Happy International Workers Day! also known as May Day or Labor Day. Today we celebrate the working class, as well as commemorating the death of Hitler and the crumble of Nazi Germany. In 8 days we celebrate the 78th Victory Day, the official end of WWII.

--K.

You know when you are in the shower and get this "woah" moment? I had one about a month ago...and have been meaning to share it here to see how others whom are open-minded view this. Idk if I'm the first to come up with this thought, but I feel it's interesting enough to share/discuss here.

What if we all are God?

Let me unpack that a little...

The theology that I base this upon is that we are made in God's "image", as well as he knowing everything and being everywhere.

You could interpret it as our souls are but a shard of God within his imagination we call reality/universe.

But why?

My take is that an all powerful being wanted to experience consciousness from multiple vectors. From every living thing ever...not just humans...or even Earth bound beings.

And the only way to do that was to create souls, that don't remember that they are God. In a universe that is mostly autonomous to support such creations.

Where the "Holy Spirit" is the collective power of our mortal "souls".

And that the teachings of each religion are stories made by people inspired by the holy spirit to basically do a version of celestial self-care...to promote a maximum amount of life as possible for each shard...to gain it's perspective from it's life choices.

And when we "die", "heaven" is just the main consciousness of God that we are reabsorbed into.

Except for the shards that were evil (aka: didn't follow the plan).

Perhaps "Satan" is merely a collection of the evil shards/souls that couldn't be re-intigrated into the greater "whole" of God. I haven't figured this part out yet...like my first question is...do they get a chance to be re-integrated? Or stay as a legion of a chaotic collective will against God?

Idk...am I nuts? Or is there something to this?

Background:
I’ve been deep into studying the Christ hymn of Philippians 2:6-11 lately, because I am writing a Greek exegesis paper for seminary on Philippians 2:1-11. I came across a journal article (Elia, Matthew. "Slave Christologies: Augustine and the Enduring Trouble with the 'Form of a Slave' (Phil 2:5-7)." Interpretation 75, no. 1 (January 2021): 19-32) that made use of Augustine’s sermon on this passage (in argument against it).

Augustine read this hymn as reinforcing a kind of “great chain of being” wherein God is the ultimate master, creation is the ultimate slave, and humanity is slave of God but master of creation. The author, citing another scholar, referred to slavery as a cosmogony for Augustine. I thought that was insightful and compelling. Augustine had so accepted the contemporary social arrangement that he read this passage in light of his social location and leveraged this passage to reinforce those heirarchies. Augustine applied his reading of this passage to indict his parishioners and make them obey the bishops—so Augustine can get fucked.

A Theological Move:
This article about Augustine has me thinking that leftism might gain more traction among churched people if we speak of oppressive and harmful cosmogonies rather than ideologies. Where ideology can be an emotionally charged term for some Christians, to speak of cosmogony might be disarming.

I propose this definition of cosmogony: a perceived ordering principle of reality that bears consequence in practice.

Roman slaveholding practices were a cosmogony for Augustine. Capitalism is a cosmogony in American evangelicalism and too often in mainline Protestantism as well.

We don’t question cosmogonies, so many churches follow Augustine’s lead and reinforce oppressive status quos through their interpretation of the biblical witness. Churches do this not only through sermons, but through education, how they run meetings, what their budgets look like, etc.

Nothing is untouched by one’s cosmogony. If we believe the universe is meant to run a certain way, we act accordingly. When capitalism become the ordering principle of reality for churches, it taints everything we do. Instead of building community, we worry about membership. Instead of serving, we focus on protecting our resources.

Proposed Dialogue:
Cosmogonies like that of Augustine fail to provide a praxis of liberation because they fashion a graven image of God after exploitative social arrangements. They bless the exploitation because they make God out to be complicit.

But the kingdom of heaven offers a different ethic than capitalism. Jesus’ miracles presuppose a different cosmogony than one of oppression.

