Seananigans

This idea of the "inner life" is very important to me. I don't know exactly how to structure this to make it flow smoothly, but I ask you to please read this. It is long, but important.

The concept of the Inner Life has been introduced to me since I became a Christian about a year and a half ago. Slowly.. but it is starting to make so much sense lately.

Christianity is an inner religion. Even more precisely Christianity in an inner relationship. Donald Miller in his book Blue Like Jazz makes a GREAT distinguishment between Christianity and Christian spirituality. This distinguishment makes all of the difference BECAUSE Christian spirituality is what it is all about.

We all know the word religion, in general, has a pretty negative connotation that comes with it. Christianity (and maybe Islam) are on the forefront of this negative outlook towards religion.

Christianity as a RELIGION certainly deserves such criticism. I'm not a history major, but I don't have to be to know that a lot of messed up shit has happened in the name of Christianity since its beginning. People have the right to be angry and hostile towards religion because it HAS caused a lot of harm. It has been the catalyst for a lot of bad things.

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Now I want you to think of the Pharisees. These are the guys Jesus always had issues with in the Gospels. The Pharisees were VERY religous people. They were Jewish so they believed in following the religious rules of The Torah (or ten commandments), these outward behavioral rules were the key to being righteous (righteousness was equated with prosperity) and the key to getting into "heaven".

Well these Pharisees are an example of exactly the way many people view Christianity and Christians as. They view religion from an outside view, and to them they have justified belief in thinking religion as this hypocritical thing that has been used for a lot of bad things. Because it has been!
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But what Christianity is really about has no affiliation with politics or "religion", but rather is an inward relationship with God--through his son Jesus Christ who died for our sins (inward and outward), and expressing itself through love. The commandments Jesus teach as most fundamental and important are: "Love God with all of yourself" and "love your neighbor as yourself". This is what Christianity is really about. Not the outward crap that is affiliated with it, or what "Christians" have used its name to commit its own desires.

This is a practice of spirituality. It is an inner life, an inner connection we have with God. It's not something we use as a security blanket to make us feel good, but rather something that has changed our lives through our relationship with it.

Jesus stresses this over and over and over again. Jesus says, "what does it matter if you gain the whole world, but lose your soul". What he is saying is your outward actions/possessions/whatever don't make any difference is you lose touch with your soul.. your heart.

The Bible says this, "Men look at outward appearances, but God looks at the heart."

To me, this is the true crux of Christianity--This inner relationship with God. All outward appearances mean nothing. This is a deeply personal, individual thing. Not a religion. A practicing act of spirituality with the Creator of the universe. The inner life, in Jesus' eyes, is all that matters. It is this inner life what is the true heart of the Christian "religion". It is this relationship.

I wish I could write with more skillful prowess to really get this message across, but i am not the most skillful writer. This means so much to me so I hope those of you reading this really think about it. Please respond if you have anything to say.

Maybe i will try to make a more concise statement about this later.