Gross Misrepresentations of Christianity

A rant that has been smoldering on the inside of me for the past decade. When I see the things that are done in the name of Christianity that aren't even remotely close to "True Christianity," it literally sets my teeth on edge.

I indignantly slapped the snooze alarm for the third time and finally opened my eyes after another sleepless night.  Silently enraged by a culmination of several unsettling experiences exercised in the name of Christianity, I tossed and turn most of the night.

 

My anger was a righteous indignation, the very same righteous anger that Jesus experienced when he walked into the temple and over turned the tables of the money changers due to their greed induced defamation. 

 

When an individual or individuals are treated unjustly and unfairly, especially helpless children, many of us experience an anger that rises up on the inside of us causing us to say, “No, you don’t.  I will not let you get away with this.  This is unacceptable.” When a small child is repeatedly abused physically or verbally, we become enraged at the perpetrator and most of us ask, “How could they?  How could they hurt an innocent child in this way?  It’s not fair…”

 

The closer I get to the God of the Bible, the more I recognize the drastic contrast between those that are true Christians and those that profess Christianity and live lives that are drastically contrary to the Christian faith.  There’s an old saying that says, “Christians aren’t perfect.  They are just forgiven.”  It is true,  There is a process of sanctification that must take place in each and every person that comes to Christ, and it doesn't happen over night.   I am not talking about ordinary humanness such as having an occasional bad day, copping an attitude, or saying something we shouldn’t say once in awhile.  I am talking about those things to me, that are done in the name of Christianity, that are a gross misrepresentation of the God of the Bible. 

 

Several things brought to my attention over the past several years disturb me.  First and foremost, I am appalled by those individuals that profess Christianity and treat members of society like the scum of the earth.  This is nothing short of pride and superiority. Who is anyone to look down their noses at another human being?

There’s a group that claims to be Christian that travel the world protesting gays.  They have been know to show up at funerals and protest:  The epitome of disrespect.  What nerve...They carry signs that say, “God Hates F**s.”  Nothing could be further from the truth.  This group of individuals do not serve the God that I serve nor are they remotely Christian.  I am humiliated that they would attach the name  “Christian” to their group. 

 

True Christianity is witnessed by love for our fellow man.  God loves all men every where.  He is, and always will be love.  Be assured, He is a God of judgment, but He will always be characterized by love.  He loves the sinner but hates the sin, and there is a huge difference between this and what the group above represents.  His hate for sin will always be for the same reason.  Sin carries consequences and He desires to protect His children from those consequences and the suffering that goes a long with it.  Why?  Because He is a gracious and a loving God.

 

Having grown up in the Catholic Church, we use to sing a song entitled, “They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love.”  Plain and simple, if love isn’t a part of the Christian equation, something is dreadfully wrong with that picture. 

 

What about prejudice?  Those who operate in this malady, whether a professing Christian or not, do not know the heart of my God.  God is love and He always will be love.  He does not segregate individuals by race and skin color.  When my children were little we would frequently sing a song along with "Jesus Loves Me" entitled, Jesus Loves the Little Children.  It went something like this:  "Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world.  Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight-Jesus loves the little children of the world."  This truth extends all through out life to every race and creed.  God is not prejudice and He will never be.  If He didn't operate in prejudice, what gives a Christian the right to do so?  Jesus also didn’t judge by appearance and it is the same today.  He judges the heart of man, for it’s the very heart of man that has the power to defile him.

 

As Christians, we are to be examples of that love wherever we go.  That love extends to the multitudes, including the teenager with piercings from head to toe, the tattooed, the red, green, pink, or blue neon colored haired, the rich, the poor, the young, the old, every skin color under the sun, the beautiful, the not-so-beautiful, the loner, and the popular.

 

I have a real issue with those that burn down abortion clinics and get into brawls and attribute it to God.  How dare them!  God, a God of violence?  Never!  The gospel of John, the tenth chapter, verse ten tells us it is the devil that comes to kill, steal and destroy but Jesus comes to give us life and give it to us more abundantly.  Jesus is the same today, tomorrow, and forever. While I am not an advocate of abortion, I do not support violence in the name of "righteousness" and neither does the God that I serve.

 

I despise it when someone has the nerve to say God is leading them to do something that is contrary to the will and character of God.  One of those things is murder.  I have heard of several instances where a murder was committed because God, they said, told them to do it.  God will never transgress the Ten Commandments by doing something contrary.

 

It is said that Christians are amongst the most judgmental group in America and I can only say this ought not to be.  I am deeply saddened and ashamed that when we ought to be the ones turning America to a God that loves them, we are turning them away.  We are to be examples.  We are to set the tone in this land in which we live. If we call ourselves Christians and our walks are not characterized by love, maybe it's time for a little soul searching. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reviews

[Greg the Bard]

Mac this is a testimony unto itself and a very heart felt one at that. I believe that your heart and soul are in the right place. I also don't believe you need my forgiveness but by forgiving all of use you have made a jesture that demands a responce and my is thank you for you love thur Jesus Christ my savor.

[Winter McPherson]

This is great Carole! I've recently come back fully to the Lord and have been met with judgement in some, but love in others. I chose to focus on the love - although the judgement did have an effect. The devil used it against me to - in the underlying portions of my mind - make me feel that God had the same attitude. Fortunately, He had already prepared me by having the first sermon I heard in about 5 years to be about the prodigal son. I've rehearsed that story in my mind almost daily and see such a loving Father that it overwhelms me! You're right, and you should be righteously angry at such a display of repunance! "God hates f**s" - what a horrifying deception! Thanks for this rant. It should be published!

