The Arrogance of Being “Born Again”
I had being a born again Christian mansplained to me by a random dude on the internet
“Born again” Christians have a special kind of arrogance, and I say that as a baptized Christian who, when I was younger, was born again, and again, and again, and again, ad nauseam. The born again thing never did manage to stick, and I still don’t know the born again God.
I think that’s probably a good thing. The born again God wants people to say some particular words, which, after they have been said, ensure a one way ticket to heaven, giving them the arrogance to think they know the will of God for everyone.
Arrogance is a major trait of those who are “born again” Christians, particularly of the white, male variety. I had a special treat over the weekend, in the guise of a random dude on Facebook who was concerned about my eternal soul. He felt it his right and his duty to entreat me to be born again.
Being born again, he claimed, is the only way a person comes to know God, and that only by being born again can a person go to heaven. Okay, so heaven is a nice idea and all but it’s not really why I’m a Christian, which is a major difference between me and the born again crowd to begin with. Heaven is what they want out of this arrangement.
It’s not that I’d turn heaven down, it’s just not why I am a Christian. I’m a Christian because of Jesus. The dude bro who thought he had the right and the duty to mansplain religion to me condescendingly told me that a person cannot serve two masters. I mean the guy isn’t wrong, but it’s something I already know in a very intimate way that he knows nothing about.
In other words, he’s talking out of his arse which is also common for the born again types. He insisted I couldn’t possibly be born again after he went to my profile and read some of my stuff about things from the past.
That was odd considering I’d technically been born again long before I did a lot of that stuff and here he was claiming that a person can only be born again once, yet I can’t possibly be born again despite being born again because of stuff that I did after I was supposedly born again.
Born again logic makes no sense, but at least they know they are right and everyone else is wrong. It must be so nice to be certain of all the answers to life. This is one of the perks of being born again, though. The idea that they have the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. It puts life in a nice little box where everything fits nicely.
I’m pretty clear about who I serve, and I’m relatively open about my journey to Jesus. What became a problem was when I disregarded him and told him I am not in the habit of taking spiritual advice from random dudes on the internet and would rather just rely on my relationship with Jesus.
I find it obnoxious that he thought I should take him seriously, and that I should recognize his authority on the matter even though I have no clue who he is, nor do I really care to know. Born again never worked for me. My life isn’t a life of quick and easy answers that work for everyone all the time. I’m not born again anymore because it makes no sense and it never did change me.
What did change me was Jesus. The thing is, as much as the idea of heaven sounds appealing, I’m concerned about the here and now. I want to develop my relationship with Jesus now, here on earth, no matter what comes in the afterlife. I love Jesus, I am serving Jesus. I mess that up but I repent and get back on track.
I’m interested in being with Jesus in this world, and the one to come, which is why I’m not a born again Christian, I’m a baptized Christian.
