We follow Christ in His meekness ...Why are Christians suppose to be "gentle" and polite, and not feared? My opinion has been that Christianity looks very weak. They are told they should forgive and walk away, not want to fight back. It's leading to the chaos and fall of their own civilization too, unlike Islamic civilization which is still intact and cohesive in the modern age to this day. And they are ones that people fear. Not promoting Islam, but I'm only acknowledging what it is.
But even if you are Christian, do you also honestly wonder if Christianity is weak or at least has been weakened?
I assume God doesn't care about what other people in society "fear" but instead cares about gentleness? Maybe showing gentleness in a hellish violent world shows more of what God is looking for in our character?Why are Christians suppose to be "gentle" and polite, and not feared?
Sometimes I think Christians look weak, but not because they don't fight. I think they look weak when they give in and hit back at their enemies. To me, hitting back sounds more like fear than standing on what you believe is God's principles - even if it kills you.My opinion has been that Christianity looks very weak. They are told they should forgive and walk away, not want to fight back.
I'm not quick to believe that.It's leading to the chaos and fall of their own civilization too,...
Muslims are in distress all over the world. From persecution to politics....unlike Islamic civilization which is still intact and cohesive in the modern age to this day. And they are ones that people fear. Not promoting Islam, but I'm only acknowledging what it is.
I think christians get scared and lash out. They think they are afraid of being a "soft touch" and so go on the offensive to prove they are not. I see this as normal worldly behaviour.But even if you are Christian, do you also honestly wonder if Christianity is weak or at least has been weakened?
I would say, when it is all said and done, the weakness will be shown to have been great strength. The key is the apparent weakness of Christ on the cross. Here we have the supposed Son of God suffering and ultimately dying. He does nothing to defend himself. It doesn't get much weaker or more passive than that.
Although that view is pretty widespread within "Christianity" - Many don't believe that.I wish it were that simple, but the religion doesn't really proclaim that in practice. Most of humanity, according to Christian orthodoxy, is going to be tortured forever for failing to believe the right things about God. All the beauty and goodness that actual human beings create with their own lives, or the people that love them, don't really matter ultimately, because they chose Allah or Buddha instead of Jesus.
Although that view is pretty widespread within "Christianity" - Many don't believe that.
The lines of "Christianity" are pretty blurry. Lots of churches declare on the front what they adhere to, but at the individual level, many christians don't believe everyone goes to hell except themselves.
Christian Universalism?The attitude is pernicious and widespread enough here in the US.
Even my former pastor, who is in a relatively liberal denomination, did not have good responses on this subject. He did admit that perhaps Christians have a very individualistic emphasis. And that's precisely my problem with this sort of mentality. People are more than individuals.
Christian Universalism?
I’m probably somewhere around universalist ?? Possibly.It's not a legitimate Christian belief, at least according to this website.
Having said that, I know some Unitarian Universalists and I'm probably closer to them religiously. As it is, though, I consider myself a contemplative humanist.
You lost your Christian Faith?It's not a legitimate Christian belief, at least according to this website.
Having said that, I know some Unitarian Universalists and I'm probably closer to them religiously. As it is, though, I consider myself a contemplative humanist.
Why are Christians suppose to be "gentle" and polite, and not feared? My opinion has been that Christianity looks very weak. They are told they should forgive and walk away, not want to fight back. It's leading to the chaos and fall of their own civilization too, unlike Islamic civilization which is still intact and cohesive in the modern age to this day. And they are ones that people fear. Not promoting Islam, but I'm only acknowledging what it is.
But even if you are Christian, do you also honestly wonder if Christianity is weak or at least has been weakened?
But, followers of the Redeemer were never told to be pacifists.
it is not our job to execute justice on someone who has wronged us.
So much for turn the other cheek and giving
coats and tunics, not just shirts.
The idea of treating others well is so they have no need to steal or be aggressive in order to survive. Of course today they are demanding we turn over our homes..
True enough. In the OT all execution of justice was only at the command of God.
Ah but the Christian religion no longer spoke for God when it abandoned the Kingdom and the teachings of Jesus in order to rejoin the world of man 1700 years ago. It spoke for the self serving ways of man that is was supposed to be a counter-culture to.And, yet, the Christian institution has executed justice laws in the alleged name of the Most High from the earliest days up until the creation of the States and general imperialism in the last few centuries. That is one reason why people look at Christianity with incredulity: we seem to work hard to exhibit hypocrisy and then rewrite the conditions to justify our hypocrisy.
You lost your Christian Faith?
Why are Christians suppose to be "gentle" and polite, and not feared? My opinion has been that Christianity looks very weak. They are told they should forgive and walk away, not want to fight back. It's leading to the chaos and fall of their own civilization too, unlike Islamic civilization which is still intact and cohesive in the modern age to this day. And they are ones that people fear. Not promoting Islam, but I'm only acknowledging what it is.
But even if you are Christian, do you also honestly wonder if Christianity is weak or at least has been weakened?
The Muslim world isn’t very cohesive. It’s full of conflicting factions and warring political and economic interests.
Show me a religion that does not follow the same traditions of man.Christianity is certainly not free of politicized fundamentalists and it's first 1500 years were not exactly models of the Kingdom. Man is incapable of avoiding division and strife in the pursuit of power. That is why God's concept of putting others before self becomes short lived in any religion.The Muslim world isn’t very cohesive. It’s full of conflicting factions and warring political and economic interests.