Former Pastor Mike Aus Speaks to Humanists of Houston

If you Hemant was a former pastor; then this is an example of apostasy (abandoning the faith). Go to http://www.everystudent.com and read the testimonies of former nonbelievers (athesist) who gave in and surrendered their life to Christ, after being actively pursued by God. You shall seek me and find me,when you search for me with all your heart Jeremiah 29:13.The fool has said in his heart there is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that does good. Psalm 14:1.  Repent!!

I love stories like these, keep posting them Hemant!  Right after 40:00, a question is asked about if it’s worth learning about the story of Jesus.  Mr. Aus answers by touching on a fact some people may not realize: Jesus is a projection of what their idea of a hero is, and not what may be biblically accurate.  His examples are mainline protestants believing Jesus is this guy who wants to help the poor (but never gets around to it as Aus adds), and southern evangelical Jesus who votes Republican and loves the military.  Hits on the psychological aspect of religion rather than the philosophical.  Jesus is who you make him.

 Religious people could benefit from objectively watching anything

…

…bu dum tssh 

Why? Because you say so?

You theists are very strange people.

 “I pity those who think for themselves”

Yeah, it is always better to let someone else do the thinking for you. I pity stupid people that are to lazy to think for themselves.

I especially liked the part at 29:04 where Mike talks about the book “Losing my Religion” and how deconverting is too often framed as a some sort of a loss.  Having been raised in a hell-fire and brimstone church, I agree with Mike that shedding religion is like the light coming on for the first time and getting rid of a load of baggage.

Around 28:04- “The cost of perpetuating the mythical dogma aspects of
religion has become too great for our society.”

Great way to put, I think, the reason why religion should not be taken seriously even though some religious sections and groups do some good.

This breaks my heart.  I am a Christian.  I am typing as I listen.  So many thoughts come to mind.  I was not raised in the church, but I innately knew God was there – I am an example of faith in the absence of “indoctrination”.  I progressed from Theist to Confessional Christian as an adult after considerable study.  My children know the Bible as do I and our congregation members (our Pastors teach it along with proper theology and history).  My kids can give you the Cliff Notes.  They can also discuss theology (along science, history, math, and literature).   Regretably if Mr. Aus’s parishioners did not know the Bible then he did not teach it like my church does because regretably he wasn’t taught it like my Pastors were – and they also sensed his lack of excitement and passion for it.  This is what happens when you are a victim of poor theology – this slippery slope into nonbelief is exactly why the LCMS split from the ELCA, and that regretably portions of the LCMS and other denominations continue to slip into.  Prayer is not a test for God to prove himself by healing someone (“You shall not put the Lord your God to the test” – Jesus’s response to the Devil).  Pastors in many Protestant Denominations have lost the theology around suffering and it’s origins and the purpose God gives it in our fallen world.  Salvation is not gained with works.  Freedom comes with Christ’s death on the Cross.  Salvation is by Grace alone through Faith.  If Mr. Aus had students at confirmation who do not profess the faith at the end he obviously wasn’t equipped through his education to teach them, or the student wasn’t ready, and he should not have confirmed or communed them.  You either believe it or you don’t, but you don’t try to coerce kids to profess it for the sake of the parents or the caterer.  Of course you would talk to the child and explore all the hard questions, but that should have already been done in confirmation class.  That’s what a good Pastor does.  That’s what our Pastors do.  On people dying because of their faith – Christ said we would be persecuted in this world, nothing new there.  Look how all the disciples died except John.  In the interest of free-thinking – watch Ben Stein’s movie “Expelled”, which features Richard Dawkins.  Another great book is Signature in the Cell:  DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design by Stephen C. Meyer.   I would also recommend “Darwin’s Black Box – The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution” by Michael Behe.  Mr. Aus does describe well the problem with Christianity in the US – there isn’t a quest and passion for Theology.  Much of American Christians are victims of poor theology.  That’s what’s wrong.  Read Luther’s Small Catechism and the Book of Concord in addition to The Bible.  Observations of the human failings of pastors and priests does not disprove God’s Word.  Am curious – why have “life passage ceremonies” if you don’t believe in God or an afterlife?  I find it ironic that former pastors are being enlisted to bring a form of liturgy to these ceremonies.  I would assert this desire for these recognitions and ceremonies comes from God.  I would encourage you to invite a pastor who does believe and also specializes in Apologetics to come if you want to hear the real perspective of a pastor – not from former pastors who do not profess the faith.  Better yet, have both in a table discussion.  In regards to the universality of ethics/values, as a Christian I believe that God has written the Law on our hearts whether you believe in Him or not, and that universality is evidence that there is a God.  So much more I could say, but will stop there.  Thanks for the interesting video.

Mike Aus was the Pastor at my Lutheran church in Katy.  It is shocking to me to see how he could go
from a loving and respected Pastor to the fallen “angel” he has become.  It saddens me to realize that he is really
just a master manipulator.  He left the
Lutheran church after three women came forward with allegations of sexual
misconduct.  He refused an investigation
and walked away.  He tried to rebuild by
starting a non-denominational church and half of his original congregation
supported him.  I can only imagine what
they are thinking now.  He confirmed my
son and it angers me that he can stand there and make jokes about such an
important part of many people’s lives.   He built the Lutheran church into one of the
largest in Texas.  I believe his ego grew
with it.  When you lose everything – your
wife, your church, your status, your friends – and you cannot recover what is one
left to do?  Switch sides and mock the
church.  As he stated he is now
unemployed and in need of a job or a career in public speaking.  One important lesson I learned from him when
he was a Pastor at my church was that we are not perfect and never will be.  Jesus died on the cross for our sins and if we
expect to be perfect then he died in vain. 
We are saved by God’s Grace and through our Faith in Him.  I will try to remember that although Mike Aus
was a Pastor he is human and susceptible to human failings.  I pray that God leads him back.   Listening to this man whom I do not recognize
has drawn me closer to my God because it shows me how easy it is for Satan to
take ahold of us and destroy us.  Mike
Aus is proof of that.