My Youth Pastor's Pleading Letter to Me

[Rev. Rye]

Here's a few points:

I want you to know that I'm with you on religion. Yes...you read that right. I believe religion to be man's attempt at trying to figure out something bigger than himself. I think I get religion...I get as to WHY so many people embrace it...but to me...it's LIFE-LESS. I am NOT about religion, but I am about a relationship.

You know, I've heard this line before, "Christianity is not a relationship, but a relationship with a living God." Funny thing: I have never heard anyone say this actually define what they mean by "Religion." Especially given that religion, the way I understand it, is BY DEFINITION about one's relationship with one's understanding of the divine.

I think He wants us, and has always wanted us/humanity, to be in a RELATIONSHIP with Him.

And if we don't want to be a part of the relationship and he keeps pressing it, that's technically considered stalking.

Now that "reconciliation-plan" involved people. He chose the Hebrews to be an example to the rest of creation as to what it looks like to be in a life-giving relationship with Him.

And he treated them like crap. He lets them repeatedly get conquered and let them repeatedly come close to absolute annihilation. What kind of a life-giving relationship is that? Is it like the life-giving relationship between Alex and his droogs?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v90KPJ6n4Ew

Jesus came to do what we/creation could never do...and that was to destroy the DIVISION between us and the Creator.

So, what was that about God saying, "I won't make you be in a relationship with me if you don't want to?"

He blew it out of the water when He died on the cross, and when He beat death three days later.

So, what exactly did that do? He sacrificed himself to himself so he could save people from a condition he created himself?