TESTING use.

Bitter
Some of us are bitter as our critics say, but some are not. Why shouldn’t we be? If someone manipulated you or stole from you or lied to you for years wouldn’t you be bitter too? As for me when I left I wasn’t bitter. I was just going on another step in my journey to know God better. After I tended to my wounds I was bitter. I left quietly and respectfully and was attacked personally, gossiped about, yelled at, was called names, among other things. Then I turned bitter. But again, some of us aren’t bitter we just found another way to be with God.

Heretic
Which brings us to now. We have been called Heretics by our friends, family and clergy. There are certain things the church believes and if someone asks questions or has a differing opinion they are branded a heretic, which is ironic to me. Most of us go to the Bible, where the church claims to glean all their understanding and base all their operations out of, and come up with something completely different than what they have come up with. For example: They build big buildings with big budgets and payrolls, and we come up with, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor”. They condemn people for being sinners and we see, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone” and, “Neither do I condemn you”. They support war and violence in the name of religion and we see, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” Among other things.
They accuse us of straying from the church’s teachings. They call us Heretics for not obeying their every word.  Which makes us wonder, is the Church’s word God’s word? Have the thousands of years of tweaking beliefs and practices brought us to the complete opposite of what Jesus was saying? Is this some horrible guilt producing version of telephone? Regardless, the question remains:
Are we heretics for straying from the church’s teachings? Or is the church heretical for straying from Christ’s teachings?

What Heresy is this?
Back to the original question, what is “the Heresy” of which we speak? This, “heresy” is a heresy of love and acceptance, of being ok with not having all the answers and even rewarding questions. We believe in the Heresy of living more simply so that others might simply live. We believe that when Jesus said, “Love your enemies” he didn’t mean to kill them. We believe that all believers are priests and not just the ones that have a degree, for we all have God inside of us, teaching us, among many other things.
Although some of us may not believe these things either and that is the point. We are all at different points on this journey and we all have different opinions on things. This does not mean we can’t get along and learn from each other. This list is not an “Articles of Faith” but a starting point for those of you who don’t quite get us, and I’m sorry to say you might never “get” us, but some of you out there might be feeling this way. Like the way you were taught in church isn’t quite right.  Like you were missing something, or maybe they were. Like church was a waste of time. Like you never learn anything anymore, or grow anymore. Maybe it’s not about going to church and being a good person. It might not be about “getting involved” or “giving more”. Maybe it’s simpler. Maybe it’s about living life and listening to God. Maybe it’s not about following an outline and becoming like everyone else. Maybe it’s about becoming who God made you to be…


We are sick of seeing the church give Jesus a bad name, and we want to bring Jesus back to where he belongs. We are taking Jesus away from the rich, self righteous , and religious and to the poor, the outcast and the sinner,
if that makes us heretics, then so be it...…