Consider the feedings of the five thousand in John 6. We can read this passag as an exposure of the inadequacies of a money-based economic system—i.e., the commodification of material goods—to provide for peoples' wellbeing. Jesus asks Philip, "How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?" The gospel says that Jesus asks this question to test Philip. And I think Philip passes. He says, "Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little." The economic system can't provide for the peoples' wellbeing. There's not enough money to feed the multitude. Yet the people end up getting fed. By sharing the five barley loaves and two fish, there is enough for everyone to have enough, and there is even some left over. When we look to providing for and sharing with our neighbors, we find that we have enough. When we commodify the world around us, when we buy solutions or turn everything into a monetary exchange, there will never be enough.

So we see that life in the kingdom of heaven condemns exploitative cosmogonies. So too should we in theological spaces.

If there is anything you need praying for please write it in a comment on this post. There are no situations "too trivial" for G-d to help out with. Please refrain from commenting any information which could allow bad actors to resolve your real life identity.

As always we pray, with openness to all which G-d offers us, for the wellbeing of our online community here and all who are associated with it in one form or another. Praying also for all who sufferer oppression/violence, for all suffering from climate-related disasters, and for those who endure dredge work, that they may see justice and peace in their time and not give in to despair or confusion in the fight to restore justice to a world captured by greed and vainglory. In The LORD's name we pray, Amen.

I grew up traditional and Baptist, where the idea of God is essentially that He’s some sort of literal “sky daddy”. I’m trying to understand now what the truth is though. Is God an entity? The universe? Or just the literal embodiment of loving energy? Some manifestation of collective consciousness?

Hey everyone!

I hope you're all doing well. I'm currently working on a project and could really use your help. If you're a user of Bible apps for spiritual readings and study, I'd love to hear from you!

I've put together a super quick survey with just six yes or no questions. It'll only take a minute or two of your time, and your input would be incredibly valuable to me.

If you're interested in participating, please click on the link below to access the survey:

https://forms.gle/6aqRNgBAuHqsdskt8

Thank you so much in advance for your help! Feel free to share this post with anyone else who might be interested in participating. Your contributions will make a big difference.

If there is anything you need praying for please write it in a comment on this post. There are no situations "too trivial" for G-d to help out with. Please refrain from commenting any information which could allow bad actors to resolve your real life identity.

As always we pray, with openness to all which G-d offers us, for the wellbeing of our online community here and all who are associated with it in one form or another. Praying also for all who sufferer oppression/violence, for all suffering from climate-related disasters, and for those who endure dredge work, that they may see justice and peace in their time and not give in to despair or confusion in the fight to restore justice to a world captured by greed and vainglory. In The LORD's name we pray, Amen.

This is Part 2 of a series I have been doing on the Old Testament's perspective on the sin of exploitation. In Part 1 I look at the stories of Babel as well as Rehoboam the Israelite King. In this part I will be looking at the perspective of the Hebrew prophets. From the perspective of the Old Testament prophets, they called the society they lived in to repent. One of the many calls for repentance was a call to end systems of exploitation. These are examples:

Isaiah:

• The Prophet Isaiah uses the image of a court room when speaking of God's judgement and in it he states "The Lord rises to argue his case; he stands to judge the peoples. The Lord enters into judgement with the elders and princes of his people: It is you who have devoured the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing my people, by grinding the face of the poor? says the Lord God of hosts"(Isaiah 3:13-15). The reason why the Lord "rises" is clear. He sees the poor being "grinded" and "crushed" and as a result the leaders of Israel are meant to be judged.
• The Book of Isaiah takes this further when it distinguishes "true" and "false" religion on the basis of exploitation. It states "Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins. Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practised righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgements, they delight to draw near to God 'Why do we fast but you do not see? Why humble ourselves but you do not notice? Look, you serve your own interest on your fast-day, and oppress all your workers. Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high...Is not this the fast that I choose; to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free and to break every yoke?"(Isaiah 58:14/6)
• Here the people are putting on a display of piety, and they are begging God to see how allegedly Holy they are. But God sees through it. He says that you "fast to serve your own interests". He states that while they are showing piety, they exploit the working class. Then the demand for true religion comes in. True religion, and true piety is the liberation of those exploited by breaking the "thong of the yoke" and "setting the captives free". The Lord sees beyond the fake piety of those who offer him false devotion while "striking with a wickedness". He demands a religious faith that practises liberation.

