By now, you've seen this video and made your own conclusions about it, judged it, or simply disregarded it. 

But as facebook seems to be the center of social networking and sharing of videos, it's BLOWING UP my newsfeed. I've seen a plethora of reactions so far ranging from being in complete agreeance to absolute disgust to blaten anger.

Here's the deal;

I don't claim to be religious, but I claim to be spiritual. (Yes, I am one of those pretentious fucks) But I do so because of the things he mentions in the video. 

My beliefs are extremely complex, and I wish I could explain them in a way that did it justice but alas, I'm not much of a wordsmith nor am I one to preach what I believe 

(Although, I'm about to, to a degree..... not like anyone reads this anyways).

There are things that this video touches on, that the people who had a negative reaction, responded to. Those responses are entirely valid, but the issue is some of their arguments aren't strong enough to completely discredit what this guy is trying to portray (or at least what I think he's trying to portray).

The main arguments I've been hearing;

1. He says 'Why does it build huge churches, but fails to feed the poor" but churches donate all the time, and what about Mother Teresa and all the shelters churches create?

Yes, churches donate, yes some of the biggest charities have been created by churches and Christians but the point isn't that NO churches are being benefactors to the poor, but the fact that there are these GIANT mega churches that are spending more money trying to build franchises then trying to do "the Lord's work" and help those in need. 

Didn't Jesus say it's harder for a rich man to get into heaven then to get a camel through the eye of a needle?

If you have the money to create this mega churches, why aren't they being more proactive in their involvement in the community where the church could do the most good? With the people who could use the ministry, and are the men that God wants.

The point isn't that there are NOT churches that aren't benevolent, it's that there ARE churches that seem to be ignoring "the Lord's work" and franchising, which is entirely 

hypocritical. 

2. He keeps saying religion is bad, Christianity IS a religion!

Yes, in the literal sense, Christianity is a religion. But I don't think that he means Merriam-Webster's definition of religion. What I believe he is referring to are those institutions that are not Christ-like. Those that only give you rules of what not to do and how to behave. Those that do not encourage philanthropy but encourage giving to the church. Those that try and teach love thy neighbor but refuse to teach love thy enemy as well. Those that, instead of teaching act like Jesus, teach act like the religious men who judged, mistreated and looked down upon Jesus. The idea of religion is what causes people to strive for the perfect facade of a Christian instead of actually BEING one. Jesus states that he wants to tear down the temple to then rebuild it, meaning he wants to get rid of the WRONG in the temple and make it BETTER, stronger, more pure but instead we have these institutions that follow in the same footsteps as the men that called Jesus a drunkard.... 

See the issue?

3. He's a hypocrite for saying he hates, even resents religion....But he says he loves the church and the Bible.

He isn't being a hypocrite, he's explaining himself. If you take religion for how HE means it and not the textbook definition, there is a difference between religion and having a relationship with God and/or Jesus. His view of religion is that it's a bunch of guidelines that followed blindly, where as being a true Christian is having a relationship and behaving based on that relationship not based on rules and regulations. One can love the church and the Bible wholeheartedly and not believe in the false idea of religion. He names off the bad that religion has caused (the wars, lack of philanthropy, etc). These reasons alone are why he hates and resents religion. Before being saved, he was partying like the majority of us do and attending church on Sundays like that was enough. But after facing the humiliation of his addiction, he's faced with the reality of religion and although he went to church and followed some of the rules, he was still in a dark place. Finding the real relationship and realizing that just blindly following rules while doing as you please, lead him to a place he may have been able to avoid if he had had a real relationship with the Lord and wanted to strive for bettering himself in HIS name....

I'd resent it too.


4. "But if Jesus came to your church, would you actually let him in?" Are you dumb?! Of course we would! He's our Lord and Savior!
No, you probably wouldn't. He doesn't mean if Jesus was wearing a name tag, would you let him in. Of course you would. No one can refuse a deity if they were actually in front of you, what would they think? He means if a man as humble and as mild mannered came into your church looking no richer then the poorest member, would you welcome him into your church? Would you welcome a man who wants to DESTROY religions in order to perfect them in on a service? Would you allow a man who loves all those you have grown to hate? Would you let a man in who only preaches love and acceptance? What about a man that befriended a prostitute? Would you let a man into your sacred place of worship if he wanted you to love everyone no matter their past, their present, their name, age, religion, race, sexual orientation, handicap, or their sins? The most religious of men would call him a glutton and a drunkard, but if he came to you, would you honestly let him into your holy community? Or would you turn your backs because he isn't Christian enough for you because he reaches out to those who are "lower" than you?
Think about it. 

It's things like this that make me write waaaayyyyy too much... but honestly, it's a poem, about how he feels about religion. 

No two people interpret any religion the same way. 

The moral of his story was, essentially,  don't talk the talk if you don't walk the walk.

People should understand you are a Christian by your actions not by your facebook status.