Reclaiming the Gospel: The Real Teachings of Jesus
England was a Catholic nation, until Henry VIII replaced himself as the head of the church, which later morphed into the Church of England (the head is King Charles). The Catholic church is still overseen by Pope Leo (who won’t denounce bullfighting) and Orthodox Christianity is even older, but doesn’t answer to the Pope.
But now we have so-called ‘evangelical Christians’, who are using the Bible to preach hatred and division (ironically in the same way that they sometimes accuse other religions of doing). All religions have a few zealots, but for the most part, all follow ‘the golden rule’.
Of treating others as you would wish to be treated.
This ‘them vs us’ mentality is now leading to ugly politics on both sides of the Atlantic. But Jesus ‘followers’ have forgotten that he was a simpel man who preached love and forgiveness.
If alive today, he would no doubt be protecting downtrodden people, innocent animals and saving the planet.
Bring Back Your People is a book to bring the real issues of climate change and pollution back to a nasty politics more concerned with scaring people into voting for far-right beliefs.
The author is a preacher and leader of the Poor People’s Campaign in the USA, who even saw loved ones, get sucked into this new politics. He says, the price of gas is not the reason to spew politics of hate.
In the US recently, one bereaved father called out Trump and Vance for mentioning (without permission) the name of his son, accidentally killed by a Haiti immigrant. He asked them to stop using a genuine accident which involved the death of his son, for political gain.
I wish that my son was killed by a 60-year old white man. If that guy killed my 11-year old son, the hate-spewing people would leave us alone. Nathan Clark (father of Aiden Clark speaking alongside his wife Danielle).
The same thing happened in England, when Boris Johnson used two murders, again to spew his own agenda:
Jack would be seething at his death (and his life) being used to perpetuate an agenda of hate. He believed in the goodness of humanity.
Borrow his intelligence, share his drive, feel his passion, burn with his anger and extinguish hatred with his kindness. Never give up his fight. David Merritt (father of Jack Merritt, who with Saskia Jones was killed in a London Bridge terrorist attack)
How to take back the Bible (from people who hate)
Separation of Church and Hate is the debut book from actor/comedian John Fugelsang, and boy do we hope he writes more! This book is absolutely brilliant, a funny yet intelligent take-down of people in power (the media and politics) who profess to be ‘Christian’, but use their faith to create hatred, division, war and hardship to those less fortunate.
Interestingly, John’s own parents were a nun and Franciscan brother (they fell madly in love and were pen pals for 10 years before marrying). So he knows his religion and Bible, better than some bigoted people who preach it.
A book that is mostly concerned with so-called ‘Christian nationalists’ in the USA, of course now we are having a similar kind of thing happening in England. With far-right MPs and media being taken seriously, by those who profess to be ‘traditional Christians’.
But in both cases, their politics are as far away from what Jesus believed and preached, as could be:
Jesus was a peacefully, radically non-violent revolutionary who wasn’t American, never spoke English, who hung around lepers, hookers and crooks. He never sought tax cuts for rich Nazarenes, was anti-wealth, anti-death penalty, anti-public prayer.
He never called poor people lazy, was never even slightly anti-gay. He was a long-haired, community-organising, authority-questioning, brown-skinned, Palestinian, unarmed homeless Jew. But only if you believe what’s actually in the Bible.
He writes that rather than make ‘disabled and poor people pay’, Jesus Christ (the real one, not the made-up one in right-wing politics) is good for people, planet and even the economy.
If your church is not telling you to love your enemies (but telling you who your enemies are), you’re not really in a church.
He says the reason our churches in the western world hardly have any parishioners, is not because people don’t love God. It’s because they are fed up of the hypocrisy:
- The Vatican hires out buildings for $30,000 a month to McDonalds, and even Pope Leo won’t denounce bullfights (some bulls drown in their own blood) due to donations from Catholic countries like Mexico.
- The Church of England owns over a billion pounds worth of property, yet people are homeless, and King Charles III (head of the church) does not pay corporation or inheritance tax on private estates.
- We have ‘Catholic’ former Conservative ministers, whose policies were so mean, that church leaders actually wrote open letters to them, begging them to change policies.
- The two-child benefit cap has been restored, leading some ‘Christian MPs’ to suggest this is promoting a welfare estate. In fact, 70% of all children in poverty have working parents.
- Then of course we have the issues with immigrants. No-one is denying there is a problem, but to call all immigrants ‘illegal aliens’ (Trump even calls Somalians ‘garbage’, applauded by his Catholic vice-president).
You can’t hate these people back. You’ll get a lot farther by convincing your racist uncle that Jesus wasn’t an immigrant-hating homophobe than if you just call your uncle an immigrant-hating homophobe.
