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To those of you that say I give Christians a bad name...
- Sep 10, 2009 at 11:38 AM
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- Comments (32) Total Views (818) Everyone can see this journal post.
To those of you that say I give Christians a bad name...
Truth be told, I realize that this post will offend many, but it is not meant to be a drama starter. My heart has been burning to share this for a while, and the time has come.
Many have told me that I am the reason non-believers look down on Christianity, and for the life of me I find no truth in those statements. I have only been in the earth thirty years, and before I was a seed in the nut sack of my father, Christianity has had a bad name.
How can I give Christians a bad name when I am not even a Christian?
In fact, I truly believe that the Lord Jesus Christ would not claim to be of the Christian faith. My body is the temple for the Holy Spirit of God; therefore I have no title other than the Church.
You do realize that many hate it when they hear someone say, "I am a Christian". Not because of the evil in them, but because it is said with superiority and arrogance most of the time. Instead of thinking of love and kindness, they feel pressured by the judgmental act of bullying with a hint of cruelty and unforgiveness from the hypocrites.
The truth is many Christians give Jesus Christ a bad name. True Christianity is peaceful and filled with love. We claim to love Christ, but our ways show ignorance to His teachings. People are fleeing from the church, and it has nothing to do with Godstar posts. Churches are not demonstrating the agape (I love you no matter what) love and Christians are turning up their noses at people different from them. In searching the gospels, I find no justification for what has been done; instead I see mutilated manipulations at the hands of some Christians.
Remember what Jesus taught, and it is practiced by many faiths and non-faiths throughout the world. The Golden Rule, found in the Bible: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." If this is done, the world will transform into a better place. Let us take the time to really get to know people, rather than dismissing them immediately out of fear. A true Christian imitates Christ, as the bible says. Jesus communicated with everyone, and shut out no one. Despite upsetting His own kind, He loved those that others considered unworthy of their attention.
If the Messiah graced the world with His physical presence today, would He really recognize the Christians today as His true followers?
The following gives Christians a bad name.
· God's name has been used to justify the horrendous acts of killing Muslims during the Crusades.
· Christians remained silent during slavery, and during the Holocaust.
· President Andrew Jackson actually thought God wanted him to kill Native Americans.
· President Bush intimated that God told him to start the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. All those innocent Iraqi people have been killed, as well as American soldiers ... in the name of God ... for the quest of oil.
· Christians railing about the horror of abortion, but yet ignore the needs of children born out of wedlock.
· There are Pastors and Deacons boldly committing acts of Adultery with their members in secret.
· An Arizona pastor who delivered the "Why I Hate Barack Obama" sermon; which called on parishioners to pray for the president's death - as a hate speech.
· Priest preying on their alter boys molesting them repeatedly, forbidding them to tell the secrets that happen in the confessional booths.
· These "men of God" tried to "exorcise" an 8-year old little boy of the "demon of autism" by praying over him and SITTING ON HIS CHEST for two hours!
· Judges that break the laws on the 10 commandments; a minister's has a death penalty for killing an abortion doctor.
· Anti-abortion activists that stand out in front of the clinics shouting hate filled obscenities and committing acts of violence in the name of God.
· Christian folks that deny homosexuals their right to be in the land freely, without judgment, they say we "hate the sin but love the sinner" but treat homosexuals as though they are the bane of God's existence. However, saying proportionately little about the "abomination" of the other sins of the Bible, like adultery or promiscuity or gluttony.
· Christians turned their backs on Ryan White, whose only "sin" was that he had contracted a horrible disease called AIDS.
I can go on and on, but I am sure you get the picture.......
Comments:
to be honest, I think she has a point here.......I myself stopped going to church because of judgmental persons and I too have seen attrocities done in the name of "God"
I could not have said this all better myself. This is great and I hope everyone reads it.
I totally agree
My point exactly......
Good grief.
Don't listen to them. Fear mongering Christians give the religion a bad name, not you. I also agree with your statement about Christianity and Jesus. I doubt he would associate with it. In fact, the term isn't even mentioned in the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). It seems to me to be more of a creation of man than of God. Jesus simply instructed us to follow him.
This is what I believe a true christian is about biblequestion.org
What is a Christian?"
A dictionary definition of a Christian would be something similar to “a person professing belief in Jesus as the Christ or in the religion based on the teachings of Jesus.” While this is a good starting point, like many dictionary definitions, it falls somewhat short of really communicating the biblical truth of what it means to be a Christian. The word “Christian” is used three times in the New Testament (Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1 Peter 4:16). Followers of Jesus Christ were first called “Christians” in Antioch (Acts 11:26) because their behavior, activity, and speech were like Christ. The word “Christian” literally means, “belonging to the party of Christ” or a “follower of Christ.”
Unfortunately over time, the word “Christian” has lost a great deal of its significance and is often used of someone who is religious or has high moral values but who may or may not be a true follower of Jesus Christ. Many people who do not believe and trust in Jesus Christ consider themselves Christians simply because they go to church or they live in a “Christian” nation. But going to church, serving those less fortunate than you, or being a good person does not make you a Christian. Going to church does not make you a Christian anymore than going to a garage makes you an automobile. Being a member of a church, attending services regularly, and giving to the work of the church does not make you a Christian.
The Bible teaches that the good works we do cannot make us acceptable to God. Titus 3:5 says, “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” So, a Christian is someone who has been born again by God (John 3:3; John 3:7; 1 Peter 1:23) and has put faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8 tells us that it is “…by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”
A true Christian is a person who has put faith and trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ, including His death on the cross as payment for sins and His resurrection on the third day. John 1:12 tells us, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” The mark of a true Christian is love for others and obedience to God’s Word (1 John 2:4, 10). A true Christian is indeed a child of God, a part of God’s true family, and one who has been given new life in Jesus Christ.
Have you made a decision for Christ because of what you have read here? If so, please click on the "I have accepted Christ today"
Hey, I'm one of those non-believers and I think you're doing great by your faith!
I have never read any of your posts, but as someone who follows the teachings of Christ, I find faith to be extremely personal and would find it completely hypocrytical in practising my faith to tell you that you are 'Doing it wrong' or that 'you are preventing people from following Christ' because of what you have written.
My only hope is that people will actually read what is written in the bible and not simply take organized religion at its word...
I cant say that I recall any of your posts, but I agree with this one!
Much love
Alex
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Nut sack.....LMFAO
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