Christianity (re-published)

Christianity

I am so tired about hearing about Christianity.
Christianity isn't about this. Christianity isn't about that. REAL Christians believe this, REAL Christians believe that. He must not be a Christian because he doesn't go to church every Sunday. She must not be a Christian because she practices lesbianism. He has a tattoo, she pierced her belly button, he looks at porn, she deals drugs. They MUST not be Christians. They don't fit our set of rules. They don't meet our requirements. They must be going to Hell.
Man, when did Christianity become about rules?
In acts it says that "The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch". Now I don't know if it is just the translation, but it seems to me that they didn't give themselves that name. Others gave them that title, the title of Christ followers. So when did Christianity become such an exclusive club? When did we get to decide who is following Jesus and who isn't? I have said it before, but Christianity is not the only connection to God. Jesus, his words, and the holy spirit are the only connection to God, and Christianity does not have an exclusive hold on them.

I just get angry. People walk around like they have it all figured out, like the answer to our lives can be contained in this little box called Christianity. I am done with Christianity. I will go to church, I will read my beloved bible (favorite book in my collection), I will pray, I will encourage others, I will strive to die to myself daily, and I will try to follow Jesus in everything but I will no longer let myself by constrained by the harrowing shackles of this Christianity in which people believe. I will no longer buy in to the idea of an exclusive hold on God.

I am probably going to regret this tomorrow when the comments start coming in, but I am just so tired of it. I feel as if I can't go back to this exclusive Christianity, yet everything inside of me cringes when I try to think of a church outside of "Christianity". Maybe I am just struggling with too many "brick wall" Christianities (Velvet Elvis reference). Maybe I just need to get on to my trampoline and jump higher and higher and higher. Maybe that's where I will find my true life, not in the brick walls but in the Christianity of the sky. Man, I just want to live!