"All paths are equally valid."

[LovebirdsFlying]

I have this comic-strip scenario playing in my head. You tell me what you think. The way I feel, it goes like this: Person A says, "I'm a neopagan." Crowd reaction, "That's OK. All paths are equally valid." Person B says, "I'm agnostic." Crowd reaction, "That's OK. All paths are equally valid." Person C says, "I lean more toward Hindu." Crowd reaction, "That's OK. All paths are equally valid." Person D says, "I am a Bible-believing Christian." Crowd reaction, "*Splutter* What an outmoded concept! How brainwashed are you? Haven't you ever learned to think for yourself?" So there goes equally valid, right?

Has this been your experience? It certainly has mine. I have quoted Scripture in my Facebook status, and I've gotten, "Hey, this is Facebook, not church!" But let somebody post a status update that speaks out AGAINST God, the Bible, or Christians, and that's their right to freedom of expression. Double standard?

 

[MrJim]

Lovers of darkness always fear light...

 

[dysert]

Yes, double standard. Get used to it -- it's not going away.

 

[Tamarind]

I have this comic-strip scenario playing in my head. You tell me what you think. The way I feel, it goes like this: Person A says, "I'm a neopagan." Crowd reaction, "That's OK. All paths are equally valid." Person B says, "I'm agnostic." Crowd reaction, "That's OK. All paths are equally valid." Person C says, "I lean more toward Hindu." Crowd reaction, "That's OK. All paths are equally valid." Person D says, "I am a Bible-believing Christian." Crowd reaction, "*Splutter* What an outmoded concept! How brainwashed are you? Haven't you ever learned to think for yourself?" So there goes equally valid, right?

Has this been your experience? It certainly has mine. I have quoted Scripture in my Facebook status, and I've gotten, "Hey, this is Facebook, not church!" But let somebody post a status update that speaks out AGAINST God, the Bible, or Christians, and that's their right to freedom of expression. Double standard?

I am thinking it is that they see Christianity as bad because of how some Christians have acted. I think it is like how it is OK to make fun of people who are fat or who have different coloured hair because it is a joke, but making fun of people of a different race is not a joke because it is hatred. People do not see the hurt they do to those they make it acceptable to hate or be mean to because it is OK, but they see it in others because it is not OK. I do not understand people who cannot see they are not seeing the wrong they are doing.

I do not know.

 

[OliverC]

Hi LovebirdsFlying
My experience is the same.

The other religions you listed in your example differ from Christianity in that they do not tend to Prosthelytize. Christianity has a reputation for Prosthelytizing which I feel puts some people's guard up instantly.

Also I think is based on where we live i.e. Christian societies where most of us are educated and have an opinion already.

Just some thoughts in reflection to yours.

 

[dysert]

Hi LovebirdsFlying
My experience is the same.

The other religions you listed in your example differ from Christianity in that they do not tend to Prosthelytize. Christianity has a reputation for Prosthelytizing which I feel puts some people's guard up instantly.

Also I think is based on where we live i.e. Christian societies where most of us are educated and have an opinion already.

Just some thoughts in reflection to yours.

Yes, proselytizing could have something to do with it. So could the fact that Christianity is not all-inclusive. The Bible teaches there's only one way to be saved, and most people have a problem with that. Also, Christianity sets a high bar for moral behavior, and people don't want to live up to those expectations and/or are turned off when professing Christians don't live up to them ourselves. Everyone can spot hypocrisy a mile away.

There are lots of reasons why people could say they love (a) God, but are antagonistic about Christianity.

Luke 6:22 -> "Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake."

 

[OliverC]

Yes, proselytizing could have something to do with it. So could the fact that Christianity is not all-inclusive. The Bible teaches there's only one way to be saved, and most people have a problem with that. Also, Christianity sets a high bar for moral behavior, and people don't want to live up to those expectations and/or are turned off when professing Christians don't live up to them ourselves. Everyone can spot hypocrisy a mile away.

There are lots of reasons why people could say they love (a) God, but are antagonistic about Christianity.

Luke 6:22 -> "Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake."

Good points, Dysert, I agree.

I think the threat of Hell and punishment tends to result in people rejecting Christianity without further investigation (I know it kept me away as a teenager).

I don't wish to upset anyone, but there are aspects of Christianity which don't make sense easily and also there is an overlap of Christianity and politics which I know makes some people turn against Christianity.