Is this book the truth and the light? I can’t say, but it is certainly the hypocritical modern Christian’s worst nightmare. Nick Offerman
Fugelsang has discovered the Kryptonite to use against Christian fundamentalists – a deep, intelligent knowledge of the Bible. Patton Oswalt
How Western Christianity Got it Wrong
How Western Christianity Got It Wrong is a book that many of us would like to leave in the library of several politicians and media pundits, though whether they would pick it up and read it, is another matter!
The author (of mixed white and Native American heritage) traces how a brown man from Nazareth (Jesus!) who never lost his connection to the whole community of creation, has been turned into the poster child for building empires and destroying the planet?
Jesus never intended to start a religion that would justify destroying creation, enslaving people or stealing land. So how come many of those who do these things, then preach about God to us?
The faith that bears His name has now made theologies that rationalise greed and violence – things that Jesus was completely against.
Jesus was not about billion-dollar Vatican City empires that rent out property to Mcdonald’s for 30,000 Euros a month, or support bullfights (scared of not getting enough income from Mexico if they do). It’s not about dropping bombs on other countries, or sending polar bears extinct or drilling for oil. Jesus was a simple humble man without any money, yet these political and religious institutions are never questioned?
Even our monarchy (the head of the Church of England). It has huge wealth (yet recently the government had to pay to clear up a huge toxic dump owned by the Duchy of Lancaster). This nothing to do with what Jesus preaches.
Rev. Dr. Randy Woodley is a writer, teacher and scholar, who speaks on justice, faith, the earth and indigenous heritage. He and his wife co-sustain Eloheh Indigenous Center for Earth Justice (an inter-faith community for regenerate farming) outside Portland, Oregon.
Jesus spoke to the wind, to the water and to trees: closely observed the habits of birds, flowers and animals; and called his disciples to model their lives after what they saw in nature.
Things are out of balance. Earth’s topsoil is disappearing; coral reefs are dying; glaciers are melting; aquifers are not being recharged; animal, bird, fish, and plant species are dying at exponential rates. We are experiencing a steadily increasing amount of severe weather patterns through hurricanes, flooding, tornadoes, forest fires, landslides, droughts, and snowstorms. Earth is out of balance, and God’s creation is in peril. Randy Woodley
The Conspiracists (women extremists and belonging)
The Conspiracists is a very interesting book, looking at how some American female extremists are using their version of God, to carry out their strange acts.
The author decided to investigate, struck by how many women who looked like her (middle-aged white women in puffy coats) ended up supporting the storming of the White House, and ended up believing in shape-shifting reptilians and the health benefits of colloidal silver.
On the other side of life, she also investigates women who are sucked in by New Age religion and the online wellness culture, sometimes laced with anti-semetic and ractist theories. She meets one women who is a ‘starseed’ destined to lead others into the ‘fifth dimension’. And visits a trade show where vendors hawk quantum healing devices, traced back to a 19th occultist fraud.
The message however is serious. The author argues that if we let some women craft entire worlds based on myth, this spreads misinformation and leads to extremism.
Every time you confront some form of adversity, you’re going to be thinking ‘why is this happening to me? You have a narrative to explain (got from watching lots and lots of YouTube videos) – because it’s all a soul lesson. Rather than just accepting that actually, life can be rubbish and awful. Noelle Cook
Church Collection Plates: Where Do Finances Go?
People who go to church are used to dropping a few pounds into the collection plate. But what many people never ask is where that money is going? Of course it could be going to repair the local church roof. Or help local parishioners. But often it is gong to huge organisations that already have more than enough money.
UK churches handle over £1 billion in donations each year. Transparency matters, especially at a time when so many people are choosing between heating and eating. No doubt tiny churches need the funds. But the two main Christian religions in England (Catholic and Church of England) both have heaps of money, with only a tiny percentage going to say help homeless people (and their dogs.
How wealthy is The Church of England?
Very. Plus of course the head of the Church of England is King Charles III, of whom some people wish him (like Jesus did) to pay his taxes (he pays voluntary income tax but it’s not compulsory like for the rest of us). And he along with Prince William pays no corporation tax on the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall, nor inheritance tax.
The Church of England’s main wealth is from its property portfolio (including cathedrals and London’s Hyde Park estate), plus £11 billion in investment funds and more land. Yet many small churches struggle.
All Church of England dioceses pay into a ‘parish share’ (presumably raised through donations) so that in theory, those in need can then ‘dip in’ to pay for anything they might need. So why they need to raise money to repair a roof, when its ‘head office’ has so much money, is a mystery.
The average Church of England pastor earns around £30,000 a year, which is a healthy income for an important job (and presumably includes a house and food). So where is the rest of the money going?
The Church is now spending millions to try to repair the damage (through media coverage and internal investigations) after the recent scandal that led to the resignation of an Archbishop. When the church knew (but did nothing) about a lay preacher who regularly beat boys for several years (including his own son) until they bled.
How wealthy is the Roman Catholic Church?
There are no official stats for the UK, as it all comes under the worldwide church, based in Vatican City. But its estimated that the church’s wealth runs from tens of billions to possibly trillions of pounds in property, art (it owns the Sistine chapel) and investments.