Jeremiah:

• In the writings of the Prophet Jeremiah when he is the confronting the King of his day he states "Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice; who makes his neighbours work for nothing, and does not give them their wages; who says 'I will build myself a spacious house with large upper rooms' and who cuts out windows for it, panelling it with cedar, and painting it with vermillion. Are you a king because you compete in cedar? Did not your father eat and drink and do justice and righteousness? He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Is not this to know me? says the Lord. But your eyes are only on your dishonest gain, for shedding innocent blood, and for practising oppression and violence"(Jeremiah 22:13-17)
• The King and his family has built a series of structures off the backs of exploited workers who's wages are denied. And these structures are a means to an end. They end is enriching the privilege of his family as well as participating in a profitable global cedar trade. The cedar trade was in that time what the plantation system of sugar during the African slave trade was, and what the systems of lithium and cobalt built off the exploited labour of Africans today is. Jeremiah explicitly states that to know the Lord is to practise social justice. Not build a system of exploitation that is structured on violence and the oppression of the poor.

Amos:

• The Prophet Amos when declaring the judgements of the Lord states "Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they sell the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals-they who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth and push the afflicted out of the way"(Amos 2:6-7)
• Amos goes on to declare "They hate the one who reproves in the gate, and they abhor the one who speaks the truth. Therefore because you trample on the poor and take from them the levies of grain, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not live in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine. For I know how many are your transgressions, and how great are your sins-you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and push aside the needy in the gate"(Amos 5:10-12)
• Amos's perspective is clear. God's judgement will not be revoked because the needy and poor are being sold and exploited in order to build the lifestyle of those well off. Their resources and land are being exploited by those with privilege and they hate those who tell their truth about their exploitation and why it needs to stop.

​

Exploitation is a major problem in our world, and falls under the category of what modern theology would call "structural sin". And we see it all around us. The exploitation of the working class in our Western societies by corporate greed. The exploitation of laborers and children in developing countries through the dual complicity of governments and multinational corporate entities. I would like to give ethical reflections from the perspective of the Old Testament on challenging the sin of exploitation through the narratives of the Tower of Babel and the story of King Rehoboam. So here goes:

The Tower of Babel

• This is a famous story found in the Book of Genesis after the flood story in Noah. They seek to built a tower to reach to the heavens. And God famously states "Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them"(Genesis 11:6)
• Many people read this narrative see it simply as speaking of building a tall structure. I would like to propose additional details that might provide further context to what is going on. In the Jewish tradition of the Midrash, it is said that the makers of the Tower of Babel sought forced laborers. If while taking the bricks up a laborer fell to their deaths and died, they paid no attention. If however one of the bricks fell the lamented. They showed more care for their material possessions than they did for their exploited workers. This then cements the image that Babel is itself a symbol of exploitation. It is a structure of exploitation. This also challenges our understandings of unity and division on a society. Because the text says that God divided the human race according to language. When we take this tradition into consideration, the text is saying that it is better to be divided on the lines of justice, than to be united under a system of exploitation. Unity for unity's sake with no justice is a false unity. Furthermore we know that Babel=Babylonian. When we think of the architectural wonders of the world, from Babylon's hanging Gardens and Ziggurats to the Pyramid's of Egypt, we look at them from the perspective of their beauty. The Biblical text is forcing us to look at it from it's underside in terms of the exploitation that is baked into these project. It is forcing us to have a preferential option for the poor that looks at these imperial projects from the stand point of the exploited.