Going back to your point on moral standards, I am still a little confused and I am reading the NT at present, so I wonder if there are others who turn away from confusion or mixed messages from different churches. It is easier to say "no" than to invest in trying to learn at times.

Lastly it doesn't help that the media pick up on cults, such as the Wacko incident. Such instances give a negative stigma to getting involved in Christ.

 

[dysert]

Good points, Dysert, I agree.

I think the threat of Hell and punishment tends to result in people rejecting Christianity without further investigation (I know it kept me away as a teenager).

I don't wish to upset anyone, but there are aspects of Christianity which don't make sense easily and also there is an overlap of Christianity and politics which I know makes some people turn against Christianity.

Going back to your point on moral standards, I am still a little confused and I am reading the NT at present, so I wonder if there are others who turn away from confusion or mixed messages from different churches. It is easier to say "no" than to invest in trying to learn at times.

Lastly it doesn't help that the media pick up on cults, such as the Wacko incident. Such instances give a negative stigma to getting involved in Christ.

You're right. People know what they know about Christianity by seeing how it's lived out by folks who call themselves Christian. I'm the same way, for example, about Islam. I've never looked into Islam because of the way I see it lived out by the extremists (if in fact they are the extremists?). Seeing hate, murder, and suicide doesn't motivate me to want to learn more about their beliefs.

All the more reason why, if we're going to put a fish decal on our car, we'd better be living the way Christ expects.

 

[LovebirdsFlying]

Which brings to mind, dysert, what our pastor said. "The worst thing we can do to the world is to get out there and act just like them." Thank you for the Beatitude quote. It's a comfort, and a needed reminder.

And yes, OliverC, I'm sure the media is far less likely to cover our church services than they are to get footage of a Fred Phelps protest somewhere. Because it's just as Jim says. The darkness fears the light, and will do all it can to make the light look bad so people don't want it.

Just a few minutes ago I surfed into a drug recovery blog. At the mere mention of God in the comments section, all chaos broke loose. It was open season on God and Christians. And you know who threw the biggest knives? The blogger herself. God had been mentioned so gently, but her words dripped venom as she called Him names I can't repeat here and compared His followers to men who rent women out for sexual services. I was glad for the one responder who pointed out, "I'm an atheist, but even I can see that YOU are the one who is judging others and cramming your beliefs down their throats." He asked her to please shut up and not make those who show respect look bad.

Is it proper to say "Amen" to an atheist?

 

[Denisa Tharsos]

I am so used with that. Here, in Romania, it is OK to name God or virgin Mary or any other saint, but if you speak about "Jesus" people freak out. Also, here protestants are called "repenters" and they are highly mocked (90% of the country is neo-protestant and many of them are thought to HATE protestants). Of course, I know that we have a big part of guilt because of our behavior. Many pretend they are saints but their lifestyle denies it.

But yes, people treat me difererent because I am a Christian. Even if I don't wear a scarf on my head or long dresses, I do admit publicly that I follow Jesus and I try to obey His commands as good as I can. From 2 years I participate at a debate program at University and until now, the teachers didn't allow me to defend Christianity and they had a weird attitude near me. Those are the same teachers who teach that people should be tolerant to every form of exprimation, hehe. Also, my former colleagues used to slightly change their behavior when I was around and sometimes they were looking weird at me, even though I did not do something special.

When I first became a Christian my parents, who are against "repenters" tried everything they could to convince me I was doing wrong; they even wanted to closed me in the house, so I won't go to church. My father still makes all kind of annoying statements. But I am grateful that I am not in a worse situation.

 

[OliverC]

Hi Lovebirdsflying
Welcome to the forum Denisa!

I was interested in your post Denisa, I didn't know that about Romania.

I am pretty sure, reading both your examples, that it all boils down to politics.
Politics is really about representing peoples likes and dislikes. There are people and political groups which do not base their likes and dislikes or agenda, on Christianity (or the same denomination).

So they voice opposition to Jesus or a denomination when really they mean that they are against what that might mean to their life politically and socially.

It has become mixed up to the point where it is a struggle to tell them apart.

I once read a comment where someone said "Satan loves to cause divisions amongst us". I feel this is true, there is nothing more destructive.