It’s interesting how so many US politicians hell-bent on propping up the oil industry, are going against the policy of Vatican City, which does not anymore invest in fossil fuels (not to say it’s ethical – it rents out to McDonald’s, and refuses to denounce bull-fighting).
Jesus was the poorest of the poor. Roman Catholicism, which claims to be His church, is the richest of the rich. How come that an institution ruling in the name of this same preacher (whose want was such that he had not even a pillow upon which to rest his head) is now the wealthiest institution on earth? I would love to hear the Pope answering this question. Avro Manhattan
Finances of other churches
The Orthodox Church again worldwide is worth billions (and the second largest-landowner in Greece). Even smaller churches (like United Reform) manages over £130 million in investments.
Quakers work a bit differently in that funds are invested ethically with The Quiet Company, (to fund work for peace, animal welfare and prison reform). Local meetings manage their own (simple) properties.
George Cadbury who invented drinking chocolate to stop his workers drinking gin (!) built the green village of Bournville near Birmingham, to get them out of slums and into good homes with green space.
Should people practie tithing?
Years ago, everyone tithed (gave 10% of their income to the church). This was back in the day when lives were simple, and one would now be forgiven for asking why they should be spending their grocery bill to give a to multi-billion pound organisation.
Also, many people’s idea of ‘money to a good cause’ differs. For example, a Catholic may prefer to give the organisation Catholic Concern for Animals, rather than the Vatican that supports bull-fighting or rakes in rental money from renting to McDonald’s.
It’s also important not to be controlled by churches, that say something like ‘You have to give to us, in order to get to Heaven’. In fact, the New Testament offers blessings from faith in Jesus’ work, not from performing rituals to earn favour. It encourages giving ‘as you have decided in your heart’. So if that means a hedgehog sanctuary over a big rich church, Jesus gives His blessing!
How are churches funded abroad?
The days of asking people to put a tenner in the pot is soon to be over. Many people these days don’t use cash (either because it’s a hassle or due to boycotts as they are made with animal fat). And people increasingly see churches with a lot of wealth asking people on the breadline for money, not popular with all the abuse scandals.
Almost cashless Sweden is different in that people pay an optional church tax. This means that if the church does not use the money wisely, payments can be taken away. It seems to work, and restores trust in givers too. The same happens in Germany where church tax is usually automatically collected, and then you have the option to opt out.
Something happens similarly in Austria, a country where it’s the law that after 14, you are allowed to choose what you believe. So here churches have to collect tax from parishioners. The state believing it unfair to collect tax from someone who does not follow that particular religion.
The finances of Trinity Broadcasting Network
If you’ve ever been stuck for something to watch on TV, many have come across TBN, a free-to-air Christian TV channel. To its credit, does sometimes offer nice music concerts and a few interesting programs, when there’s bilge on the other channels.
Founded in 1973, it has however face criticism for ‘false gospel’ preaching, and a heavy emphasis on prosperity and ‘getting rich’. Some of its presenters live in multi-million pound mansions and even have private jets, which does not sit with the simple living message of Jesus Christ.
Preaching that if you pray the Bible you’ll get rich is not just untrue, but insulting to the many millions of true Christians who live in poverty (often due to politics created by the people these preachers endorse, like ‘America first’ President Trump).
The organisation even (before funding ran out) tried to build a Holy Land theme park in Orlando, with replicas of Jerusalem (and its programs never mention the genocide in Gaza).
In 2022, many older and low income residents of a Florida mobile home park (owned by TBN) were served with eviction orders to make way for development, only stopped due to public outcry. The incident became an award-winning documentary Last Days on Lake Trinity.
No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6:24
How Lourdes has become the ‘Disneyland of God’
Lourdes is of course the ‘holy place’ in France, where many people (including from England) travel, in the hope of finding a cure to incurable diseases. But critics say that of late, it has become a ‘Disneyland of God’. Selling glow-in-the-dark statues of the Virgin Mary, along with plastic bottles of ‘healing water’.
Critics say that the huge prices charged to often vulnerable families with children in wheelchairs for life, has made a mockery of religion. The town generates almost £300 million in profits, often for luxury hotels.
Many Catholics visit the shrine for a miracle cure. Of course, the question is why some people get cured, and others don’t. Situated at the foot of the Pyrenees mountains, the town itself has just 15,000 people but around 5 million people visit each year.
It is here that it’s said the Virgin Mary appeared in a vision to a young teenage peasant girl who was eventually made into St Bernadette by the Pope.
She had several visions near a well (which is where people visit to bathe or drink the waters). And although she herself died young from TB, her body was exhumed more than once, with people amazed that she was almost mummified, rather than her body decomposed.
Since the visions at Lourdes, there have been some confirmed ‘miracles’ at Lourdes, but only 70 (not many considering the millions of people who visit). Others say that it is the faith and prayer, rather than the water, that may have helped.
