What is Christianity? Some people hate it, some people fear it, some are ignorant towards it. Why? Christians are persecuted, not only harshly but also subtly, possibly ways we fail to even recognize. It's hard to be a "christian" because the world tells us not to be. Not by words, by actions. There are people who hate it because they don't want to accept God as Creator and center of our lives. Some can't really accept it. How does one really know God is there? How can we trust in this theory? How can anyone ever know who God is by all the so-called "christians" in this world?
I've ranted about our lack of love in a previous blog. I'm refering to my life in this journal. How does really know in their heart when they're honoring God in what they do, who their with? Being Christian isn't being perfect, fun-sucking, slaves. Being Christian is knowing in your heart Jesus died for our sins, and accepting Him as your Savior. It's a dedication that some people may not have the will-power to strive for. Why? Is it because there's so much "pure" things that involve the lifestyle that is just so hard to give up? Is it too guilty to follow God? As sinful as I am, I identify myself as a christian. I don't always think of the right thing, of what God wants from me. But what being a christian is, is a relationship that you can't really escape, no matter what. Knowing who God is, is just the first step. Some people stray away from it, because it's just way too hard. I believe you. I'm not going to say that drinking, smoking, having sex, cursing your parents, being absolutely apathetic, treating others disrespectfully, etc are all not fun/ easy things. Because they are. But it's not about living an easy life, it's about living a life dedicated to the One, to Love. Why would anyone resort to drinking and smoking? Because it brings them to a place of intense pleasure of no inhibitions, no worries. Why would anyone have sex so early in life? Because we want to experience this feeling of being wanted, of having such great pleasure that is so highly idolized. Why would anyone curse their mother and father or treat anyone disrespectfully, including themselves? Because it's simple to blame others, it's simple to respond to wrongdoing in a nasty way. But really, what would it bring? Any of these things. Hurt, pain, loneliness. Ask anyone. We're all human.
To be a christian is to live a life, not necessarily unfun and "pure", but the way God would want, brings a passion unlike any other. Love is not meant to be hidden, but to be shared and spread. Satisfying God, brings me at peace, knowing that i please my Father who loves me. Bringing a smile onto someone's face is probably one of the most satisfying feelings I know. And I wanna live my life All for Him, creator of all things, including the complexities of the human heart.
You know, drinking doesn't necessarily mean getting drunk. Drinking a glass of wine with dinner is not the same as going out and drinking a bottle of hard liquor. And drinking a glass of wine with dinner doesn't bring us 'to a place of intense pleasure of no inhibitions, no worries'. Smoking similarly does not get you high unless it's something other than tobacco you're smoking.
Or they don't have the ability to get married, and want to express their love? Not everything is about being selfish.
They could potentially, but they don't always. I know plenty of people who drink and live very fulfilled lives, and don't feel any of those side effects from drinking. Smoking is iffy, because it harms your health no matter how often you do it. Having sex before marriage... some people do end up going on to marry the person that they lose their virginity to, or that they have their first consensual sex with. Even if that was not the case, there are plenty of people who live very happy marriages who had sex with other people before marriage. So really... I don't agree.
And yet, a great number of Christians then go on and persecute people of other religions in the same way. And there are people persecuted far more harshly than Christians, who have been persecuted far longer than Christians.
~C
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with your examples, i am referring to people who soley depend on these things, carrying it to self-destruction. drinking is fine, it's shown many times in the bible, but to excessive amounts where someone becomes an acoholic just isn't that appealing. what are the circumstances why people smoke cigarrettes to excessive amounts? sex, don't get me started. it's like duct tape. the more and more it's done, the less it's going to mean. sex is one of the most powerful thing in the world. and when i said persecution, i did say "subtly." meaning that so many things in the world are drawing us away from God. i'm sorry this wasn't clear to you.
The world becoming more secular is very different from you being persecuted. But I was perfectly aware of what you meant.
~C
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different yeah, but not irrelavent. words against Christ are still being dropped today, especially now that the world is becoming more secular. and free speech is being used now than ever with the growing use of technology.
