I have been listening to a book called "The Art of Letting Go" by Richard Rohr. I got it because it is about St. Francis and I don't know much about St. Francis, but think of him as an amazing character in Christian History.
I am not very far into the book, I keep having to stop to think about the things that Mr. Rohr is saying. And today is no exception.
I have been thinking a lot about human behavior lately and acting out and guilt. This has come up for a variety of reasons, but it has been thoughts on my mind.
The conclusion I have come to at this point in my life is that people act out, act selfishly, act wrongly when they are feeling badly about themselves/their situation/something. People who are happy and comfortable with who they are just don't seem to have much reason to act out.
Don't get me wrong here, people who are happy can still say and do hurtful things, but that isn't the same thing as acting out. I am going to have to really think through the specifics in difference because I am not 100% clear on what the difference is, just that I believe there is one. I think it mostly has to do with intent (not awareness of intent necessarily, but intent). The happy person isn't trying to cause pain...the person acting out is, they might not be aware of the fact that they are trying to cause pain and that is where things get dicey, I'm still working all of it out in my head.
Anyway, I digress, back to the topic at hand. As Mr. Rohr was talking about St. Francis he began addressing sin. And it occurred to me that most of the things we classify as sin (in the religious world) most often have to do with what we consider inappropriate behaviors most often occurring when we act out.
I could talk deeply about each of the ten commandments, but let's pick adultery for example. How many people who are happy in their marriages or are comfortable with themselves commit adultery? I am going to go with a really small number. My guess would be 0. I know that I haven't even contemplated it since I really began being happy with and accepting of myself.
As he is introducing the steps toward letting go, he makes a point that I find very intriguing. He says that we have turned Jesus into something other than what he was. He says, "Jesus was not into sin management. Jesus doesn't seem to be all that surprised or upset at what we call sin. Jesus didn't go toward sin, Jesus went toward pain. Whereever he found pain, there he went, there he touched, there he healed."
I find this to be one of the most moving things I have heard in a long time. It is no secret that I have problems with modern Christianity. A lot of that is due primarily to the fact that I find the dogma to be overbearing and difficult to manage. I am an imperfect being and have no illusions that I will ever be a perfect being. And Christianity with all of the "Do this" and "Don't do that" and "if you think X is right you are going to hell." to be something that made me feel really badly about myself all the time. I was constantly messing up and being made to feel like shit for it. Christianity can be a very hard religion. But that was all about sin management.
If I didn't sin, then I was a good Christian, a good person. But stopping the sin didn't help me find the light, it only made me put on a mask to hide my sin from others.
Jesus honestly didn't care about the sin or even about preventing sin. He didn't run to the government to create laws to prevent people from sinning. Jesus went to the sinners, saw them for who they were in their pain, and helped them see the goodness and wonderfulness inside themselves.
This to me is the greatest message Jesus had to offer. When He said, follow me, I don't think he meant follow me in to a sinless existence. I don't think he thought that was possible. I think he meant, follow me into a world where sin is a given, love anyway, offer healing and be a light of compassion in a dark world.
Very rarely did Jesus tell anyone what to do. He lived his life as an example of his beliefs, he told stories to explain how he lived and he answered everyone who asked him anything with honesty even when it was a hard/painful truth. Jesus was a walking, living sermon that, in my opinion, showed how true healing can alter lives.
It seems to me that sin management, just isn't having the same effect.
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