Do you obey laws to avoid punishment or because you have no desire to bring discomfort or malice to another.  If man is created inherently good then his actions are not based on fear but rather on the content of his character.  

As always, I try to not paint any group with a broad brush presupposing that all of a given group are the same.  So I ask that you read this with an open mind. 

First let me say that I was raised in a Baptist church so my perceptions are colored by that experience.  When I criticized commonly held "Christian" beliefs I do so out of love with respect for the teachings of Jesus the Christ, not allegiance to a thought system.  I believe that is what good stewardship requires.

I find that most people have very lazy spiritual practices.  Relying on others to interpret scripture and  to tell them how to think and relate to the world.  As a result we have "cliché" Christians,  whose scriptural knowledge is reducible to catchy phrases,  or who use scriptural knowledge as a weapon or worst use it to create an us/them dichotomy.  

In studying the teachings of Jesus the Christ I find that they often at odds with the teachings about Jesus the Christ.  So we must be mindful of what we attribute to Christianity if it is based upon following the teachings of Jesus the Christ.  

Being a Christian does not make one special, different or better.  Jesus spoke very strongly against churches, church leaders and those who exalted themselves above others.  Remember the example of his own mother having no special standing?  Where in his teaching does he sanction special-ness?  Where in his teaching does he sanction you judging others based upon whether or not they are saved or believe as you do?  

Jesus taught about ways of conducting yourself and your affairs.  His examples are clear they are based on love.  Beware of those who talk of exclusion rather than inclusion.  Beware of those who spend more time talking about the devil and sin than about love and forgiveness.    Study for yourself.

Jesus did not establish the church and was in fact very critical of churches and their leadership.  I believe that was purposeful in that people would get confused about what the walk of Christ was all about.  Membership to a church will not save you, confessing you believe in Jesus the Christ does not save you, nor does tithing or converting others.  What saves you is how you relate to the world.  Make loving unconditionally your goal.  Practice forgiveness, acceptance, non-judgment, compassion, generosity and conscious action.  In doing this peace and the joy of God will be your reward.  Be mindful of. . . 

• How you treat your neighbor.  "that which you do onto the least of them you have also done onto me."  Not how you treat family, friends or people who look or think like you.  He asked how can you love your father who you have never seen if you can't even love those you see everyday?
• Keeping your heart and mind pure.  This only happens when you see the Christ in everyone regardless of their actions.
• Prayer is constant whether intentional or not.  Your words and thoughts are prayers that are always acted upon.
• How you are in the world.  Resist the comparison game that says you're favored because of some particular thing.  When you are tempted to think of yourself among the "righteous" remember the lesson of Job.  Don't allow the promise of rewards to dictate your action.  Be good for goodness' sake alone.

Be good for goodness sake, ever think about that?  I've seen people who act solely because of a promise.  If I do this then that will happen, the promises of God we call them.  Let's not allow the promise of salvation to lull us into a sleep.  Let us save ourselves and one another constantly.  Rescuing ourselves from the darkness of self-hatred or self-aggrandizement.  Rescuing our brother from fear and despair.  Let us realize that we are each lovable and loved unconditionally at every moment regardless of our action.  Let us strive to be perfect in every way even as our father in heaven is perfect.  Then we will not just save ourselves but the world.  Amen!