Church attendance is down. Discord is up.

During this holiday season, I am reminded that the percentage of Americans who attend church regularly has never been lower. And over the past 150 years, the discord in our country has not been higher. I can’t help but believe that these two are related.

When I juxtapose the Bible with the daily headlines, it seems our society has re-written the Good Book to read something like this:

As I have loved you, so you must love one another, except for those who are not members of your tribe.

God said, “Let the land produce living creatures…the livestock…and the wild animals, but don’t you dare eat any of them. Dine exclusively on plants, except those that contain gluten.

You shall not commit adultery, but if you do, hire a competent lawyer (who won’t turn state’s evidence) to draft the non-disclosure agreements with your mistresses.

Jesus said, “I praise you Father…. because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them” to deplorables.

Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you, unless there is a government program that could theoretically help them out.

I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment unless the brother or sister is of a different race or from a different country, in which case it’s fine to blame them for your problems.

Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven and name some building after you.

If you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Apologies to pagans who consider this hate speech from Jesus.

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me” and be thankful you get extra credit in heaven because your faith is not welcome in the most classrooms.

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, however, God’s wrath pales in comparison to climate change.

Flee from sexual immorality unless you are clergy at a church that covers up sexual abuse.

They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator because Facebook, Amazon and Google knew their hearts better than God.

God does not show favoritism, despite what Notre Dame fans believe.

You, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself in echo chambers where thought diversity is prohibited?

For we maintain that a person is justified by faith in the government that can solve all problems.

And where there is no law, there is no transgression, so it’s fine for a president to pardon himself.

For at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself because you who pass judgment do the same things. However, you are exempt from judgment if your moral superiority is affirmed by your Facebook friends.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete. Or, as an alternative to growing up, seek out safe spaces where no one is allowed to utter a word that makes you uncomfortable.

No matter how hard some try to re-write history, they cannot change this irrefutable historical fact: For to us a child is born.