Rehoboam's folly

• Rehoboam was the Israelite King from the House of David that took over after his father King Solomon died. In the process he inherited Solomon's construction projects which produced increasing dissatisfaction among the Northern tribes and as a result they gave him the following request: "You father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heave yoke that he placed on us, and we will serve you"(1 Kings 12:4)
• After listening to advice that that sought to reinforce his own confirmation bias the text states "The king answered the people harshly. He disregarded the advice that the older men had given him, and spoke them according to the advice of the young men. 'My father made your yoke heave, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions'. So the King did not listen to the people, because it was a turn of affairs brought about by the Lord that he might fulfill his word, which the Lord had spoken to by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat. When all Israel say that the king would not listen to them, the people answered the king 'What share do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents O Israel! Look now to your own house, O David'. So Israel went away to their tents. But Rehoboam reigned over the Israelites who were living in the towns of Judah. When King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was taskmaster over the forced labour, all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam then hurriedly mounted his chariot to flee to Jerusalem"(1 Kings 12:13-18)
• Just like Pharaoh, Rehoboam doubles down on the oppressive system built. He says his father beat them with whips, and he will have them beaten with scorpions. And the people react with rebellion and revolution, stoning to death the taskmaster meant to oversea their exploitation. This stoning symbolises in literal form them throwing a brick into a system of oppression. And just like the story of Babel, we see division. The Northern and Southern Tribes split because of this. Just like Babel, the cause of the split is exploited. Cutting oneself off from an oppressive system is preferable to having a false unity under exploitation. A last point here is that this system was one Rehoboam inherited from Solomon. This in itself shows Solomon's decline in his later years, because in the Psalms Solomon himself when describing the ideal ruler states "May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy and crush the oppressor"(Psalm 72:4). Instead of crushing the oppressor, he himself and his family became it. Instead of defending the cause of the poor, he and his family built a system on their backs.

Right wing, conservative Christianity is positively terrible and stands opposed to the work of the Kingdom. The issue is so severe that I personally regard conservative churches in my community as their own mission field, more often than as collaborators in the work of the Gospel. That concept has become more significant in my mind over the last year or so, and is kind of the catalyst for this post. I think that there ought to be an organized effort by the Christian left to convert and integrate members and churches from the Christian right. I came here from an aggressively right-wing position, so I have faith that others can as well if we care to call them.

​

​

Ephesians 6:12 - For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

One reason I believe this effort is worth pursuing is because it would break up some of the institutional and cultural power held by the Christian right. That would take years, perhaps decades, but is a goal worth pursuing in any case. There doesn't need to be a fast or easy answer, so long as we have one, right? Absorbing formerly-conservative churches and institutions not only pulls people away from the leaders of such groups to align themselves better with the Gospel of our Lord, but also takes footholds and resources away from institutions that represent the power of darkness in this world. This weakens the power of the acute evils committed by these institutions and the scope of their evils, but also weakens their propaganda machine and cultural influence in matters such as capitalism, imperialism, etc.

​

Romans 14:14b-15 - And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Just like businesses don't democratize themselves and capitalism never abolishes itself, right-wing and moderate churches aren't going to spontaneously orient themselves to justice and the light of the Gospel. There need to be people who are willing to act as a catalyst, a voice, and a collaborator in the move left and deconstruction of right-wing institutional commitments. If that move is going to take place on a large scale, that means there need to be a lot of people willing to "bring the good news" by engaging with (what are currently) conservative and moderate churches on a personal level and leading them to a point of voluntarily collaborating in the liberatory work of the Gospel.

​

Acts 9:13-15 - “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name." But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.

Genesis 50:20 - You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

I'm well aware that this probably sounds insane, a dedicated effort to sway the very sects and persons that wreak such harm on the world, their own members, and many of us -- is their wickedness not so great that we would be better off just distancing ourselves as much as possible and doing good to offset it all? Well, maybe we would have a marginally nicer position if we took that course of action, but how much higher of an aspiration must it be to bring the lost and unjust to the knowledge of Christ and pursuit of justice? Is that not, in some sense, what the Christ-narrative is all about?

​

This post was admittedly inspired in part by internet personality Redeemed Zoomer and his so-called "Reconquista" movement, which is designed to crowd out liberal and leftist brethren from mainline Christian sects. I find RZ a rather appalling person, and think he's often more preoccupied with power politics than anything spiritual; but time spent thinking about his methods has convinced me that this can be an effective form of Christian praxis and evangelism, and if successful would be a net positive both for Christianity and unbelievers around the world. I would love to hear thoughts from all of you, whether there are/have been similar projects, possible strategies for the conversion of conservative churches, or warnings/arguments against this type of approach. What I have here is, at best, a half-baked idea with some thematically placed Bible verses; I leave the floor open to wiser and more experienced radical brethren and look forward to discussing with all of you in the comments.

