in that way?

What if post-Christian means we have moved past the basic tenets of Christianity and are in the midst of modifying what it all means to us on a more personal level, outside the confines of the doctrine? What if we are updating the old Christian thought, bringing it into the twenty-first century so that we can move forward into inclusivity and away from exclusivity? What if post-Christian is a sign of the evolution of mankind, a symbol of our willingness to open our minds and hearts to include even those who do not have the same beliefs as us? And what if this post-Christian position that President Obama is taking is one step closer to a truly secular society? Would that be a bad thing?

And what does it mean to be secular? Isn’t it a movement away from things religious?

If religions exclude those who don’t believe as the tenets prescribe, wouldn’t it be kinder, more Christ-like to drop those tenets of religion in order to better include more people? Or perhaps even modify the tenets just a bit?

What if people have expanded their own thinking to include the idea that all people do not see things exactly the same? What if in this expanded thinking, people have begun to realize that culture, society, personal experiences, and family upbringing has caused shifts in understandings and simply because one wasn’t taught to believe in a certain religion, it doesn’t mean they are less connected with God (as they understand God to be) or less interested in living a Christ-like life?

What if this is what is meant by post-Christian?

What if post-Christian means that Americans are beginning to identify themselves less with religion and more with spirituality? And what if their spirituality transcends the framework of religion? What if the new spirituality that has moved away from religion is a secular spirituality? Does that make us, as a nation, any worse off? Does being post-Christian really sound bad now?

And what if, in this movement away from limited religion and toward limitless spirituality, more people are able to embrace differences, connect more personally with God as they understand God to be, and to extend love, gratitude, and compassion more openly and honestly? What if this new secular spirituality encouraged each person to explore the infinite questions of humanity without truly needing answers, motivated each person to realize his/her own highest self, caused shifts within that opened the way of the soul? Would being post-Christian be a negative label?

What if the non-Christians of this nation are a growing population and are ready to try and share their views with Christians? And what if their views include having a personal relationship with the divine? And what if they encouraged each person to live from the soul? Would being post-Christian really be a bad thing?

According to the fear-based society and media alive and well within our free country, any assertion toward the idea of President Obama aiding the US in a movement beyond Christianity is taken as a complete and utter proclamation that Christianity is dead. And many go so far as to claim our president as the anti-Christ. This is simply not true. Nor does it imply that another religion will take over as the leading religion in America. President Obama is simply stating (just as our forefathers did) that we are free to worship in any way we choose, through whatever religion fits us best. What President Obama means here is that within the government and its policies, religion does not belong because that would not appropriately represent all people. What President Obama is trying to do is move us toward the secular society that was intended when our forefathers declared there should be a separation of church and state.

When we are advanced enough to sit side by side at tables with multiple religions present and discuss our individual ownership and responsibilities as human beings within the analyzing of the nation’s problems, without accusing one or the other as being the “cause” or suggesting that the “wrong” belief is the problem, then that will be a wonderful day of celebration.

When we are all able to see ourselves as spiritual beings without the confines and constructs of religion blurring our understanding of the divine, we will be an advanced society. When we choose to stop reading all media-driven information aimed at perpetuating exclusivity or asserting one people, religion, race, etc. is higher or more important than the next and begin to think for ourselves, we will be in a better place. When we stop believing that we are being discriminated against by people in our lives and begin to understand how our thoughts are projected on to those around us, we will begin to change our thought patterns. When we wake up and realize we are connected to one another in more ways than we realize today, we will begin to treat others with a bit more respect. When we stop labeling people according to the roles they play and see them exactly as we are (spiritual beings on a quest, stuck in human bodies for this lifetime), then we will begin to understand the true nature of our own existence.

And until then, must we bicker over whether it is better to be Christian or post-Christian?

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