Isn't He Lovely?

...there he is
Just a walkin' down the street
Singin'...

...something along the lines of, "Death to God." Is there any doubt that this Luigi Cascioli doesn't live in some type of assisted living? He's so fiesty!

It will be fascinating to watch the progress of the "trial," if it ever gets there.

Yet what is truly interesting to me is the response of the public, specifically the Christian public, to the criminal suit brought against the church for the purported lie of Christ's existence. I went through a brief search of some blogs to try and find out what people were saying. There has been little response so far. Yet what little there is below (in clipped form, highlighting the main message of each):

"It is a real shame and says a lot about the world we live in that this case(?) is even given the 'time of day'... God help us!"
--from Woody's Blog

"As a Christian, I can think of a lot of things that I should do before I die but trying to ‘take down Christ and His Church’ wouldn’t be one of them."
--from CommonSenseAmerica

"It's a sad world we live in. Christians can't afford to stay put in their "comfort zones" any longer."
--from Christians Crawling Out of Their Comfort Zones

"And, at the core of my life, I know that Jesus existed two thousand years ago and now sits enthroned in heaven. I’d be a fool to believe otherwise."
--from Another Man's Meat

Clearly the overarching theme to all of these snippets is this: "Woe is me, being a Christian is so hard! Why can't everyone just believe in Jesus?"

First, if this guy is just trying to clean up the church (balderdash), then I'm all for it. However, if Cascioli strives simply to grind his heel in the name of Christ, that's scary. It is frightening to look on a world that, through subtle or overt means, looks askance at God. This is my view as a Christian. My view as a citizen? Let the guy do as he will. Who cares?

Second, I say who cares because of a simple fact, one intimated absolutely by Christ and then Paul. Fact: being a Christian is hard stuff. That doesn't mean those who call themselves Christians should turn over and let the world slap them around like a Frenchman. No! But neither does it mean professing Christians should attempt to take over the world and forcefeed the Gospel to those who will not profess. That was the falt of the church for 2 millenia. And it remains the falt of the church. Is there any wonder why the world hates those who calls themselves Christians? Christians are hypocritical, do not own up to living in hypocrisy, and show little mercy.

Christ continually says this world is not for the world of the believers - so why do they continually strive to make it their own? I don't say that on a soapbox. But why does the Christian faith demand and battle to force the world around us into its image? That is not God's manadate. His first was for the Jews: one nation. His second is for those who believe: the elect. By defintion of each of those mandates there is exclusion inherent in faith. Some believe, some do not.

Those who profess Christ should, are called to evangelize. I am not arguing against that. But why not strive to evangelize through life and loving words, instead of harsh damnation and judgment? Need I remind that it is God alone who will damn and judge? Never forget that you are Christian. But never forget your humanity. Christ never did, I believe it is why he asked His Father to relent the cup of sacrifice. Christ humbled Himself. Why do those who profess to follow him refuse to do the same?

Stand against Luigi Cascioli. Stand with him. But for God's sake, remember that Christ's kingdom is apart from this earth. Don't try and do Him any favors by fighting battles that, I assure you, He can handle.