A Few Suggestions: New Year Resolutions for Christians

Let curiosity and a desire for knowledge seize the day

Many years ago, when I was the pastor of two Methodist churches in Massachusetts, the clergy in town—across several denominations—were fond of occasionally having “ecumenical” services. That is, all of the clergy would take part, I guess to make the point that we all worshipped Jesus Christ. But as we gathered to take part in these events, one thing we didn’t do was discuss theology, because we knew we didn’t agree. On one such occasion, when we were “backstage” at a Catholic church, I noticed a tiny sink. The priest explained that it drained, not into the city sewer, but it had a small pipe that went through the wall, and emptied into the grass outside. This was the sink into which left-over wine from the mass was poured. Since it had been converted—through the miracle of the mass—into the real blood of Jesus, it would be a sacrilege to have it flow into the sewer. I could hardly imagine a better example of magical thinking, on a par with the fairy-god-mother in Cinderella turning a pumpkin into a coach. It would have been pointless to argue about such theological nonsense.

 

This is a clue as to why Christianity has splintered endlessly over the centuries, to the point that there are now well over 30,000 different denominations, divisions, cults, sects. Christians can’t agree on what Christianity is. This derives in part from the differing, conflicting ideas about god and salvation that we find in the Bible. ORAXX, a

frequent commenter on this blog, has wondered how this can be: “I've maintained for a long time the staggering number of Christian tribes should be a bigger problem for believers than it is. It speaks to a God who supposed willed the universe into existence, but couldn't make himself understood.”

 

It would seem that the devout themselves shrug off this scandal. But perhaps a few New Year Resolutions could bring an end to this and other confusions. Let me suggest a few.

 

Resolution Number 1:

 

Work hard, think hard, to discover why your own denomination is the one that’s right. It’s no good to ask your clergy, because they have been trained—and earn their pay—to advocate for their particular Christian brand. Hence this resolution means having to research and study the history of this religion. Also, here’s a suggestion: every Sunday when you drive to your church, you might pass three or four other denominations. Why not attend services at these other Christian brands instead of the one you were raised in? What are the other perspectives on how to properly worship Jesus? 

 

Resolution Number 2:

 

Read the Bible. Surveys have shown that most devout Christians have not read it cover-to-cover. A stunning copy of the Bible is commonly displayed on church altars, and folks are coached to adore it as divinely inspired. But to appreciate why there are so many different Christian brands, the Bible provides shocking insights. Maybe start with the gospels. Read each one carefully, critically. Since they are published side-by-side, be sure to compare them. A handy tool to help with this is Synopsis of the Four Gospels, edited by Kurt Aland, published in 1985. It’s the one I still use (but many others have been published). I have often recommended reading Mark’s gospel—read it all at once, which takes about as much time as watching a movie—then do the same thing with John’s gospel. Even the most devout who do this will be stunned, dismayed, by how differently Jesus is portrayed: they can’t both be right. This is where critical readers will end up, which is the last thing the clergy want to happen. ORAXX, in another recent comment on this blog, states the case well:

 

“The Jesus story has been mythologized to the extent people take those stories as literal truth as a matter of social conditioning. This behavior is reinforced by the institutional churches trying to keep themselves in business. Critical thinking is the mortal enemy of religious faith, and that's why you seldom see the practice encouraged by religious leaders of any stripe.”

 

After the gospels, take up the challenge of reading the letters of the apostle Paul—but do enough research to be aware that some of these letters are forgeries—then try getting through some of the books of the Old Testament, such as Leviticus or Ezekiel. Confidence in the holiness of the Bible will dimmish rapidly. 

 

Resolution Number 3:

Try to figure out why so many branches of Christianity are obsessed with show business. Is this really necessary or justified? Irvin Berlin wrote “There’s No Business Like Show Business” in 1946, but the church decided to make the most of this concept very early on. So many churches have been built, examples of spectacular beauty—which include stained glass windows, art works, statuary, over-the-top elaborate altars. Add to all this the ceremonies and rituals, the powerful music, and the clergy wearing over-the-top costumes. The

ecclesiastical bureaucracies know very well that all this display makes it easier for the folks in the pews to accept the far-fetched dogmas that their churches preach and teach. The Catholic church wins all contests for costuming, and one thought comes to mind especially: All the money spent on these garments might better be used to help the poor. 

 

Isn’t this also in defiance of the Jesus-script we find in the Sermon on the Mount?

 

“And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:28-30)  

 

A vital part of the Catholic cult is the carefully crafted cult of Mary. The faithful are persuaded to worship and adore the mother of Jesus—and there are countless small-to-colossal paintings/statues of her. Very little of this Mary cult is based on what we read in the gospels: it

derives from the imaginations of Catholic theologians, e.g., Mary was immaculately conceived (so that original sin could not have been passed on to Jesus through her), and that she was bodily received into heaven. The devout are convinced that she makes personal appearances around the globe. 

 

But not to just pick on Catholics. Many Protestant brands also excel at show business, and bear in mind that modern televangelists (e.g., millionaires Joel Osteen and Kenneth Copeland) have an excessive fondness for spectacular displays, because they too know that the gullible folks in their pews are impressed by razzle-dazzle. 

 

Resolution Number 4:

 

Walk away from your denomination when cases of clergy molesting children become known. I have often expressed my shock that membership in the Catholic church isn’t down to zero by now. This church—by recent estimates—has paid out more than 4 billion dollars in legal fees to settle clergy abuse cases. Massive desertion has not occurred because of this church’s perfection of show business, used to boost the claim that their rituals are vital for achieving eternal life. 

 

Resolution Number 5:

 

Learn the difference between the Bible’s understanding of the cosmos and our understanding of it today. The Bible authors had no idea that the earth was a planet. It was flat, and above it was the realm of the gods, from which they could constantly keep track of human behavior—and dole out punishments for sins and violations of divine rules. Learn what smart, curious humans have discovered about our actual place in the cosmos. Galileo got into big trouble with the church because he used his primitive telescope to observe planets and stars. In 1923 astronomer Edwin Hubble made one of the most important discoveries in human history when he proved that the the impressive Andromeda swarm of stars is a galaxy far outside our own Milky Way galaxy, some 2.5 million light years away. Many astronomers at the time believed that our galaxy was the whole universe. We also now know that our solar system takes about 230 million years to complete one orbit around the galactic center. And that there are billions—even trillions—of other galaxies. On our home planet we are indeed lost in space. Truly grasping our science-based understanding of the cosmos can do as much as anything else to destroy the idea that there is a creator god monitoring what we do and think every moment of the day…and listening to individual prayers.  

 

So, here we are at 2 January 2026, but it’s not too late for the devout to rise to these challenges: Gather up your courage—and go for it! 

 

 

 

David Madison was a pastor in the Methodist Church for nine years, and has a PhD in Biblical Studies from Boston University. He is the author of Ten Tough Problems in Christian Thought and Belief: a Minister-Turned-Atheist Shows Why You Should Ditch the Faith, now being reissued in several volumes:

·      Guessing About God (2023),

·   Ten Things Christians Wish Jesus Hadn’t Taught: And Other Reasons to Question His Words (2021). The Spanish translation of this book is also available. 

·    Everything You Need to Know About Prayer But May Not Want to Admit (2025)

 

His YouTube channel is here. At the invitation of John Loftus, he has written for the Debunking Christianity Blog since 2016.

 

The Cure-for-Christianity Library©, now with more than 500 titles, is here. A brief video explanation of the Library is here.