[Helen Woodward]

Well bravo for your conviction Carole! God is for the victim not the perpetrator, which is understandably difficult to grasp for those who have had a crime committed against a family member...especially if a child has been violated, but it's true nonetheless. We should never wish for anyone to be thrown into Hell, as judgement is God's to make alone. Forgiveness should go hand in hand with a bad memory, the Mercy of Christ is paramount and unrelenting so why should we dally about it? I don't think you need to apologise for the transgression of all Christians against their fellow man...the Pope doesn't even do that! Each person has choices and is accountable for those choices good or bad. I agree with most things you have stated above and it's a difficult rant to undertake. Having said that, I think that people are up to here with the righteousness of others...it makes them feel inferior in some way. When people come to my door preaching the word of God, I can't help but think that they have a cheek assuming my faith status, it's insulting...my faith is my own and precious to me. No one can tell a person what to believe. The word of God has gone to the four corners of the earth, they've all heard it and if they don't want to apply that to their lifestyle they can't be forced. Over the top preaching has a contrary affect so what have they gained? Nothing...better to lead by example.
Cheers...
Helen...

[Barry S. Maltese]

Yes, my friend God IS Love. How can you spend such a long time creating something, even go as far as to make a variety of this special creation, and then hate it for any reason. It is in essence a part of you. We are ALL God's children. I am not a fan of the Gay lifestyle, but I do not hate Gay people. I have known many Gay people and they are just as loving and caring as their heterosexual counterparts.
As for the "supposed" Christians. Ask 10 people for their definition of propper Christianity, and you will get 10 different answers. My view is that God will not condemn me for gazing at a lovely lady in a mini-skirt, but I would be held accountable if I acted on any unwelcomed impulses with that lady. We must take responsability for our actions. Which no one does anymore. It's hard to do when you are busy pointing fingers at other people.
Any non-loving action should only be administered as a line of defense. . . . so don't get me started on the Christian Crusades of the Middle Ages. . . .
I can also see Satan at work chipping away at the foundations that our society was constructed upon . We can now curse on television during times when little children might be watching. They show eppisodes where questionable behavior is encouraged - and they take NO responsability for what they put on the "b**b-tube" because sex sells. They only care about the money they make from the shockable viewership's addiction to the next fix.
And who will suffer? We all shall. We will train a generation of self centered, self serving, "me-first" children who will only take what we did to a new level. For a bridge to stand each part must be interlocking. Society is the same way. It will fall apart if each person cares only about themselves, and refuses to join up in the best interest of everyone else.
Thank you for the great thought provoking article. Wonderful job.

[Jaclyn]

I am not a Christian, nor do I belong to any type of religion because I do not believe in a SPECIFIC God. I DO believe there is a God of some sort (I apologize if I'm capitalizing wrong in reference to the deities, but again, I am religiously clueless). However, one of the many reasons I have chosen not to be a Christian is due to the intolerance and hypocrisy that you mention throughout this piece. I have known countless people that sully the Christian beliefs that they supposedly follow, and it makes me absolutely sick. There have actually been people that I have been AFRAID OF because of their zealotry (is that a word? I don't have a thesaurus handy). This is a very well thought out piece, and it got me going. I wish that more people with Christian beliefs would truly think along your lines and give their beliefs a long needed shift toward true Christianity.

[hyancynthstofeedthysoul]

I am not a christian. that being said. I have, over the course of my life, known many who truely were. I am reminded of a saying. ''Be careful how you live. You may be the only Bible some people will ever read.''

I believe that is what you are saying.

[Bill Grimes Jr.]

Jesus teaches us "If you love Me.....you will feed my sheep"....His instruction surpasses all lines in the sand......Quite simply, my duty and honor as His child is to love unconditionally......Not to judge, condemn, convert, or most importantly....to save.......That's His gig. We are indeed known by our fruits and I am so glad to read your personal statement of faith my friend.

Peace,

Bill :-)

[Pema Dorje]

... and a well stated and well thought through rant it is ... Invertendo Christianity has left most of us feeling that the last real Christian died on the Cross. Yet it is well known that Love is all there is ... my pieces speak to the HeArt Heathen Heresy, that God speaks to all of us, from the inside out. Here I use Heathen in its original, i.e., of the Earth as I am an Aboriginal.

In the original Aramic, the language of Jesus, repent is Metanoia, i.e., to have a change of Heart, touched by th raptures of Love. Morality simply meant not wasting either time 'nor energy in the persuit of the Goal: Love! Sin meant simply missing the mark, diverging from the path to Love... it's all so simple really!

enjoyed your rantings

[An Ordinary Woman]

Fantastic writing, Carole!

I love this because although it contains your normal touches of gentleness and class, it also has a boldness to it that lets the reader know that this is serious business. As I read and then re-read your words, I began reflecting on my life and what I need to fix. You brought me to my knees, Lady.

"Identification Repentance." ... I agree and having read your words this morning, the feelings it gave me were that of "I need to look within myself," I am sure there is something there I need to address, several things I'm guessing.

i thank you from the bottom of my heart.

[Phill Oz O'fee]

Unfortunately, this problem is one I have witnessed globally. Hypocrisy is an illness tainting God's Glory and, as you put it, grossly misrepresents Christianity. Your 'righteous rant' is an appropriately poignant reminder to those just worshiping the worship; putting their needs before that of others and allowing the enemy a foothold into their lives. It is time to walk the talk, because the truth, shall set us free!

Theos ein agape, "God is Love"

1 John 4:8 (The Message)

7-10My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love-so you can't know him if you don't love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about-not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God.

Thank you for this virtuous and fellowshipping share!

God's Blessing
Phillozofee

[Anastacia Candelaria]

Carole, that was beautiful, and so true. Sometimes after telling people that I am a Christian I almost feel a need to tell them that I am not the kind of Christian that will judge them, but will help them and listen.