Your Religion gets in the way of my voice

Religion gets in the way of my voice. (It does NOT make it easier for you to hear me.)

Ok so good morning God.

Yes.

Yes??

Yes Mark.

Yes what God?

Yes it’s a good morning.

Did you honestly say that God? Did we honest-to-goodness, just go through that little exchange? I mean, I know it’s normal for you and me to talk like that now, but I still find it unbelievable some days. Crazy, weird. It seems to defy common sense.

It defies Religious sense Mark, but Religion and his servants have been defying me since the beginning.

And bang! We’re straight into it again God! Why does talking with you always have to have such deep and important meaning like this. It gets so deep so quickly – it’s always like a philosophy or theology session. Deep rational thinking.

Mark it’s not because of me, it because of you, everything with you has to be like that.

Me?

Yes you.

You mean me personally.

Yes. That’s the way you personally like things. Deep. You want to know what’s really going on, always. You want to know what others are thinking. You want to know what I am thinking. You were the little boy that always asked ‘Why?’. You still are. That’s how I made you. Some are like you, some are not.

Ok?

And because you’re like that, I talk to you like that. Do you get that?

Yes I guess.

I talk the way you want me to talk. I am comfortable talking every different way, but you are only comfortable talking your way. That’s fine, when talking to you I talk your way. Philosophical, theological, rational, deep.

Far out… mind boggles God.

Yes. But mine doesn’t, so that’s the fun of it for you. Mind stretching.

Ok, God everything I was ever taught about you, makes an exchange like that highly unlikely.

Why so?

Well sin I suppose. I’m VERY sinful. Very wilful, very selfish. I’m not supposed to be able to hear you when I’m sinful.

Have you read the bible Mark?? Name me a perfect person other than me, Adam and Eve.

Ok fair enough. So how come we think we have to be better people before we can hear you?

Religion and his dark servants have lied to you.

Dark servants?

Demonic presences, dark angels, strongmen. Religion, every religion, is a cesspool of them. Laughing and screaming in delight as they lead you away from God, whilst you, all the while, think you are walking toward me.

Shoot God!! That’s a bit heavy.

Yes it is. Far too heavy a burden on those who think they are heading toward me.

God you know that’s not what I mean! What I meant is that’s a heavy thing to say about religion.

You talk about it like that Mark.

Yes but that’s me. I’m not God. I have a bad attitude about Religion. And I’m human so I’m allowed to. But you’re God, so you have to be way nicer. I’ve had it up to there with all the crap that people get fed by Religion. If I could get my hands around his throat I’d strangle him like he strangles so many who start out hungry for you. All his rules, all his expectations – “more prayer, more praise, more meetings, more serving, more tithing”, and all of it apparently what you want. But obviously it’s not what you want at all God.

No it’s not. And I’m going to get even heavier with Religion Mark. I am doing things that will crush much of what has become accepted as normal by you Christians. It’s all going out the door. I don’t what your systems, I want you. Religion lays heavy burdens on people, and then never lifts a finger to help them. I don’t like that Mark. I don’t like it at all. Imagine how you’d feel if you saw someone mistreating your grandson.

I’d be livid God, wanting to belt them.

Yes quite. And Mark when I see Religion mistreat people, pretend that he is leading them closer to me, when he is actually leading them away? When I see that I get cross.

Okay, far out, this is getting… well, I don’t know God, a bit over the top. We were just talking about the morning.

That’s how you like it remember. Meaning. Deep. Even the bible is full of reference to the morning being good and blessed by me. But why get legal Mark, we’re just talking.

True. But it is weird God. And I still find it hard to get my head around. It doesn’t fit with what we were all taught was normal Christianity. You’re not supposed to turn up for a chat about little stuff like the morning!?!

Really? I’m God remember. I’m not vindictive or oppressive or fault-finding like you’ve been taught. Not even looking for guilt like you’ve been taught. But I am God. That bit was right, so I do get to make my own mind up about things. And I made my mind up before time began, to turn up for a chat every morning. You already know that.

Well God when this first happened, all my pastors said that you weren’t saying what I thought you were saying at all. That my conversations with you were misguided, and not you at all. They said I should try and hear you less, and just read the bible more. They said The Freedom Diaries was a dangerous book, and they’ve since poisoned a whole raft of other pastors against it.

But there are thousands more pastors who are for it Mark. And anyway, you’ve made unwise comments about others before today, so what’s the big deal if they do the same to you?? It’s pretty typical behaviour for you humans. You’ve told people that certain people’s work for me is questionable, when actually I was very happy with what they were doing. ‘Live and let live’ is my recommendation Mark.

LUKE 9:49-50 “Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.” “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”
ACTS 5:38 “Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

Ok true. I guess I’ve probably criticised others working for you more than I realise.

A lot more Mark. A lot more! So what do you think, does this conversation we’re having seem like me?? Forget about your Religious background, and whether this conversation fits with that. Does this conversation feel like what your spirit knows about me??

Feel God? What my spirit knows?

Yes. In your spirit, you know exactly what I’m like. Your religious mind, shuts it off, but your spirit is hearing me constantly. Your religion gets in the way of my voice, rather than making it easier to hear.

Ok well yes, this sure does seem like you.

That’s good. It is me. You’re getting better at this.

It still seems so foreign though God.

Which bits?

That you would speak like this. That God, actual God, would speak back and forth.

And what other bits?

That you’d have a little exchange like you did above, almost tongue-in-cheek. Almost like you were having me on in some way, playing with me.

Yes. I enjoy this as much as you.

Bull God!!

I do Mark. I enjoy our discussions. I look forward to them, even more than you do. You think that I do this for your sake, and of course I do. But I do it just as much for my own