This post is inspired by another post I read a few days ago.
I was remembering from my days when I subscribed to AOL and used to frequent their christian chat room.
It was a room where there was an awful lot of antagonism and verbal violence and it had the reputation of being the worst room within the AOL community by the guides.
The cause of the majority of the problems? Would you believe, the christians?
I always found the pagans the best behaved and the most respectful.
The non-believers were a foul mouthed lot and were second worst, and way down the worst chart were the Jews and the Muslims.
But it was the christians who were worst. Instead of ignoring the antagonism and baiting they ALWAYS rose to it!
Instead of just giving an answer to what they were asked and letting their yes be yes and their no be know they ALWAYS had to be right and prove they were right.
The Bible says we are letters to be read by the unbeliever, heaven knows what impression the unbelievers got of the christians in that room.
I also noticed that some of the christians were very shallow in their faith despite having been believers for many years. They didnt know why they believed what they believed, and couldnt give answers that explained stuff in a real way. They quoted worn out and often meaningless cliches.
Being a christian requires hard work and dedication to 'the faith'. In Acts chapter 16 the Bereans were commended because they heard what the preachers and teachers said, and then went and checked it out for themselves. Today (and for the last 30 years that I have been a christian) people sit in their pews and chairs, hear what is preached and taught, and automatically believe it and quote it. THAT is not building faith!!
Faith building is checking it out, studying the subject to some degree and then believing when fully convinced.
And then being open to being mistaken!!
The arrogance of many christians is displayed in their dogmatism. They do not allow for learning more, or better ways. They think they have it all, and their attitudes and behaviour can damage others.
I recently 'dumped' on of my blogland 'friends' because all they ever did was preach at me (and their other readers) and didnt share ideas, teachings and fellowship. As far as they were concerned it was only what they said that mattered. I have another 'friend' doing the same thing at the moment and they will go the same way if they do not show signs of reading and listening to others.
Calling all christians - what letter are you presenting to non-believers?
Are you attractive to others? or are you giving christians a bad name?
playwrite27
One of the reasons I turned away from the Catholic chruch (in my part of the world, anyway) is the total inflexibility--and, to some extent, inaccountablility--and sometimes, the petty meaness, as well. I had a born-again aunt--who would spend hours on Sundays, praising the Lord, and then come home and treat here marginally retarded daughter like dirt.
Me? I'm not a great Christian--and I acknowledge that. I do my best to respect all religions--those that show respect for themselves AND others. I will never have much respect for those "my way or the highway" mean-spirited religious types.
I don't know what I show to non-believers--and I have been in a Muslim country, and had a close friend who was a practicing Muslim. I'd like to think we learned from each other's religious discussions--he talked to me about the good side of his religion and I talked of mine--and you know what? We found a lot of common ground. Tho' I will say, he was much more devout than I.