Oh, don't worry about that. I criticize everything irrelevant to real life, like today's church. I don't think it has a place in today's modern society anymore, but people should still have the freedom to worship whatever they want. In all reality, I have the utmost respect for Jesus. He had a solid message of love for your fellow man; he befriended the scum of society like tax collectors and prostitutes; he literally owned nothing except for the clothes on his back; and he traveled from place to place spreading the word of God.
Now what I think is that modern religion has gone completely backwards. Churches have elaborate edifices, they take in billions of dollars, they pay no taxes, they have more political clout than most politicians, they think that the idea of spreading the word of God is guilt-tripping people into believing that their own desires are hindering their lives when the exact opposite is true (like they say, "no sex until marriage," when studies show that people who're more sexually active tend to be happier, and most married people become bored of sex with their partners after a couple years).
I'm sorry, but modern Christianity is backwards. Just so you know, Jesus was not the perfect son of God. He drank, had sexual relationships with Mary Magdalene, and encouraged people to rebel against their religion (the Pharisees) and Rome. So if you look at it, modern religion has become the very Pharisees that Jesus spoke out against.
Take a good look at the world. Everything revolves around money. The government is corrupt. Everyone is out for themselves. So yes, I know exactly how the world works. There's no sugar-coating this.
OK, I"ll bite.
Glad to know you appreciate Jesus. I'm being serious, here. Maybe read more carefully some of the things He said, as recorded in Scriptures, to really get an idea of where He was coming from as per many of the other issues you presented (money, corruption, etc.). I don't care to address the "sex with Mary Magdelene", as I don't see any evidence of that. He did drink and any enlightened Christian would tell you that there is no Biblical injunction against drinking. Against drunkeness, yes. Many abstain for fear of being "stumbling blocks" to others, but others choose to imbibe intelligently. Was he a rebel? Oh, yeah. Just so ya know.
I don't disagree with your perception of many churches. This issue, too, is addressed in Scriptures. However, just be carefull not to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
"guilt tripping...about our own desires"...boring sex...sex before marriage...Sex is not the end-all, be-all of our existence. FYI, I have had sex before marriage. Not proud of it, but there it is. Matter of fact, there are a whole lot of things I've done which might surprise you and of which I am not proud, but that's another topic. Here, I will say...I have been married to the same woman for 30 years and I'm not bored at all. She's been my life partner, my wife, the mother of my children and the one person I could count on, anytime, anywhere, no questions asked. She's beautiful and she loves me. What a gift!
"Everything's about money, corruption, etc." Could be. I have a pretty jaundiced view of things, myself. But, I'll tell you this: There are people I would die for, unhesitatingly, without question. There are many others like me, too. They are called "parents". I never really appreciated what love was, or got a hint of God's love for me, until I had children. Now, I know. So, for many people, it's not about money. A quest for money (if that's all it's about), or for sex, (because it's exciting) is gonna lead to heavy disappointment, IMO, somewhere down the line. Even if you (the rhetorical "you") don't believe in an afterlife, you'd miss an awful lot of good stuff (who invented "good", btw?), and good people, in the here-and-now if all you did was chase skirts and money. Maybe that's why so many people are disenchanted with life. Maybe there'd be less corruption and shit, if, you know, people focused on something more worthwhile...um...llike...wait for it...their spiritual health.
Could write for days on this stuff. Obviously, can't. Good luck, son.