CAUTION: This is a rant and therefore is what I wrote after I got all riled up about a subject, not necessarily what I always feel or would always express.1
Can I just say that the word "conservative Christian" seems to be an oxymoron these days? People who are politically progressive--or more accurately, oppressive--and seem to spend their entire lives judging and condemning, don't really exemplify Christianity to me. And yet they are the ones in the newspapers, on the television, on the radio, constantly airing out their hate for the whole world to hear.2
God is about love and forgiveness and acceptance. When Jesus walked on this earth he chose to hang out with the prostitutes and the tax collectors. Not the Pharisees. He called them "white-washed tombs." Pious on the outside, filthy on the inside.3
The kinds of people who would parade derogatory, obscene signs at the funerals of men who gave their lives for this country; those people are the filth.4
They're like the Klansmen who claimed Christianity but brutally murdered with glee. Or the twisted minds that brainwash troubled boys into blowing themselves for "God." Or the Puritans who burned people alive on groundless claims.5
It almost seems that the people who give the most lip service to Christianity, have never cracked open a Bible or are too blinded by hate to read what they see. Those individuals need to sit down, shut up, and educate themselves.6
There's too much hate in this world. Jesus came to change that. He can change that, and He does. And ignorant, bigoted people are associating the name of God with all kinds of deplorable sins. They are truly the Devil's Advocates. All they do is spread lies and create stigmas.7
The truth about Christianity is that God sent his son to this Earth to save us. Not physically, because this world is a messed-up place and we all feel it at one time or another. But to save us spiritually, from sin and depravity and consequently, a painful after life. God is love. God is not about condemnation. God is about forgiveness and Jesus died one of the most painful deaths to prove that. That's the truth about Christianity.
Author notes
I'm a Christian and I hate the way we are misrepresented.
A contest entry
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Comments
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Eight billion thumbs-up!!
Intellectual Christianity is now an oxymoron, too. I happen to believe Christianity is a worldview compatible with every fact of life, and like you said (ranted? ), people who claim to be Christians and yet live like hypocrites only make my position seem even more foolish.
I can't count the number of times people have ignored me/ gotten angry at me/ told me I was stupid/ tried to put me down because of my Christianity, claiming it was un-intellectual (is that even a word? *evileye) and irrelevant. They try to take apart my arguments by pointing out the abysmal failures of people who claim to be Christians, or say things like 'Most Germans were Christians and yet they let the Holocaust happen' or 'Christians killed innocent women and children during the Crusades'. It drives me up the wall: what people have done in the name of Christianity (and whose actions contradicted its teachings) doesn't invalidate its claims! The people who accuse me of being un-intellectual are being less than intellectual themselves!
...now I'm the one ranting. Your essay was a much-needed contribution to a generally-misinformed public. A grateful thanks!
~Chibi
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These people are part of the reason I'm agnostic, but support the thought that all religion is correct with their various afterlifes/deaths in the form of a mental state of being. But often people don't look at it that way. Because I don't claim anything, I'm labeled heathen, outcast, and devil-worshipper. In my state, seperation of church and state is *casually* ignored and still teachers, even in a public high school, talk constantly about Jesus, how they hate nonbelievers when nonbelievers are fuming before them. It isn't just the physical abuse and neglect these hypocritical Christians are dishing out that gets me, it's the emotional. It's a complicated world we live in. And every religion has people like you've mentioned, we just see these "Christians" because they are not a minority.
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Aw, that sucks.
How is that going to make anyone want to become a Christian? Go somewhere metropolitan for college! Like California or New York (: Or Miami 
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Fair play, I was brought up in a Christian environment and most of the people I enncountered are more akin to yourself than the hate-mongerers you have mentioned. The trouble with religion is it is a consrtuct, a doctrine, it is no longer about faith, compassion and spirituality, but focused on indoctrination, subordination, misogyny and control. Whether or not Jesus was actually the son of God in a literal sense, or in the sense that we are all sons/daughters of God is immaterial, the bible is a set of texts that have evolved over the years like the effects of Chinese whisper to the point that they no longer represent the actual events they are detailing. Whether through misinterpretation, callous omissions, edits or lost chapters, the bible details events moulded to fit the needs of those that scribed it, the priests that wanted to tranform religion from the previously worshipped Maternel Godess Asarte to the Paternal God Yahweh. These misogynst priests wanted a power shift from female to male and set about removing all chapters by women with the exception of Ruth (if memory serves me correctly) Female characters that appeared in the gospels were even converted to prostitutes or harridans to add further insult to injury. Emphasis was placed on the virginal nature of Jesus and his mother and why??? I'm not trying to go all DaVinci code on you as let's face it, that was mainly a crock of sh1t, but simply wonder what the priests and scribes were attempting with such a dogged emphasis on these character traits.
