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Posts Tagged ‘are Christians brainwashed?’

THE NEED TO WASH YOUR BRAIN

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 25, 2026| 2 Comments »

So the charge commonly made against spiritual people — most often, followers of Jesus of Nazareth (who many people believe is the Son of God) — is that they’re brainwashed into believing ignorant, dangerous lies.

I’ve tackled this subject before (read it here, if you’re interested: https://wp.me/p2wzRb-nb), but now it’s time to to agree: we Jesus followers are definitely, absolutely BRAINWASHED. But it’s not a superficial, unthinking “declare it and move on with your life” matter, so stick with me for a few minutes to understand it fully and why it can make a difference to YOU.

I know that my mind has been washed clean from believing that:

  • The 70+ years of sleeping, eating, working, having kids, vacationing and going to bathroom is all there is, so earn all you can, do all you can, purchase all you can to live as luxuriously as possible.
  • I have no soul so, when I die, ALL that I am becomes NOTHING more than rancid worm food (sorry to be so blunt, but it’s necessary).
  • Most spiritual people are ignorant, frightened and deluded.
  • There is nothing behind all we see and experience.
  • Right? Wrong? It’s all relative and those words don’t actually mean much.
  • Spirituality is a crutch for weak people.
  • Science is all that matters; if science hasn’t proven it, then it’s probably a lie.

If even one or two of these secular, anti-spiritual claims cause you to at least feel uncomfortable, then check out how they’ve been replaced in my brainwashed mind. As a Jesus follower, I’ve used reason, evidence and faith to arrive at these beliefs:

  1. This life is just the opening sentence in the book of all eternity. As important as our lives are on this planet, what comes after is far more important. In fact, it’s a whole lot more permanent than whatever we experience here.
  2. There absolutely IS a creator and this creator is absolutely interested and involved not just in this planet, but in my life. And YOURS.
  3. This creator wants the best for us, but we’ve turned our backs on Him, gone our own way and lived our lives as if He doesn’t exist. Even the most optimistic person must admit that as a result, humanity is not doing very well.
  4. Jesus of Nazareth existed and was put to death by Roman authorities (even a majority non-spiritual historians believe this).
  5. Jesus’s death paid the price for ALL the wrong things done by His followers and ALL the right things we’ve failed to do.
  6. ANYONE who accepts the gift of Jesus’s life, death and resurrection — and who makes Him Lord, Saviour and best friend — gets a free pass to Heaven when this life ends, because God sees Jesus followers as perfect, just like His Son.

I regard all this as good news. What do you think? Post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.


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BRAINWASHING? OR SEEING REALITY?

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 23, 2014| 3 Comments »

14+-+1-2Have you watched someone give their “testimony” on a TV show and describe being at their lowest point when they became a follower of Jesus of Nazareth?

Did you shake you head and have the same reaction as the words at the bottom of the graphic? Once, I would have been in your camp. After all, that is the easiest, fastest response, right?

So here’s a challenge: skip the path of least resistance, the path that our culture pushes us onto, and really think about this.

Perhaps someone said “I found God at the most vulnerable point of my life” because they suddenly realized that all the ‘stuff’ that’s supposed to be so, SO important is really trivial.

Maybe they realized that in the midst of their vulnerability, nothing that our culture offers us really changes anything. Self-help books can’t help. Friends sending out ‘positive vibes’ makes no difference. And drugs or alcohol will eventually leave them even worse off than before.

Perhaps they figured out that our culture’s focus on being self-reliant in everything just doesn’t pass the smell test. It’s not realistic.

Maybe their vulnerability has made them realize that dismissing/ignoring God and Jesus (who many people believe is His Son) is, in fact, brainwashing. And for the first time, they’re seeing life — and what could happen when this life ends — outside of our culture’s narrow and shallow confines.

I was in my 40s when I stepped off the path of least resistance and really thought about the how and whys of people deciding to follow Jesus. I wasn’t at the most vulnerable point of my life. In fact, I was doing just fine, by the standards of our culture. I had a decent career, parents who didn’t abuse me or abandon me, several meaningful romantic relationships, no serious diseases and a good future.

But I knew there had to be more to life than all this. I knew there had to be something deeper and something that would look beyond 80-odd years on planet earth. After much reading, a lot of thought and many debates with brave Jesus followers, I decided to become a follower of Jesus.

That decision had — and continues to have — a profound impact on my life. It greatly affected who I decided to marry and where I now work. It gave me hope — not in things or in people (the first is meaningless and the second will disappoint and hurt and abandon)  — but in a creator who offered me the gift of His Son.

I accepted that gift. Have you ever thought about doing the same? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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