Why I'm Not a Christian
by Jeffrey Pierce

I have a great deal of respect for Christians. At their best, I find the followers of Christianity a beautiful group practicing love, compassion and servitude. What's more is that I personally know, right now, a number of Christians who not only embody those concepts but are also completely accepting of the fact that I'm pagan.* For every story you hear of some close-minded individual that tells a pagan that they're worshipping the devil, I personally know one who truly believes we're essentially spiritual cousins: We may have different "Fathers" but we're part of the same family.

The reasons why I'm not a Christian are simply based on the beliefs of the Christian church, not individual Christians who follow Jesus with the uniqueness of their own heart. When I began my search for the divine at seventeen I made a pact with "God" that I would go wherever I was led, walk through any door that was open to me, and search with an open mind. That approach laid the groundwork for finding something I connected with, not something I was encouraged to believe was correct.

Christians Believe In God

Go to any Christian church and one of the universal concepts that they hold to be true is a belief in God. In Christianity, God is a proper name. If a Christian was writing a letter to the divine it would begin with, "Dear God," and continue from there.

In Christianity (and I'm referring to the Christian Church as a whole and not ancient interpretations of Hebrew words for God), God is male. It is "God the Father" and "Jesus, God's son." From a purely practical perspective, I have challenges accepting that.

During my time studying Taoism, I came to have a very incomplete understanding of the Tao. (Anyone who claims to have a complete understanding of the Tao has pretty much finished up with any lessons they could possibly learn on this level of reality). One of the things that I really love about the concept of The Tao is that you can't define The Tao.

Lao Tzu's, "Tao Te Ching" begins, "The Tao that can be spoken of is not the enduring and unchanging Tao. The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name." Or, borrowing some artistic license, “If you can name the divine, you’ve just limited it to less than divinity.”

This is a really crazy concept. To be The Tao (or, for our purposes, God), The Tao must be so inclusive that you can't describe it. The Tao must contain absolutely everything - the past, the present, the future, all of reality, all potential, AND also simultaneously contain nothing. If you can stretch your mind in any direction, you are still encompassed by The Tao. Likewise, The Tao is also in every direction which you've never considered or are literally unable to stretch your mind. It’s everything AND nothing AND neither AND both. The Tao, or the divine, shouldn’t be something we can fully comprehend as human beings, not because the divine is some convoluted concept, but because we’re honest and acknowledge our limited perspective as being’s experiencing a finite lifetime.

From this perspective saying, "God the Father," is incredibly limiting. It defines God and places the entire concept of the Christian divine in a box. Because it is "God the Father" it is also not, "God the Mother." It is not, "God the Animals, God the Earth, or God The Tao."

A Celestial Hierarchy

What most people don't consider is that this implies a hierarchy to existence. Each step closer we are to God, by default, the more divine something must be.

For instance, let's say that God is love. Under this understanding, hatred would be far from God and compassion (which is an expression of love) would be much closer to God.

Using this same methodology, it is implied under the Christian understanding of God, because God is masculine, then men are closer to the divine than women. Taking this a step farther, men and women are closer to the divine than animals and animals are closer to the divine than the Earth. What this creates is an implied hierarchy - or in some churches, a well-defined hierarchy. In a hierarchy, it's understood that those lower down the ranks will submit to the will and rule of those of higher ranks. This concept is clearly spelled out in numerous places in the Bible.

For instance, in Genesis 1:28, after the creation of man on the sixth day, "God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." The hierarchy between humans and all of Nature is very clearly illustrated. In Colossians 3:18 ("Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.") and again in 1 Peter 3:1 ("Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands...") the hierarchy between men and women is clearly drawn.

I'm not suggesting that Christians are wrong to believe what they believe, simply that there is an implied hierarchy which can be traced to their view of the divine. My wife, Briana, will never be asked to submit to me. She's my partner and my equal in every definition of the word. I not only value and cherish the fact that she’s my equal, but I rely on her, her strength, abilities, perspective, wisdom, insight, and nature each and every day. Without her I as my equal I would not be the same person that I am today. Whenever our views don't line up, instead of having her submit to me, we find the common ground between our two perspectives - and we're ALWAYS stronger as a result of doing so. Likewise, in our family we don't seek to subdue the earth and rule of over the life that we share this planet with - we do our very best to impact it as little as possible and to live in balance. Our path is one of understanding, of learning, and striving to live in harmony not hierarchy. My definition of the divine must reflect this as well or my lifestyle and my beliefs are in conflict. I simply can't find common ground between my strongly held personal beliefs and the Christian definition of God.

