If you look at the comments on the article below, “This ‘God is Sort of a Spirit’ Thing Mystifies Me,” you will find what I see as an unusual note of agreement. If HS or Mike do not agree, they will definitely say so.

I will not include their comments here because I would like readers to get used to reading the comments themselves.

Here is how I summed up what we agree on:

Theologians write millions of words — literally — about who they, meaning Christ — feel
like forgiving.

Christ died for our sins. He forgave those who did not know what they were doing. This
means it takes a positive effort to AVOID being part of His sacrifice.

Jesus also said, “and forgive us our trespasses AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US.”

What Jesus said was that He made the one sacrifice that will ever matter for every person
who is not positively bad, not just for those who read the Old Testament right.

As I say, I will fight for the right of a person to stand in the church door and demand a
correct theology. In fact, as a Wordsmith myself, I kind of admire the theologians’ ability
to make what Christ repeatedly said into a paying institution and hundreds of millions
of words.

St. Paul said, “We must be all things to all men.” That was simple enough: We Christians go to THEM, we don’t sit inthe chrch door waiting to examine them when they come to us.

To avoid Christ’s sacrifice, you have to positively evil: “For God so loved THE WORLD that he gave his only begotten Son…”

That doesn’t sound like a God who is champing at the bit to damn almost everybody.

“Forgive them for they know now what they do.” That is enough to be part of Christ’s sacrifice. He said so.

“Forgive us our trespasses” not because we satisfy some theologian, but “as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

How do you make that complicated?

I would hate to face the Judgment in the shoes of a theologian.

I cannot imagine anything more evil or more a rejection of Christ’s sacrifice than standing in the church door turning people away.