If Jesus came back, I’d drink with him.

Summary

The author, reflecting on a childhood steeped in Christianity, describes their journey to agnosticism due to the hypocrisy observed among "bible-thumpers" and the Bible's own content, ultimately concluding that they would share a drink with Jesus, whom they consider a good person regardless of religious belief.

Abstract

The author recounts their extensive exposure to Christianity from an early age, including regular church attendance and deep engagement with the Bible. Despite this, they grew skeptical of the faith due to the judgmental attitudes of some church members and the Bible's vivid depictions of sin, which contrasted sharply with the religion's teachings against such acts. This dissonance led the author to adopt an agnostic stance, acknowledging the unknowable nature of religious truths. Later, when confronted with the claim that alcohol is inherently bad, the author points out the biblical story of Jesus turning water into wine, questioning the contradiction in condemning alcohol when Jesus himself drank it. The author emphasizes that one's character is not defined by religious adherence but by actions and personal virtues, suggesting that they would enjoy sharing a drink with Jesus as a gesture of goodwill towards a fellow decent human being.

Opinions

The author believes that the excessive focus on sin within the Bible is hypocritical given the book's own content.
They criticize the judgmental nature of some Christians they encountered, which contributed to their departure from the faith.
The author values personal virtue and actions over religious beliefs when assessing a person's character.
They challenge the notion that alcohol is inherently bad by citing the biblical account of Jesus creating wine.
The author expresses a willingness to engage with religious figures like Jesus on a human level, sharing food and drink as a sign of respect and camaraderie.
They assert that religion is not a prerequisite for being a good person and that some non-religious individuals exhibit more moral behavior than their religious counterparts.

How bible-thumpers made me agnostic and why I’d drink with Jesus

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From when I was an infant till I was about 14, I grew up going to church more than the average church-goer. We went to church on Sundays, my grandparents ran the Sunday School and the Wednesday Pioneer Club, my parents went to bible study, and Thursdays there was youth group. That’s a lot of church. I think it’s safe to say that I read the Bible plenty, and had a decent understanding of it, for my age.

Now, believing in a higher power is all well and good- it’s your prerogative to believe whatever you’d like- but there were some times when the stereotypical bible-thumpers shone more brightly than usual, and it was times like that that made me question the belief that had been pounded into my head since infancy.

Cut to the image of a pre-teen laying on her grandma’s couch reading Harry Potter. An avid reader, she whipped through it so many times that she could finish any sentence read from its pages. Then grandma walks over and says “There are better things kids your age should be reading.” She didn’t approve of Harry Potter. She didn’t approve of books with magic, murder, or anything sexual (though Harry Potter didn’t have any of the latter.) She meant, of course, that I should be reading the bible, but her comment made me think.. Is that really the case?

I opened up a copy of the Bible, all ready to go with a pack of sticky notes in three colors- blue for magic, pink for murder, and green for sex. I didn’t make it too far before the book couldn’t close. A little further, and you couldn’t even start to shut it. I found it funny that a religion so focused on avoiding sin would put so much faith in a book that romanticized everything from killing one’s brother to giving up one’s daughters’ ‘innocence’ to pay a debt.

Over time, I moved away from Christianity, the religion that continually told me that “Faith is believing” any time I asked deep questions on the subject. To those who believe in it, that’s all well and good, it’s just not my cup of tea.

Years passed. Now an Agnostic- someone willing to accept that not I, nor anyone else could possibly know the true answers, I went back to visit.

I was told that alcohol was bad. Wine was bad. Drinking was bad.

Now wait just a minute.

Jesus, if you read the Bible, turned water into wine. If he had just wanted a red drink to show that it stood for his blood, he could have just changed the color of the water or turned it into cranberry juice. He didn’t. He was at the last supper. He was going to die for their sins. He was brave, but I can imagine that the situation would be more than a little stressful. He wanted wine. And he made it. And he drank it.

Now, tell me again how wine is bad?

If what is said of Jesus is true, he drank alcohol. He drank during stressful times. So to say that alcohol is bad or wrong or evil… Would be to say that so is Jesus, who partook in drinking wine.

Now, this is not to say that I am religious- as I said before, I accept that I do not know- but if Jesus were real and were to come back as so many believe he will… Well, I would pour us each a glass of wine and put out bread with oils and vinegars. Delicious. And if he were of a mind to, I don’t think he would have an unkind word to say about it.

Regardless of religion, if he was a real man, he was a decent man. And a good and decent man is one I wouldn’t mind sharing a bottle with, regardless of who he is. I do not judge a person by their belief, but by their actions. I have found that there are plenty who are religious and who act without morals or empathy or love, and many without religion that have those traits. Religion does not decide the kind of person you are. In fact, I would say that if one requires religion in order to be a good person, they are not, at their core, a good person.

The point I am trying to make is this: Religious or not, stop judging others. Religious or not, be a good person. Religious or not, Jesus seems like a decent guy, and I’d offer him a glass of wine, or maybe a beer. Cheers.