There is One Way to Believe

Christianity is a monotheistic religion meaning that they believe there is one God. This is a commonly held belief among Christians to the point that any other interpretation would be considered heresy by the Christian Church. (I am leaving out debate about the Holy Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Ghost - as even it keeps Christianity as monotheistic religion in the end).

The key issue that I have with monotheism is that for there to be only one God, regardless of how open-minded the followers of that religion are, the religion as a whole clearly declares that there is only one correct spiritual path. If there is only one God (let's call him Steve) and you are following another God (let's call her Samantha) then by the very definition of monotheism, the followers of Samantha are adhering to a false religion. I'm not saying that they're evil and stupid and should be burned at the stake, but monotheism is not a multiple choice quiz. It's a true/false question. Is God called Steve? True. Is God called Samantha? False. Then Samantha is a false religion.

Embracing this perspective on spirituality, in my opinion, is like clipping the wings of a bird - while it can still sing and sit on its perch, it will never truly fly, it will never truly explore. This is fine in a hierarchal system where you want followers to adhere to a single standard and that standard only. It's the very nature of hierarchy. However, it does not allow a person to explore their own heart or to find their own connection to the divine.

This does two things.

First of all, there is nothing new to be learned under this system. The guidelines of your religion are clearly defined and you are encouraged to explore to your heart's content within those guidelines. Ask a Christian to tell their pastor that their heart is drawing them to explore witchcraft or divination and see what the response is from the clergy. In your typical church it will be explained to them that these things are "not of God." That is a completely acceptable approach within a hierarchal structure. However, I want to learn the things that aren't in books, insights that some other human being hasn't already given their stamp of approval to. When I made a pact with the divine when I was seventeen, it was to go anywhere, explore anything, walk through any door, not to find a path I could follow according to predefined guidelines. I find that I learn as much or more from my mistakes and missteps than I do from when I get it right. For me to grow, truly grow, I have to have a system of belief where I can quite literally get it wrong. Only by understanding what is wrong for me do I have the perspective to refine what is truly right. Right and wrong are easy to understand generalized concepts, but to find where your soul fits, where it resonates most clearly, that takes trial and error. If your path was a recipe, a good cook regularly tries new things and learns from their mistakes; they don’t simply follow the written recipe from the back of the box each time they cook.

Second of all, if there is one right way then, by default, every other way is wrong. This very concept encourages close-mindedness and judgment. It creates conflict in place of understanding and communication. This belief takes the concept of hierarchy and extends it to those outside of the system of belief. "We are Christians therefore we are closer to God than you who are not in God's presence." Go to any Christian church and you will hear them talk about how their flock, or sometimes Christianity as whole, are the “chosen” of God.

The Bible (Matthew 28:18 - 20) states, "Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." This is known as The Great Commission and is something that is given to all Christians. One of the charges given to Christians is to convert “non-believers” to the Christian faith. I will fight for any faith's right, including Christianity's, to believe whatever it is they believe. I have no issues with that whatsoever and I strongly believe that each person has the right to find the path that resonates best for them. I also have no issues with any faith sharing what they believe with me. To be perfectly honest, I learn a great deal on a regular basis from talking to other people about their personally held beliefs – especially when they differ from my own. My challenge comes in when another system of belief tells me that I'm wrong and works to not only convince me otherwise, but convert me to their way of thinking.

Think about that for a moment. Let’s say you have a friend that treats your friendship that way. There is no room to consider your perspective or that your ideas work for you. Their entire perspective is that they’re right, you’re wrong, and you would be best served surrendering your position and believing what they believe. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t remain friends with that person for very long.

Pulling people into a hierarchy may give them things they don't have (for instance a community of like-minded individuals) but it does so at the price of personal freedom. Adhering to a hierarchy, by its very nature, requires a surrendering of choice and will and a submitting of oneself to that hierarchy. In all honesty, I'm far too free-thinking to ever find that concept an acceptable fit for me.

