People think of Christianity as blind following of rules set by the institution. This couldn't be farther from the truth. The central figure of Christianity is Jesus Christ, the son of God. Salvation through him separates Christianity from religions of similar origin which don't accept him as the Messiah. Jesus the Messiah was easily one of the biggest rebels of that time. He turned over tables when people were "turning God's house into a marketplace", which was clearly generally accepted, since you didn't see anyone else turning the tables over. He openly taught things against which the leaders of that day adamantly stood.
The pharisees, well-respected people who had the best seats at events, taught that people don't need to honor their father or mother if they gave that honor to God. Jesus said, right to them, that they were wrong and that you do still need to honor your father and mother. Jesus, throughout his ministry, proceeded to go on a large rant about what hypocrites they were, and called them a brood of vipers. He also (indirectly, I think) called them children of Hell.
Of course, the point here isn't that Jesus ran around and insulted people and yelled at people, the point is that Jesus didn't adhere to earthly authority, but rather to the rules that the Heavenly Father wanted him (and wants us) to follow. In becoming Christ-like, we are also not to submit to authority which teaches things contrary to God's word. Can you imagine going up to leaders in the Vatican today and calling them out directly on their hypocrisy? Can you imagine going to a church like Lakewood "church" today, and calling out the wrongdoings that are taught there -- "turning over the tables", if you will?
A common misconception amongst human beings is that Christianity is the most popular faith in the world. It is not. Christianity is the most popular religion, but it is not the most popular faith.
The Christian religion, at least of today, isn't that hard to follow. Go out and get a Bible. You don't really have to read it or anything, just make sure it's in your house somewhere. If you have a facebook account, change your Religious Views to "Christian", and if you're really feeling it, go put John 3:16 in your Favorite Quotes. Go out and buy a cross necklace. Make sure it's a really expensive one. The Bible teaches not to waste money on things like that, but it's okay, that was written a long time ago! It's the 21st century, people, times are changing! The Bible tells us not to change with the times or conform to the world, but again, that was written a long time ago. Smile really big, and congratulations! You're following the Christian religion of the 21st century.
The Christian faith is different from that. Christian faith involves regular prayer to our Heavenly Father, spreading the true Gospel, being patient and understanding to those to whom we teach of course, but not to the point of compromising the message, regardless of how unappealing it is to the world. Christian faith involves reading the Bible and understanding its message, learning about what God wants from us and allowing it in our lives, regardless of how unfamiliar and unappealing it may seem to us when we're used to "the world". You can learn more about God's will for your specific life, also, through prayer. Christian faith involves not only calling yourself a servant of Christ, but living like it, too. Christian faith involves, above all, faith and trust in Jesus Christ the only begotten son of God, and repentance from sin. Christian faith involves realizing that God's messages to the people from Biblical times do still apply to us today, and learning to apply that in our lives. The lies the leaders of today tell shouldn't be met with a "whatever" stance from us. As people who call ourselves servants of Christ, people who love God, we are to stand up against this stuff, to defend our Father and our friend, Jesus.
And in that way, we are called to be major rebels against the system. In a world where a billion people follow a heretical cult led by human men under the guise of a church (yes, "Catholicism"), where secularism is on the rise in the name of superficial half-truths and lies, where materialism and lust and gluttony and wrath and manipulation and propaganda and overall self-serving compassionlessness and misguided, sinful reactionism are the law of the land, how can a believer in Christ possibly be subservient to the system? How can we be blind slaves to anything, when in fact if we were, we would be like the other however-many billions of people and faiths who are all unanimously against us and our way of life? Look: if a pagan spreads a message of norse mythology, don't the secularists go, "Cool! Vikings!"? If an atheist speaks out against Christianity specifically, don't the pagans all come and agree? Why, then, are there so few secularists on our side? Why do all faiths come together against us, and not against each other more often? It's because Christians, true Christians of the faith, are the "rebels" in this world. We love when the world tells us to hate. We worship when the world tells us not to. We spread the word when the world tells us to shut up. We follow the Bible when the world wants to live according to their own rules. Not out of spite for the world, but out of dedication to God. Be entirely dedicated to God.
I pray that all readers get something out of this, and that God will help you to accept it. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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