So many events within the bible are mere replica's of pagan religions that existed centuries before Christianity. Christmas was first celebrated as a proper day, on the 25th December, in the 4th century, in the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine (he was the first Christian Roman Emperor). He first bought the Roman pagan 'sun-day' (the first day of the week) and the 'sabbath' (the Christians holy day) together to what we now call Sunday.
This date was probably chosen because the Winter Solstice and the ancient pagan Roman midwinter festivals called 'Saturnalia' and 'Dies Natalis Solis Invicti' took place in December.
The Winter Solstice is the day where there is the shortest time between the sun rising and the sun setting. It happens between December 22nd and December 25th. To pagans this meant that the winter was over and spring was coming and they had a festival to celebrate it and worshipped the sun for winning over the darkness of winter.
A Roman god was supposed to have been born on this day and even had a son that was killed and rose again coincidence?? Furthermore, the day that we now call easter was traditionally a pagan festival....
Now I am not trying to discredit anyones beliefs, but think that the Christian that is not able to examine the "facts" is hiding, what is the point in faith if it is not put to the test, that is what having faith is all about.
Finally "i'm a Christian and I hate the way we are misrepresented by people like Bush and Palin." I get the Bush reference, but when you say Palin, please say you are not refering to the great Palin of Monty Python fame?? If so, I am inclined to discredit your rant entirely. Palin has never tried to represent anyone in anything more than a comedic, over the top examination of all the negative elements of humanity i.e., sincerity to point of being naive, willingness to follow a doctrine without questioning its contents.
Even the great buddha declared that his followers should question everything he wrote and said. I imagine if Jesus was here today, he would be appaled by man's willingness to conform to an aged doctrine of questionable sources.
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Whoa!
I love your comment! (: So much to respond to, on such an intellectual level.
Firstly, yes the Bible has evolved in the sense that as more translations are published, more nuances are shifted, and over time that can add up to some signifigant changes. However, I think the Bible is still a pretty accurate representation of what went on thousands of years ago. Many pastors and preachers twist and alter it to fit their own doctrines, and that's where the true evolution of Scripture lies, but I do see your point. (:
As for the commonalities between pagan and religious holidays, that's a really interesting subject. (: It tends to go both ways though. For instance, Halloween, originally Hallows Eve is a "pagan" celebration (at least in the context of this debate) that came about in response to All Saints Day, a religious holiday. The same goes for Mardi Gras, a "secular" response to the religious holiday LINT. It goes both ways...we both play off of each other, holiday-wise. 9:
"the Christian that is not able to examine the "facts" is hiding, what is the point in faith if it is not put to the test, that is what having faith is all about." I agree whole-heartedly.
When I mentioned Palin, I was referring to Alaska's governor, Sarah Palin. Don't get me started on her.
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high five girl friend
i loved it. I am glad when people can speak out for Christianity and not be afraid to show what they know especially when their young. *is young too* I'm Messianic. But it still pisses me off when different sects of Christianity claim to be right while still persecuting people. It's like Jesus said, "Who ever is without sin, throw the first stone." Yet we've got people claiming to do the "Will" of God but are filled with such hatred. And can't only God, do His own will? Hmmmmm. I really enjoyed this it was awesome. Have you considered entering it into a Christian magazine?
beginning: 5, language: 5, plot: 5, ending: 5, dialog: 5, characters: 5.
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Thank you!! You said it EXACTLY what I feel and without all the contempt. (:
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Love it!
I agree with you entirely, your words really sang to me. I'm so sick of the world judging others, as if they're perfect in every way. The political world is full of those.
And saying there is no place for religion in politics, well, that could be argued. It could be used to a certain extent, but not to judge or dictate other people's lifestyle.
(I also know the truth about christianity, and it's not our religion that should be misrepresented or shunned, but particular people of ignorance who hide behind it.)
Very well written!(:
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There were several reasons for my abandonment of the Christian faith. Most of them were based on my "show me" attitude and my support of science, rather than something that might as well be a novel. Also, the whole thing reminds me of the whole Divinci Code escapade in which many people (or many in my part of the world) decided it was sacriligious to talk about things like that. My own mother told me that people would start following it as a religion... (First thing came to mind was Harry Potter. The second was the Bible. Couldn't that be taken the same way?)
Anyway, (excuse my mental blah) another reason was all the hipocrosy and "religious glorification" for all deeds done by "Christians," whether or not they were essentially beneficial. I do agree with the points daftweejimmy made and also recommend those suggestions. However, I do like your rant and agree with your points. -
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I can understand the scientist standpoint, my mom dad and brother are all technical programmers, so I get the analytical thing even though there's just some times in life where you have to believe something without all the facts. Which kind of sucks about life.
Again, your second point was all a bunch of stupid people in the media. That's the kind of thing that frustrates me...they're scaring people away. They'd scare me if I wasn't raised Christian. I can't imagine believing everything I believe if it hadn't been what the people around me believed when I was little.
