Tuesday, July 17, 2007
WTF? A "Christian" telling someone else they are going to hell?
Tuesday, July 17, 2007 | Original Musings by
Jen |
Edit Post
Every time I hear a variation of this story, I get angry:
I get angry at the so-called Christian who put themselves up on a pedestal above those they perceive not only as non-Christians, but lesser-Christians.
I am angry at their arrogance that they would tell a stranger, a waitress in a pub, that she is going to hell.
I am angry at their ignorance of the scope of God's love, which is obvious when they tell said waitress she also has condemned her son to hell.
I am angry that this "Christian" would dismiss and try to invalidate in front of God a marriage of love, mutual respect, and deep commitment based on some assumptions the patron has made.
I am angry that non-Christians (or nominally religious people) have more encounters with these types of "Christians" ( do I have to keep calling them that?) rather than ones who can share The Light with them.
I am angry that this "Christian" thinks they know enough to know the mind of God.
I am angry that this patron of the pub, I think, exemplifies what most non-religious people think of Christians.
I am angry.
I am embarrassed.
(maybe there is some irony in me implying the "f" word in my title and calling myself a Christian, but that is not directed at someone, and is strictly between God and myself)
- Christian finds out someone else isn't baptized.
- Christian goes on to tell the person how they will burn.
- Christian is not apologetic or explains position
- Christian is smug and walks away not even knowing what they did was very not Christian-like.
I get angry at the so-called Christian who put themselves up on a pedestal above those they perceive not only as non-Christians, but lesser-Christians.
I am angry at their arrogance that they would tell a stranger, a waitress in a pub, that she is going to hell.
I am angry at their ignorance of the scope of God's love, which is obvious when they tell said waitress she also has condemned her son to hell.
I am angry that this "Christian" would dismiss and try to invalidate in front of God a marriage of love, mutual respect, and deep commitment based on some assumptions the patron has made.
I am angry that non-Christians (or nominally religious people) have more encounters with these types of "Christians" ( do I have to keep calling them that?) rather than ones who can share The Light with them.
I am angry that this "Christian" thinks they know enough to know the mind of God.
I am angry that this patron of the pub, I think, exemplifies what most non-religious people think of Christians.
I am angry.
I am embarrassed.
(maybe there is some irony in me implying the "f" word in my title and calling myself a Christian, but that is not directed at someone, and is strictly between God and myself)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Post-Tri Hug
Labels
10k
1984
ACLU
activist
birthday
Bonnaroo
Book Review
books
camping
celebrities
charity
China
Chiropractor
Christians
consumerism
consumers
cooking
cooking 101
cycling
dating
deals
death
detox
drugs
education
environment
exercise
facebook
family
fashion
Food
Frugal
gardening
Gmail
government
Green
hacker
health
history
holidays
HomeImprovement
Hope House
human behavior
humanity
humor
hypocrisy
ignorance
illegals
injuries
internet
iraq
Jesus
kansas city
karma
kindness
liberties
life lessons
lists
luck
media
Melamine
mommyness
movies
murphey
music
musings
nelson mandela
news
open water swim
pain
parenting
patriot act
personal
politics
quotes
races
random
rant
Recalls
relationships
religion
RoadTrip
running
Seuss
social responsibility
society
state of fear
swimming
technology
terrorism
TOTM
travel
triathlon
twitter
ultramarathons
UrbanHomesteading
vacation
volleyball
war
weight
women
work
WTF
yoga
Zen
Zinn
Me!
Random Urban Homesteading Links
Quotes as I come across them......
“Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, an hour, a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it last forever.” ~~~Lance Armstrong
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." ~~~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
"I like running because it's a challenge. If you run hard, there's the pain----and you've got to work your way through the pain. You know, lately it seems all you hear is 'Don't overdo it' and 'Don't push yourself.' Well, I think that's a lot of bull. If you push the human body, it will respond." ~~~Bob Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers general manager, NHL Hall of Famer. (Will-Weber's "Voices From the Midpack" chapter.)
The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.~~~Denis Watley
Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not; it is the first lesson that ought to be learned; and however early a man's training begins, it is probably the last lesson that he learns thoroughly. ~~~Thomas H. Huxley (1825 - 1895)
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." ~~~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
"I like running because it's a challenge. If you run hard, there's the pain----and you've got to work your way through the pain. You know, lately it seems all you hear is 'Don't overdo it' and 'Don't push yourself.' Well, I think that's a lot of bull. If you push the human body, it will respond." ~~~Bob Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers general manager, NHL Hall of Famer. (Will-Weber's "Voices From the Midpack" chapter.)
The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.~~~Denis Watley
Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not; it is the first lesson that ought to be learned; and however early a man's training begins, it is probably the last lesson that he learns thoroughly. ~~~Thomas H. Huxley (1825 - 1895)
2 comments:
i cannot begin to tell you the number of times i've been cast to hell. the first, i remember vividly. i was 6. it was a devout christian family member that was trying to convince me to be baptised. i was TERRIFIED. i had nightmares for years - the kind that would jerk me awake and i'd be screaming and crying.
it has continued through the years. i've even had close friends tell me that they pray for me and still love me, even though i'm going to hell. i've been told that bebe is going too. i can't get my brain around it.
i guess this is why it is so difficult for me to claim any one religion. i could never condemn someone like that.
why can't they all be more like you?!?!?
xoxoxox
i hate to tell you, but sadly, my views aren't popular at church.
I'm "too accepting" and "too open". I don't "understand" and I "just don't get it".
I guess someday we'll all find out!
Post a Comment