I am not sure exactly when Christians became bad people, that are unable to think for themselves and are brainwashed. -_-
In all walks of life, there are extremists. Whether it be religion, politics, activism, etc.
Unfortunately there are religious cults - if you will - that give Christianity a bad name. Westboro Baptist Church is the first one that comes to mind. True Christians, true believers, do not picket funerals of fallen soliders, praise the death of people (Steve Jobs-- really?! What did he do to you?!) or spew hatred.
Let me explain to you what I believe as a Christian and how I feel I should behave. I believe in God. I do not judge others. I do not hate people who are different from me or that I don't understand. I try to be a good person and not be hurtful to others. While there are some religions I do not agree with, I would never, ever judge you for your beliefs nor hate you because of them.
I love my family and I love my friends. I want to lead a good and happy life.
Don't hate me because I am a Christian. I don't hate you for not being one.
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I LOVE that last line...so well said! When we were at a retreat a couple of weekends ago, the speaker really touched on being REAL - and how Christians are so often hated because of their hypocrisy - and yet if we were open with our own shortcomings and any joy that we have being because HE has got us through them - it would just be an obvious reflection of Him and how much He loves us....vs. the perception so often that Christians act like they are perfect and everyone else is not (which is SO NOT the truth).
ReplyDeleteThanks for your transparency!
StephieAnne, you are so right, it is unfortunate that there are so many hypocritical Christians out there and they are often the most outspoken. I just don't want to be judged based on someone else's behavior. Thanks for you comment. :o)
ReplyDeleteThe most important thing to remember from scripture is "judge not." None of us is worthy to judge -- that is God's prerogative alone. We can "hate the sin" but "love the sinner." There are many sinners that I love.
ReplyDeleteLoving those who hate us is harder. This is when prayer comes in handy. I suppose the real challenge to a Christian is to love an ex for whom we feel true animosity. It's harder to do but it can be done. (Still working on this one).
This is such a beautiful post Jennifer..there is just way too much hatred and animosity in the world, especially between people of different faiths and backgrounds. But like you said that goes against what our faiths are supposed to be teaching us, how to be the best humans we can be. My thought is that we never know where another person stands with God, so who are we to judge them?
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