I can understand the novel thing, but life is pretty surreal sometimes. Girl, I could tell you stories. (:
Anyway thanks for the comment, I see your points and thanks for the critique (: -
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The funny thing about all of this though is that I remain the only non Christian in my entire family, all the way back to my Scottish and English ancestors. Well, my Choctaw/Cherokee or whatever we are, they probably weren't but you get my point. So anyway, you're welcome.
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Well yeah. My mom can also be pretty persuasive...the nicer way of putting it. But now that I've grown up and shed off a lot of her rules (NOT easy let me tell you. She expects everything to stay the same.) God is one thing I still believe in.
Anyway I'm starting to sound preachy, and as stated above, I don't care for that. (: I'm not trying to change your mind, just express mine.
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I agree with some of this....
... but have grave reservations about other parts.
I have to say that I admire your fervour, but before you tell others to shut up, sit down and educate themselves, it might be a good idea to do that yourself. I don't mean that in a derogatory way. But ask yourself two important questions:
1) Could you hold up your end of the argument in a serious debate, or, putting it another way, do you know your Bible well enough to answer, as Jesus did when he was tempted, by quoting from the Holy Scripture, and doing it in a way that is apposite? It's not easy, and that's why I would counsel you to cool your righteous anger, prepare yourself as a warrior, asking the Holy Spirit to guide you, and then join the fight.
2) Is this the fight for you? If it is the fight God is calling you to, be sure that He will equip you. You're intelligent, fervent and articulate, all these are God's gifts to you, but please learn how He wants you to use them. Being in the battle against the things you mention is demanding and pretty degrading if you aren't very careful. If you read this before you go to church today, make it your prayer that He will guide you.
Lastly, but really importantly, don't fall into the trap of calling your opponents names, and don't let prejudice against the surface evil blind you to the possibility that in these people there may be a lot of good. Some of these folk you mention may be ill-educated and have only a passing knowledge of God's word and will; are you sure you're so much better? -
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Ugh. Must you always be so right?? You're right all of your points were right. (: Yes, I think i could hold up my end of the argument on a scriptural basis, no it's not the fight for me, and I shouldn't be name-calling. No I don't think I'm better than others in God's eyes but a lot of days I am in my eyes And then some days I'm the scum of the earth in my eyes.
Hormones.
Anyway good point...I need to think about taking this down or at least revising it.
In my defense, it was a rant though! In a contest where I was supposed to bash Christianity..which I didn't. (:
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"Those individuals need to sit down, shut up, and educate themselves." - I couldn't agree more.
And you aren't being harsh here. You're simply telling the truth. There are too many people who claim to be Christians spreading hate to the world. And the worst part is they are spread through the media, where many others are given a false misrepresentation. The Phelps, the televangelists, political people; many of them are the 'hotshots' who are spreading the hate or falseness. So, with the sentence that you mentioned above, you are absolutely right. They do need to sit down, shut up, and educate themselves. And the first place they can start is their foundation in which they stand: the Bible. Not to say that they don't read it but it's apparent that they're not learning anything from it when I see Shirley Phelps holding a sign saying "Thank God for dead soldiers".
And you said it, what we need; that's love. Not the kind of love that you have for someone but that love for all that makes you forgiving, humble, and kind. The kind of love that Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 13. That's the kind of love that we need to represent. In the words of the Beatles "All you need is love."
This was a good write! Very interesting. Thanks for the entry.
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amen to that
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Interesting. I am a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, myself, and I also do not appreciate the misrepresentation of some of the famous so-called Christians on the news media. Unfortunately, it is an issue that is not easy to deal with because while we do not have permission to be more forgiving or lenient than God, neither are we to be harsh and unloving. It's a matter of pointing out the core problem and not bashing the person. Insults and use of inappropriate language (like the expression, "hell") are also a misrepresentation of true Christianity.
Yes, we are all sinners. And yes, God condemns sin. No imperfection can enter Heaven, therefore we need a solution. It is here that God's love comes into the picture. And His mercy. He provided a Substitute to pay for our sins, that we might find forgiveness and eternal life.
"Teach me Lord, on earth to show, by my love how much I owe!"
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Yes, I guess I was a little insulting and unforgiving myself, but it was a rant. (: And I don't claim to be perfect. But I do see your point, and it's a good one. (:
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Amen, my sista. I often make this very point when I get into...arguments with people. Oh, you should have heard the bigotry that I got during the days of California prop 8. People tell us to come to god--that His love will save us from our sinful lives. Escusez-moi? Was that a cleverly disguised insult, Mr. Preacher? SHUT THE HELL UP.
<3
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I love how people think they can win people over to their cause my being insulting. What's also ridiculous is how many pastors that say that and have gay love affairs on the side. For some, underage love affairs.
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