Be Like Jesus... No - Don't!

My kids and I are Seventh Day Adventists. It is the closest organized religion that I resonate with... for the most part. A key thing is that Saturdays are our Sabbaths. So, today, Sabbath school lessons were not published on the website I use. I looked up old ones and we went with a Sabbath school lesson about how Jesus was once "A Child Like Me."

It got me thinking about my autistic life experience and Jesus' life as an adult. This is simply an opinion piece - right or wrong? I don't know - and I am not certain that anyone can know.

A lot of the autistic adults that I know, are agnostic due to the unfathomable state of God or due to religious trauma - or simply follow their family's beliefs as it isn't an important matter for them - or just are atheist.

I can understand the appeal of agnostic since I acknowledge that God/Jehovah is something that I have faith in, but I do not have scientific fact-based evidence that can ultimately prove His existence. I also have had plenty of religious trauma in my life. I don't always get along with other Christians because, for someone who has "black and white thought patterns" ... well... I can see a whole lot of grey areas between the black and the white. *wink*

So, here we go... a look at the Bible from my perspective:

Jesus got into trouble for pointing out hypocrisy on a number of occasions. On one occasion that came to mind, Jesus went into the temple to find it full of people who were desecrating His Father's house with buying and selling. Many translations I have read talk about how said people were robbers, so I am picturing about shady dealers who want to exchange money and do so while lining their pockets. I am also picturing pushy salesmen trying to charge outrageous prices to allow families to practice their faith.

Anyway, Jesus got mad. The Temple was to be Holy. The Temple was to be respected. The story goes on describing how Jesus flipped the tables - I am picturing coins and papers going everywhere. Jesus was telling them to get out - I am picturing Jesus was yelling "Get out of my Father's House! Go on! Get out I said!" In one account, Jesus was said to have either made or picked up a whip of cords and used it to drive these people and the animals they were selling out of the Temple!

Do you want to know what that sounds like to me? An autistic meltdown. I know what is taught. I know how things are supposed to go. Yet, I get waylaid by people who do not follow the rules or stick to any semblance of the plan. What happens? I get overstimulated and overwhelmed by my strong sense of justice.

What do you mean that you are just going to do as you please? What do you mean that I am not allowed to participate per the rules? Why not? Oh because you are trying to trap me in a lose-lose situation?! How DARE YOU!!!

Now, I have yet to flip tables. I don't want to face the consequences (side note: remember what the Pharisees did to Jesus?), so I simply can acknowledge that I feel like doing so at times. I have yelled and screamed about how horrible it is because I physically cannot keep the pain inside any longer. I have been told that I can be scary and intimidating - especially if you know that you are in the wrong against me ... me who just found out that you were taking advantage of my kindness and thoughtfulness all... this... time!!!

I can understand Jesus' perspective from a deep, primal, emotional level. I can see the story line up with the intensity that many of the autistic individuals I know have shared that they experience - and that I experience. A meltdown for an autistic adult is described in many places as something that looks like a tantrum, but is not an attempt to manipulate or achieve a particular outcome. They simply occur when too much happens and the individual loses control - often much to our deep embarrassment!

AutismSpeaks says, "An autistic adult may express this loss of control by crying, screaming or physically lashing out. Or they may lock themself in a room, run away or shut down, even lose basic skills like their ability to speak. For some, meltdowns can reach crisis levels and include self-harm and suicidal ideation."

Jesus knew how to control Himself. Jesus was gentle. Jesus was kind. Yet, when Jesus walked into that crowded, hustling environment that was meant to be available for worshipping... He drove people out! One doesn't drive people out without being (at least) a little bit scary. He made a whip and overturned tables! Doesn't that sound like He was physically lashing out?

Now, I do not know if Jesus was autistic or not... but, I share this perspective as it has brought me comfort to think that Jesus felt things as deeply and passionately as I do. To think that Jesus, from the Pharisees perspective, was unhinged and crazy - like I have been labelled by other people.

The whole point of Christianity is to have it be for everyone... to believe Christ/Jesus died for us all and had a full experience of humanity's pain and suffering as the side effect from sin. Most Christian perspectives I have heard, talk about how Jesus was perfect. But, they often gloss over one big detail: Jesus was perfect in the eyes of God - not in the eyes of man.

How could Jesus have a full experience of the intensity of my pain if he didn't share at least some of my autistic traits and/or experiences?

Let me know in the comments below your thoughts on the matter, but as always, remember that everyone deserves room to believe how they choose to believe - as long as it doesn't harm others. *smile*

***Note: the story was from the Bible - specifically Mark chapter 11, Luke chapter 19, and John chapter 2***