No... Not at all. Christians are the majority (at least in America) and the only reason you will see any intolerance/ hate towards Christians is that they threw the hate arrow first, or they are trying to hard to blindly convert as many people as they can. The reason a lot of non-christians hate christians is because a large majority of them blindly follow the faith, and because of this, people who don't follow it they feel the need to convert them on the spot. I have no hate or love towards christians. If you want to pray to your god, go ahead, but don't press your faith on everyone else, and don't pretend to be the center of the religious hate wars. The jews are far far FAR more hated than you will ever be. Get over yourself
look at this country. look at this world. you call this christian? no, it's not. where is the love? where can it be found. persecution is the result of humanity, not God. and i am aware that christians are human. there are many christians who disgust the name of christian. christianity isn't a religion but rather a relationship, a downright deep relationship that should be shared with everyone. i'm sorry that you believe that christians haven't been showing any love AT ALL. it ticks me off too.
the president of the united states himself called this nation a christian nation. Im not just making that up, but even when you look at statistics, there are far more Christians in this nation than non. I am not saying that Christians aren't discriminated against. But how can you even say that Christians are being persecuted more than other religions. Your the MAJORITY. Look at the Holocaust, the crusades, the hundreds of examples of Christians persecuting other religions, and than find me some examples of other religions persecuting Christianity on the same scale. Has Christianity ever needed protection from the government because the practitioners of the religion were being persecuted by the majority religion. Not in this nation. Not in this world. Again, get over yourself, Your not the jews.
I'd like to add to this one, too. Even in places where Christianity was the religion of the ones conquered and not the ones doing the conquering (1200s or so, if I remember right), they were still treated relatively well. There was a time when Islam was king in some of the southern European countries, but instead of using the "convert or die" method (used on every other religion by the Abrahamic religions) on the Christians (and Jews), they allowed them to practice their own religion and treated them as equals (or very nearly equals, kind of a second in command type relationship), because they were Christians, or People of the Book.
I am treated as evil by people who claim that they are being oppressed because they are not allowed to force me to practice what they do. ~D. Dale Gulledge
-- quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
okay, i definitely did not say christians are more persecuted than any other religion. making that clear once and for all. and no, i did not mean harshly but subtly. don't take what i say out of context. seriously. and religion has nothing to do with it. how many times in this country have you've ever seen someone living by their christian faith. don't imply that i'm ignorant of such things.
You're a good writer and you sound like a good person who's devoted to their faith. However, I do have a couple comments on some of the things you have said.
Christians are persecuted, not only harshly but also subtly, possibly ways we fail to even recognize.
Christians persecute just as much (if not moreso now) as they are persecuted. This still does not justify the actions of Christianity as a whole and Christians as individuals when they do things that are blatantly against what their Holy Text actually says.
Is it because there's so much "pure" things that involve the lifestyle that is just so hard to give up? Is it too guilty to follow God?
No one that I've ever seen that have chosen to not be Christian did so because they believe they are "too sinful" or "too guilty." They do so for one (or more) of many other reasons:
1. They don't agree with the general teachings of the religion as a whole (beyond basic morals, which for the most part are universal beliefs anyway).
2. They feel Christianity has become an institution and is no longer the spirituality it should be.
3. They don't believe in any sort of higher power.
4. They don't believe in the divinity of Jesus.
5. They don't believe the Bible is infallible.
6. They don't agree with/believe in a male-dominated religion and believe that there is equality in everything.
These are but a few of the examples that I've seen. There are probably many others, and many more complicated reasons.
Now, I ask you to think about why you chose to be a Christian without using the standard rhetoric of things like "Jesus is really the Son of God," or "because God is real." Think about it for a minute. You agree with at least most of what the religion tells you, right? Why is that?
Because it just makes sense. At least it does to you, anyway. To a lot of people, even ones that grew up Christian and considered themselves to have chosen to be Christian, this isn't the case. They realize that what the Church tells them and what they read in the Bible doesn't make sense and is even downright contradictory.
I do, however, like the rest of your post and how you describe what it means to be a Christian.
-- God made so many different kinds of people. Why would he allow only one way to serve him? ~Martin Buber
This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness. ~Dalai Lama
I am treated as evil by people who claim that they are being oppressed because they are not allowed to force me to practice what they do. ~D. Dale Gulledge
There seems to be a terrible misunderstanding on the part of a great many people to the effect that when you cease to believe you may cease to behave. ~Louis Kronenberger
when i meant "too guilty" to follow God, i was refering to people who want to give their lives to Him but feel like they have done so many wrong things that there's no way God would ever take a person like him/her. Many relationships can be related to this such as a parent loving a child unconditionally even after a child has done somehting terribly wrong. this is called forgiveness, and i don't really see how someone can live a life of peace without it.
i didn't mean to stir up a debate. i wrote this as a reassurance to myself as to other christians after a hard time. i question many things about my faith and the only way i found peace was by forgiveness and letting go. i'm not saying we have it worse off then other religions and i'm not doing this as a comparative thing to other religions.