All Religions Look Weird From the Outside

When I found paganism, I found home. Those words not only ring true for me, but have been echoed hundreds, if not thousands of times by the pagans I meet in person and online. To allow myself to question, to seek a path that fit what I believed, I found that I clearly needed something that was open-minded, non-hierarchal, and embraced a very large and diverse view of spirituality and the divine. While paganism isn't perfect, no path is perfect. I like to think of systems of belief, not as a path you follow, but as a box of tools that you can use to further your path. Some need carpentry tools, others need art supplies, and still others need tools that fit in a mechanic's hands. Your path isn't the tools you use but what you choose to do with those tools. Christianity, while highly revered in our culture, is simply a set of tools in my opinion. The path you walk is your own; your heart is your map and your intuition your compass. Tools such as hierarchy and a very rigidly defined perspective of the divine simply don't fit in my hands. It's like handing a carpenter a paint brush when they ask for a hammer.

I find that most of the challenge of being pagan in our culture is that our society has an over-reliance on labels. Tell someone you're Christian and it's clearly accepted and understood - even if their understanding of Christianity is very different from what you or your church believe to be true. (Trust me - Pentecostals, Southern Baptists, and Catholics are all Christians but vary greatly in their beliefs). Tell someone you're pagan and the vast majority of non-pagans really don't know what that means. What’s more is that we pagans tend to be an eclectic bunch. If you had to give me an accurate label it would be something along the lines of, "Norse Heathenism Steeped in Shamanic Witchcraft Who Respects the Bejeezus Out of Jesus." Scholars will point out several discrepancies in that label (and even lay people will say, "What?"), but my path has created a synthesis that works beautifully for me.

People say, "Oh my god! You're a witch?" and instantly conjure up all sorts of images. The challenge isn't what we pagans practice, but because we embrace diversity in our paths, there is no commonly accepted label that defines paganism. Imagine if Christianity didn't have a culturally accepted label. If you told people, "I worship a male deity and his son, who was embodied by a Jewish carpenter who was killed by Romans and came back from the dead two thousands years ago, but I'm not Jewish myself like my deity's son was," they would give you the same look that pagans receive when they say, "I'm a Druid" or "I'm a shaman" or "I'm a witch." It's not that one is more accepted than the other, it's simply that one path has an understood label. From the outside, all religions look weird simply because your beliefs are a matter of the heart, not the mind. Try logically explaining why you love someone or something. Our reasons for love often look strange as well.

I fit best under the trees and sky, not under the steeple.

In the end, I love Christians and I have a great deal of respect for Christianity. If you were to ask me to make a list of my most influential teachers, Jesus (as portrayed in the Gospel of Mark) would be at the very top of the list. That said, I fit in the Christian Church about as well as a bison does at the opera. Both the bison and the opera are just fine; both have their place where they belong; they simply don't go together. That's why I'm not Christian. It's not where my soul calls home. My path is found with dirt beneath my feet. My church has trees holding up a starry sky. And my perspective of the divine doesn't come from a book of from another man's teachings, but from what I see in the world around me, the people I love, and each breath I breathe. Sure I make mistakes, but for me, that's part of the path. Where a Christian may learn best from gentle instruction, I find that skinned knees and an honest, "Well THAT didn't work!" are the best way for me to gain wisdom and truly grow.

* You'll notice that I use a big "C" for Christianity and a little "p" for paganism. It's not for lack of respect. Christianity is a defined path; paganism leaves its definition wide open. Ask me about Wiccans or Druids, for example, and you'll get a proper nouns. Ask me about mono-theism and you'll get a generalized concept. The way that I write things, I'm a pagan. I'm a Norse Pagan. I'm a shaman. I'm a Norse Shaman. I'm a witch. I'm a Sylvan Witch. It is simply a chosen method of writing and doesn't imply more or less respect based on capitalization.

Thoughts? Comments? You can contact us at connect@oldways.com or interact with Jeffrey, Briana, and the Old Ways community on our Facebook page.

Originally published in Old Ways on October 16, 2010