Religious People Killed Jesus

Last week I watched a documentary on HBO Max called “Way Down”. I was interested in it because it was a cult-based church located in my backyard in Nashville TN. I was unaware of the church Remnant Fellowship Church much less a religious cult in Brentwood Tennessee. My attention was first brought to them when a friend of mine contacted me about the pastor being killed in a plane crash in May 2021.

As I watched the documentary in shock and horrified at the rituals, beliefs, loved ones leaving their families, and even a child beat to death, my heart hurt but I was also angry because one’s greed and toxic traits ruined so many lives. It served as a reminder that no matter how much we love a church, put faith in a pastor, feel a connection with a congregation, we can never allow ourselves to get blinded by religious experiences.

I don’t care who you are, pastors, priests, bishops, rabbis, those who we think sits at the right hand of God, we cannot keep our eyes on them.

God never commanded us to follow a church or a religious organization, he commanded that we follow him. The reason he told us is he knows no man can hold a candle to him. There will be wolves in sheep clothing, there will be disappointments, hurts, and pain in the church.

And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. Matthew 4 19-25

To those of you that have experienced pain and disappointments with religion and now have religious trauma. My prayer is that you know God is real and that going to church does not save you. You can have a relationship with God in your living room, in your closet. Your prayer is always heard and you can just talk plain talk like you do to a friend. God never leaves you no matter what you’ve done. Never give up on God just because someone who represented God hurt you. God loves you and I do too!