I’m 19M, born and raised in the rural Carolinas. My church was the kind of hellfire and brimstone, take the KJV at its literal word for word face value, borderline cult that you hear about in reprogramming horror stories. I’ve spent the past 5 years since my apostasy and ostracism for being gay searching for some sort of spiritual truth. The only truths that I have found are that 1) there is no objective truth, no human will ever have a monopoly on spiritual truth, 2) people are able to convince themselves of anything through faith and self-justification, 3) if there is any highest form of being, it embodies pure love and compassion, 3b) that spirit of pure love and compassion is very void in this dark and selfish world. That’s where I’m at in my own head at least. I’ve read through almost every belief system I came across in that time. Bounced between ideas of Buddhism, Gnosticism, Satanism, and Zoroastrianism just to name a few. I’m currently 98 days sober now after dealing with addiction for the better part of two years, and now that my heads getting somewhat straightened out again, I realized that they can’t all be true and I have to come to terms with some sort of belief. I’m not okay with not knowing, and I’m too scared to put my faith into the wrong thing. I want to become Christian in some way. Despite everything else, I’ve become convicted that the true version of Christianity that exists is polar opposite to what I grew up with, am surrounded by, and quite frankly flows through the veins of many branches of evangelicalism. I still can’t get it out of my head though that I may be wrong. I may be being led astray by Satan to turn away from my faith and live “lawlessly” and permissive of my sins. In my rational mind though, if God is love, and sin is separation from God, then wouldn’t sin be living and acting outside of godly love? But what does that even mean?

I’m sorry, this got really off tangent, but I’m getting super frantic about the world ending and it’s putting an even bigger emphasis on my faith crisis. I’m scared the world will be going to apocalyptic levels of shit in some time, between COVID (famine), these Middle Eastern wars potentially leading to WW3 and Armageddon, the building of the third temple, and all those crazy solar eclipse theories. I genuinely think I may be going crazy over this. My mind feels like a giant schizo conspiracy board filled with the teachings from my former church’s two year long deep dive into Revelation as well as current and recent world events.

I’m sorry if this doesn’t make sense or is long winded. At the moment I’m writing this my mind feels like it’s being pulled into a million different directions. Thank you if you took the time to read this.

If there is anything you need praying for please write it in a comment on this post. There are no situations "too trivial" for G-d to help out with. Please refrain from commenting any information which could allow bad actors to resolve your real life identity.

As always we pray, with openness to all which G-d offers us, for the wellbeing of our online community here and all who are associated with it in one form or another. Praying also for all who sufferer oppression/violence, for all suffering from climate-related disasters, and for those who endure dredge work, that they may see justice and peace in their time and not give in to despair or confusion in the fight to restore justice to a world captured by greed and vainglory. In The LORD's name we pray, Amen.

Hey, ya'll! I'm working on my own essay/article and I need some assistance writing it. Right now, I am just at the planning stage. I was thinking of the essay as a merger between 2 others I've written (they're pretty crude/short though). So I was wondering if you guys could give me advice on how to begin writing this as an effective merger of 2 ideas, but better written with more theological and statistical evidence. I'd also greatly appreciate any advice I could take to make it more likely to be published, along with publications it could fit in.

The 2 Essays (so ya'll know what exactly I am blabbering about)

The Case for Social Gospel in the 21st Century

Jesus, Justice, and the Jubilee

About Satan in Theology

I always found it weird how much pop Christianity frames Satan as this super badass leader of Hell who is responsible for all sins.

When in actual doctrine Satan is either essentially a prosecuting attorney in G-Ds court.

Or just the old Hebrew word for “adversary” and not meant to be a character.

Also Satan was not the snake from Genesis. That was some random snake.

Satan was called a “snake” in Revelations because it was a insult. Like how calling someone a “vulture” is a insult.

Satan also can’t do much to tempt people expect for whispering in peoples ears to sin. It’s peoples own fault if they listen to him.

