Originally posted by Eagler
when did the word "Christian" become a bad word to so many?
doubt if you could put a date on it, but here are a couple of the things that I believe are at the root of our problem.
when many of our members, and leaders in particular, give blind support of people who say they are Christian, even if the actions these people take, the goals these actions seem to be leading to, and the things they actually support (through action, not lip service) aren't anything close to the teachings our religion is built upon.
when the idea that we could use violence, legislation, and other forms of coercion to force people to be moral or 'good people'. all we do is teach them that it's ok to force others to conform to your will.
basically the whole idea that the end justifies the means. it doesn't. you simply cannot lower the amount of evil in the world while adding to it with your own evil acts. this kind of thinking is nothing more than childish justification of our own desire to do evil but being to weak to just admit it.
it's much easier to continue lying to yourself and telling yourself that the evil you do is in the name of God. it's a cop-out, a way of hiding your own evil from yourself so you can avoid the effort and pain involved in removing or suppressing it from your life.
very convenient overall, the best of both worlds. you can lash out and do all the evil of those you hate, but as long as you never admit to yourself that the evil is there it doesn't get in the way of those wonderful feelings of self-righteousness.
these types of 'Christians' stand out, non-Christians see them and add the impression to their picture of Christians as a whole. all Christians don't act this way, but it doesn't take many for us all to be painted with that brush.
So, what do we do about it?
deal with these types? tell them they need to change their ways or stop calling themselves Christian? some sort of punishment for these offenses? political, social, or economic pressure?
if we do any of those than even if we stop them we haven't helped the problem, we've just replaced them in their mission.
the answer seems simple to me but it seems to escape the majority of Christians I know, so maybe I've got it wrong. but my solution would be to take instruction from our own scriptures.
you teach people to be compassionate by being compassionate.
you teach people to be honorable by being honorable.
you teach people to be kind by being kind.
you teach people to be faithful by being faithful.
you teach people respect by being respectable.
you teach people to be decency by being decent.
nowhere in the Gospel have I read a passage where Jesus responded to the evil done to him, or the evil in the world in general by raising an army and laying waste to a nation. nor have I read a single line where he ordered, recommended, or blessed any man to take on such a mission.
we are charged to overpower this world in the name of God. we are told specifically how to do it. we are to set an example. we are to try to live our lives as a positive force, to draw contentment, courage and determination from our relationship with God. we are to use that courage and determination to stand up to evil, to tell it it has no place to live in our hearts.
or to sum it up- you should make every effort to think before you act, and when you do try to consider 'What Would Jesus Do', and try to act accordingly. Don't cheer on or give praise or support to people who encourage behavior that isn't compatible with this.
this, along with the promise of salvation is the very essence of Christianity. If you don't agree with with this way of leading your life, if you don't believe that this is the proper course to take then it may be time to admit to yourself that you're not a Christian.
(to Eagler,
after re-reading what I wrote I noticed that some parts of my post could be interpreted as being directed at you and not just as a response to your question. thats not what I intended but I'm to lazy to go back and re-word those parts, so just know that the 'you' I refer to is the people I see this behavior in, not you. I really don't know you well enough to make that kind of judgment about you and it wouldn't be my place if I did. this is just another thing that people need to try and find and change in themselves instead of trying to change others.)
