Another blog that opens with a disclaimer…
If you’re a Christian, you’re probably not going to like this blog very much. Feel free to share your opinion, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.
I am a Christian, and I have been my entire life. When I was old enough to choose for myself, I chose to remain in the faith I was raised in. I believe that the Bible is the infallible Word of God, but I also believe that there are Scriptures that have been taken out of (cultural, historical) context and used to defend or justify a number of things. I believe that there is one Mediator between God and Man, and that is Jesus Christ. I believe in miracles, angels, the Rapture, heaven, and hell.
I don’t know that I should have to state my “Christian credentials,” but it’s probably necessary to clarify that, as a Christian, I probably believe almost everything you do. For the purpose of this blog, I will include myself as part of the Church that I’m talking about. It should become clear pretty quickly where I land on some of these issues. However, as a Christian, I will lump myself in with everyone else, since that’s what non-Christians tend to see.
Bah. That was longer than intended.
This will probably be a multiple-part blog that gets added to whenever I feel like it. I don’t have a format for this particular post…just what I’ve been thinking about.
Christians… we are NOT being persecuted. Not in the Western world, at least.
We have GOT to stop acting like the “world” is out to get us and to erase any visage of Christianity from the global landscape. Especially in America. According to the Pew Forum, 78.4% of Americans identify as Christians.
That’s the vast majority of this country.
Mind you, most would probably not consider themselves “practicing” Christians, but they obviously identify with “us.”
So why do we act as if we’re in the persecuted minority?
I’d venture a guess that Christians are confusing “persecution” with “disagreement.” Just because someone doesn’t agree with our beliefs, it doesn’t mean that we’re being persecuted. It means that they don’t believe what we believe. Pure and simple. And, as Christians, we want them to come to the faith, right?
Wrong.
For the majority of Christians I speak to or hear from, we don’t want them to become Christians, necessarily. We want them to leave us alone and let us keep running the place. We want them to let us put the Ten Commandments back in the public eye. We want them to let our kids pray in class, and to stop saying “Happy Holidays.” We don’t seek to connect with these “non-believers.” We just want them to shut up and go away. Or get saved and join us on our bandwagon.
I’m not even going to get into the fact that this kind of thinking doesn’t jibe with what Jesus taught. I’m not going to talk about loving thy neighbor and preaching the Word. That’s a separate topic that we can come back to a different day.
My concern is the hypocrisy of Christians. We wail to anyone that will listen that our rights are being taken away from us, that “they” are trying to take God out of our country. With nearly 80% of the population identifying at Christian, how is that 20% supposed to oppress us?
They’re not. We’re doing the damage to ourselves. We demand that everyone else listen to us and let us say our peace, but we don’t give anyone else the same respect. We act as though we’re the only ones entitled to an opinion, but we can’t seem to respect differing opinions.
As a Christian, I can’t help but refer to some people as “those Christians.” Because I can’t be one of “those.” And I know a lot of people like me, who love Jesus and love people and are thankful for the privilege we are allowed in our country.
If you want to see persecution of Christians, visit China. Visit Sudan or Iran. Talk to people whose children have been murdered for leaving a different religion to become Christians. Talk to the underground churches that move from house to house to avoid jail and worse. Don’t ask me. I don’t know a thing about real persecution. And neither do you…not on that level.
My alma mater posted earlier about the Day of Silence that is being spearheaded by GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) this Friday. Students are encouraged to remain silent at school (other than during classroom participation…so, basically at lunch, breaks, in the halls, etc.) as an effort to encourage schools and students to stand against LGBT youth. It’s a way to bring some attention to everything from physical and emotional abuse of gay teens to the all-too-prevalent use of the phrase “that’s so gay” or gay slurs.
I stand with GLSEN to oppose any abuse or degradation of people regardless of sexual orientation or gender. As a Christian, the least I can do is show Christ’s love to people who are being told that they are “less than.”
Christian organizations (like the one my high school is supporting) are encouraging parents to keep their kids home from public school that day to protest the “politicizing” of classrooms.
I laughed out loud when I read that. Not only is the Day of Silence something that is taking place outside of the actual classrooms, but Christians are guiltier than anyone when it comes to insisting our beliefs and rights be protected in the classroom.
How can you look at someone with a straight face and demand that we be allowed to pray in class and display the Ten Commandments, but insist that they are not allowed to acknowledge their beliefs or faith? Seriously?
How can you use arguments like “love the sinner and hate the sin,” and neglect to love the “sinner”?
How can you demand that abortion should be outlawed, and fail to provide or support resources for women with accidental or unwanted pregnancies?
It’s not enough to “like” a pro-life group on Facebook, and not do anything to support proven ways of cutting down on unwanted pregnancies.
It’s not enough to vote for a politician that opposes gay rights, and not seek to reach “those” people with Christ’s love.
And it’s not even remotely okay to insist that Muslims should become Christians, and then say in the same breath that we should just nuke the Middle East.
Now, I’m not perfect. I haven’t gotten as involved as I’d like when it comes to issues that I believe in. However, my goal in life is to love those people who, for too long, have been neglected by the church. I have found that I get much further with people by showing them that Jesus loves them and that He wants a relationship with them. I strive to make it about Jesus, rather than Christians.
Do you know why people dislike Christians?
Here’s a hint…it has nothing to do with Jesus.
I meant exactly what I said. As Christians, we seem to have nothing to do with Jesus. We’re basically a powerful political party, and not His hands, His feet, His ambassadors. We use the knowledge we have been given to attack others, rather than encourage them.
Please, stop letting hateful Christians speak for you. Don’t allow Pat Robertson to represent us. This is a man who publicly states that 9/11 was a punishment for allowing homosexuality to “run rampant” in the US. A man who insists that Hurricane Katrina happened because of sin in the French Quarter, and that the tragedy in Haiti was an overdue punishment for witchcraft practiced in the 1800s. We can’t allow someone like that to be the Face of Christianity to an unbelieving world.
Insist that the rights of human beings be honored, regardless of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. Stop perpetuating an “us against them” mentality, and seek to unite with our brothers and sisters, and show them Christ’s love.
And stop calling us “persecuted.”
