Some cling to traditions as if it were life itself. I am not one of them. To me, traditions are too often used to cling to prejudice and a fanatical resistance to change, any change. I saw that on display in the Lutheran churches I once belonged to. They would often cite this bible verse or that, to justify their outdated and often prejudiced beliefs. Fixation on traditions are one of the primary reason I no longer call myself a Christian.

I’m not saying that all traditions are harmful, but I automatically assume they are until facts proves them otherwise. The KKK used the bible to justify their beliefs in hating African Americans as subhuman. They say that slaves are to submit and obey their masters because it says so in the bible. There are still thousands of different versions of Christianity that have picked out a sentence from their holy text to treat as their tradition for existence.

Of course, tradition also exists outside of religion. The British Crown is steeped in tradition that has long since lost its purpose. During my lifetime aristocracy has lost its relevance. We need to quit idolizing these types of things, and just let them disappear into irrelevance.

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Thankfully, not all traditions are of this type. Some do actually make us better. You could say that our constitution is just traditions. But, it is at the same time a fluid thing that changes with time. It is certainly important that all of us Americans be conscious of our Constitutional traditions and realize that they hold us together as “one of many”. That is frequently forgotten in today’s America.

I also realize that not everyone rips the bible apart to find that one thing that they can fixate on. There are still many of us who look at the bible as a document that we should choose to live by. Jesus’ primary command to love each other is engraved on our hearts. I just hope that those traditions don’t go down in flames because of the reputation that Christianity is quickly becoming known for. I don’t know how to make that happen without a severe separation of these two groups who call themselves Christian.