Like if you decide to rob a bank because your buddy said it would be a way to Make money.

Yes they definitely had a part in it but you joined in of your own free will

Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Damme actually illustrates this point with the song “Hellfire” where villain Frollo sings “it’s not my fault, I’m not to blame, G-D made the Devil so much stronger then a man”

Blaming anyone but himself for his feelings but Esmeralda.

It’s so funny people have turned this grumpy prosecutor attorney into the source of all evil.

He has no power over the psychical world.

I have been attending a united church for the last couple of years bur have recently felt drawn to catholicism. I love the practices and prayers, the service feels so special and I love adoration and confession.... but I can't agree with the lack of affirmation on LGBTQ people and that is something that is really holding me back. Any radical catholics here?

I have struggled to understand the phrase "Jesus died for our sins" and the language that usually comes packed around it. I have finally understood that it is often meant in a ritual sacrifice context -- like a human or animal or child sacrifice, to this wrathful and vengeful YHWH, to pay for sin.

I've been pointed toward this beautiful post that summarizes why I would have been so delayed to understand it -- because it is contrary to Jesus' Abba: https://brianzahnd.com/2014/04/dying-sins-work/

To try to reduce the death of Jesus to a single meaning is an impoverished approach to the mystery of the cross. I’m especially talking about those tidy explanations of the cross known as “atonement theories.” I find most of them inadequate; others I find repellent. Particularly abhorrent are those theories that portray the Father of Jesus as a pagan deity who can only be placated by the barbarism of child sacrifice. The god who is mollified by throwing a virgin into a volcano or by nailing his son to a tree is not the Abba of Jesus!

YHWH is Jesus' Abba, his/our gentle loving father. That was part of the revolutionary aspect of Jesus' teachings. In the OT, YHWH is a mean old man, accused of conspiring and betting with the enemy over Job. I have no doubt that's how it felt to Job, just as it felt to Jesus that God had forsaken him, though neither are actually true. Jesus' life-purpose was in part to rehabilitate YHWH's poor reputation. YHWH as a loving God was revolutionary. And it makes the idea that "Jesus died for our sins [to appease YHWH's wrath]" make absolutely zero sense in light of that revolutionary change in perception of YHWH as Abba. Substitutionary Atonement seems to deny this message of Jesus' ministry and revert it back to YHWH = mean old man.

“This Jesus…you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” –Acts 2:23

“You killed the author of life, whom God raised from the dead.” –Acts 3:15

The Bible is clear, God did not kill Jesus. Jesus was offered as a sacrifice in that the Father was willing to send his Son into our sinful system in order to expose it as utterly sinful and provide us with another way. The death of Jesus was a sacrifice in that sense. But it was not a sacrifice to appease a wrathful deity or to provide payment for a penultimate god subordinate to Justice.

The cross is not what God inflicts upon Christ in order to forgive. The cross is what God endures in Christ as he forgives.

Is it possible that's why Jesus flipped the table, of those selling sacrificial animals outside of the temple? Perhaps Jesus is calling for the end of (animal) sacrifice in exchange for sinning. That's what his ministry is all about -- that we wash away sin through forgiving and loving and repenting and sinning no more. 

“Take these things away; you shall not make my Father’s house a house of trade” (John 2:16).

Is it possible that Jesus finds distaste in it not just because selling animal sacrifices is commerce, and with commerce comes cheap and empty gestures, like buying cookies from the grocery store to the family potluck rather than homemade. But because animal/human sacrifice is quid pro quo, it is a trade exchange, I pay this for my sin. When Jesus's ministry is "Go forth and sin no more" -- go forth and change, be changed and transformed. 

Devout Christians say God permits suffering in our day and does not intervene because of free will. Yet in the bible, on many occasions, God did in fact intervene. For example, children were mocking an old man so God had a bear tear the children to shreds (sorry, but just doesn't seem the act justified the consequence). Yet in our day when a baby or child repeatedly gets raped and tortured, God does not intervene due to "free will". Such a horrific crime, yet God doesn't stop it or bring about a bear to tear the rapist to shreds (which would be justifiable!).