 

[Denisa Tharsos]

Well, I think this hate towards protestants were fueled by the communists. They lead the country more than 40 years and they really persecuted the church. Middle-age and older people still have that hate and rejection promoted by the communists againts protestants.

Nowadays, politics doesn't really influence religion a lot. They didn't get there yet. But our parents and grandparents tought us very well to stay away from "repenters". I remember how my grandmother didn't even let me to get near them. I also watch a TV program and a priest was basically telling people to hate protestants. But, as I said, we have our guilt because of the way we treat orthodox people. It is so true that most of them think they are going to heaven but have no idea about grace, faith in Jesus or sanctification; but protestants really act as they were superior to them. I think that things developed a little bit lately, but I know that people were made to follow all kind of rules and laws you can't find in the Bible. Not to say that many repent ONLY because the Christian church receives money and other stuff from other countries and they give them away to others. I have friends who repented (if you can say this) only for this. But of course there are a lot of good Christians who live the Word and they are such a blessing.

Young people basically mock protestants basically because of the new culture of tolerance, which is the same in America, no?

 

[LovebirdsFlying]

Bless you Denisa, and welcome to the forums. I relate to your struggle, even here in the land of the "free," with my family. For the most part, they consider themselves Christians because they acknowledge the historical existence of Jesus Christ, but I am more likely to hear them quote Deepak Chopra, Kahlil Gibran, or the book "The Secret" than the Bible. And when I point to John 14:7, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me," (NKJV) it gets totally shrugged off. My own mother will answer it with, "Well, Jesus is the way for you, and maybe Buddha is the way for somebody else," at which point I close my ears, just as hers are closed to the Gospel, sadly. She believes in astrology and reincarnation, but again, if asked, she will insist that she is a Christian.

A thought just occurred to me: Pastor also said recently that the people who are openly hostile to God and Christians, the ones who mock the most angrily and the most vocally, are closer to being saved than the ones who just don't care. Thoughts on that?

 

[Denisa Tharsos]

A thought just occurred to me: Pastor also said recently that the people who are openly hostile to God and Christians, the ones who mock the most angrily and the most vocally, are closer to being saved than the ones who just don't care. Thoughts on that?

Yes, this can be true in some cases. For example, I wrote about the teachers who didn't let me to speak about God, even when they mocked Him. One of them is teaching a course I attend this semester. He once said that the Bible is illogical and Irational. Well, at a course I was able to speak a little about God (it is a course that involves speaking about human nature,too, so it is easy to make a transition) and he stated that "he is shocked about Jesus' teachings, and the way he said it made it clear that in a good way. Now he really respects me and he even apologized when, some weeks ago, he spoke bad about God. It is a HUGE change and I pray for him.

Also, before I was converted, I used to mock Christians, to hate them and to always speak against them. I thought their churches were demonic places.

 

[dysert]

A thought just occurred to me: Pastor also said recently that the people who are openly hostile to God and Christians, the ones who mock the most angrily and the most vocally, are closer to being saved than the ones who just don't care. Thoughts on that?

He's probably thinking of the admonition given to the church at Laodicea in Rev. 3:15 --> "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot."

 

[iambren]

Tolerance= when all religious thought is respected...unless you believe Jesus is the only way to escape damnation.

People are lazy. They don't want absolute truth because they have to work to find it. But rebellion is in their souls to bow to any authority, they will not tolerate that.

I believe in the Christian God who not only is the only way but who also elects those that find the way! I'm really out. But I give respect to all men to believe otherwise, having their "wisdom" to go to hell by. Ultimately everyone will bow to the true God/Jesus anyway.

 

[Tigger45]

I believe it's because of the world's view "the truth hurts".
Gal. 5:11b...Then the offense of the corss has ceased.
1 Pet. 2:8 "A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.

but believers see the truth as healing and life.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way the truth, and the life..."
John 8:32 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free''

 

[Denisa Tharsos]

Tolerance= when all religious thought is respected...unless you believe Jesus is the only way to escape damnation.

People are lazy. They don't want absolute truth because they have to work to find it. But rebellion is in their souls to bow to any authority, they will not tolerate that.

I believe in the Christian God who not only is the only way but who also elects those that find the way! I'm really out. But I give respect to all men to believe otherwise, having their "wisdom" to go to hell by. Ultimately everyone will bow to the true God/Jesus anyway.

I totally agree with you! But this tolerance is driving me crazy...because is tolerance to anything rather Christianity...