Why I am not a Christian. – Shaun Lindbergh

As I see it, there is a clear distinction between Jesus Christ, Christianity (the system) and individual Christians.

Having been a Christian for over twenty-five years (August 1978 to April 2005), I make a clear distinction between Christianity, which I consider to be an evil system, and individual Christians, who I believe are trapped in an evil system.

On the one hand, the Bible presents compelling evidence that Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah of Israel and Saviour of the world.

On the other hand, Christianity, that conglomeration of sectarian, human organisations purporting to represent Jesus Christ in the world, is as far removed from Jesus Christ as the Pharisees and Sadducees who crucified Him.

Allow me to explain.

The true Church of Jesus Christ.

Firstly, God's model for the Church is the family, a spiritual community led by loving parents, not a human organisation lorded over by a professional priesthood, the hireling shepherds of John 10:12.

See my 10-part Bible study on The True Church in which I demonstrate that God’s model for His Church has always been the family; following the family model through both the Old and New Testaments. I also demonstrate how a few BIG mistakes by both Israel and the early disciples led to catastrophic consequences.

Christianity is an evil system.

Christianity, the conglomeration of sectarian, human organisations lorded over by a professional priesthood of popes, priests and pastors, the hireling shepherds of John 10:12, is not the true Church. It is an evil system, a satanic deception.

See my article “Christianity is a meaningless franchise”.

Christianity is the outcome of satanic deceptions in the early church, compounded by human greed and power. Those sectarian ‘Christian churches’, those buildings one finds dotted around most towns and cities in Christian countries’, are more like ‘synagogues of Satan’ (Revelation 3:9), whitewashed tombs full of dead peoples’ bones; ‘claiming to be emissaries of the risen Christ, but are not’.

Christianity, the final human empire.

As I understand it, Christianity could be the ‘Fifth Kingdom’ of Daniel’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 2; the feet and toes of iron and clay.

See my 9-part Bible study on “Christianity, the Fifth Kingdom” in which I demonstrate the symbolism of clay and iron in the Bible and how the apostles’ mistakes were compounded by power-hungry bishops during the second, third and fourth centuries of the Christian Era; an era that is rapidly coming to an end (which is a good thing!).

Three kinds of Christian.

As I see it there are three types of Christian. As two types display the same spiritual condition as the two most dominant parties of first-century Judaism, Pharisees and Sadducees, I use those labels to describe Christians. The third type I call Franchisees; I like Franchisee because it represents what a true disciple of Christ should be, a representative of Christ. I also like the fact that it rhymes with the other two.

Pharisee Christians are usually found in the Protestant and Pentecostal sects (aka denominations); churches usually dominated by pastors and apostles. Pharisee Christians are the ‘separatists’; they hold tightly to their sectarian dogma and have a nasty habit of insisting that they are right and everyone else is wrong and going to hell.

Sadducee Christians are usually found in the hierarchical, ecclesiastical sects that are dominated by priests, bishops and popes. Sadducee Christians are all about form and function, rites and rituals. While these Christians are usually less dogmatic than the Pharisees, their sects have exerted significant control over secular governments through much of Christian history since the fourth century; ‘state churches’ and ‘Christian countries’.

Franchisee Christians are those Christians who ‘seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness’ (Matthew 6:33); people who intentionally want to be disciples of Jesus Christ; not Christian in name only.

See my blog Pharisee, Sadducee and Franchisee.

But the categorisation is not as cut and dried as my labels make it seem.

As with Nicodemus and others like him, many Franchisee Christians are trapped in Pharisee and Sadducee sects; frustrated and discontent with the oppressive and dogmatic system, yet not knowing how to break free. Some have broken free of the system only to find themselves alone in a spiritual wilderness.

Rejecting Christianity can be a daunting journey!

In conclusion.

I do not believe that Christianity, the conglomeration of sectarian, human organisations lorded over by a professional priesthood, represents the Lord Jesus Christ in any way, shape or form.

I do believe that Christianity could very well be the ‘Fifth Kingdom’ of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, the final human kingdom, before Jesus Christ establishes his kingdom on earth (the stone that breaks the human kingdom and grows into a mountain that covers the earth).

I encourage committed disciples of Jesus Christ to give up their Christian labels and dogma; to break free of Christian stereotypes, and simply become ordinary, flawed, human beings who allow God’s love to flow through them to the world.

Finally, here is my understanding of God’s Simple Formula for a Perfect World;