I am an atheist, but I grew up with enough Catholic indoctrination to recognize that there are both good people and bad people who call themselves “Christians”.

The “Good Christians” can be found feeding people, comforting the sick and their families, or working for peace and justice. They spend more time practicing than preaching, and they don’t impose their faith onto others.

The Jesus I learned about was a lot like this. Mean and greedy people were not his friends. His friends were the social rejects of his time: the poor, the sick, a harlot, and a bunch of unmarried adult men (something very “suspicious” in those days). He taught tolerance and forgiveness, and measured a person’s character by that person’s care for others.

Today our society has been hijacked by a group of people who call themselves “Christians,” but their actions contradict everything that Christ taught. They rant about the rights of the “unborn”, but as far as they’re concerned, the “born” are on their own, no matter how sick, cold or hungry they might be. These people believe in capital punishment, align themselves with the mean and greedy, and reject anyone who does not conform to their narrow vision.

The rise of the right-wing “Christians” has culminated in the appointment of a “president” who believes that God wanted him in office. Weren’t there prophesies in the Bible that warned about an anti-Christ who would talk this way?

It’s time for Christians to disown the words of evil that are giving Christianity a bad name. We must beware of the mean-spirited and hateful crowd who call themselves “Christians.” Because if Jesus came back today, not only would they reject him, but they would lead the charge to crucify him all over again.

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Obbie