Losing empathy for Christians.

[Hikarifuru]

Yesterday i was watching the news and as i saw that ISIS was trying to kill these christians i realized that i felt no sympathy for these christians because they were christians. Witnessing myself acting in such an immoral manner shocked me. I know its wrong and i immediately set about correcting it. I didnt know i was losing so much love and kindness and growing so cold and becoming so much like these murderers. I know that if i saw these events take place id realize my problem immediately and i would die trying to help them, but i didnt know i could have this pattern or grudge within myself. Its disturbing.

Have any of you found yourself becoming cold toward people who oppose your beliefs? Do you let these little debates become you?

 

[prov1810]

I think politics and other controversial matters are a major source of stress for many people. These things can leave us chronically irritated and it warps the way we perceive other human beings.

The cure for this is to pray for the well-being of any person or group that we think about often, and to have joy in thinking of them in this way. So everything becomes compassion and we never abandon compassion as a way of thinking and living. If we do this we are in the truth.

Thank you for your honesty, Dean. We are all carrying the same load, the same temptations, the same old human problems. Your post about Islamic State is a reminder to me to pray for everyone involved in that situation.

 

[Hikarifuru]

Good post Prov1810

 

[graceandpeace]

I've been cold & calloused at times, yes. It's why I daily pray for God to have mercy on me, a sinner.

 

[dcalling]

I've been cold too, remember I had no compassion for crying kids in those movie senses. Geting softer and softer, could be because I became a christian, or maybe I am getting older.

Let's pray for all those people who are been prosecuted.

 

[Angelquill]

It's just really hard for me to imagine watching people kill one another, or watching children crying, and not feel something.

 

[ValleyGal]

Interesting post, Dean. Yes, I do think we can become desensitized to certain things. Many years ago, I cried when I saw the commercials of extremely malnourished African children. Now not so much - partly from being desensitized but partly from knowing the small percentage of money that actually goes to helping the children.

My own experience with the gist of what you are saying has to do with my own capacity for sin. I was being attacked by my ex, and he choked me until I passed out. When I came to, I fought back in a way that could do a lot of damage to a guy, but I was in my right mind enough to limit how hard I fought, and I managed to buy enough time to get to safety. After I finally calmed down and started to introspect about it, I realized the capacity for sin within me. If I needed to, at the height of my adrenaline rush, I could have done serious damage or heaven forbid, more, in order to keep myself safe. Knowing this dark part of me exists actually scares me, but it also motivates me to further draw closer to my holy God...there is no holiness for me apart from Christ.

 

[Sketcher]

Sometimes, a little. Prayer helps me rebound.

DeanW: Did you see the same photos of the Christians and other ISIS victims in Iraq that I saw? Or did you just hear sanitized reports? I'm just curious to see what level of exposure you had when you saw that you were unmoved. (And I'm glad that your inner shock at your complacency moved you.)

 

[Messy]

Yesterday i was watching the news and as i saw that ISIS was trying to kill these christians i realized that i felt no sympathy for these christians because they were christians. Witnessing myself acting in such an immoral manner shocked me. I know its wrong and i immediately set about correcting it. I didnt know i was losing so much love and kindness and growing so cold and becoming so much like these murderers. I know that if i saw these events take place id realize my problem immediately and i would die trying to help them, but i didnt know i could have this pattern or grudge within myself. Its disturbing.

Have any of you found yourself becoming cold toward people who oppose your beliefs? Do you let these little debates become you?

Colder yes, less interested, since some didn't listen and I expected them to miraculously get saved at once after I talked to them LOL. I used to fervently pray for hours a day mostly for atheists and those opposing ones I liked the most, I prayed for twenty years for my granddad, he tried to pull the whole family from their faith.
I got tired of those stupid discussions on a freethinker forum with no fruit, well maybe I should have prayed instead of that useless trying to convert them which only got them annoyed.

Those things on television are just too bad, I act as if it doesn't exist, I see a headline and think: 'oh my that's bad' and that's it, I protect myself from it. I don't want to see it or I bagatellize it, oh they first shot them and then crucified them, that's not that gruesome. On the other hand it does wake me up to pray again for a move of God and a world revival and everyone saved.
To be honest: When Hamas terrorists are killed I don't care a bit, I do care about the Palestinians. Love your enemies, hmm, not really. That's bad. Those christians forgive the ones that kill them.

 

[food4thought]

Hi again Dean;

Yes, I struggle with losing compassion for some people, and even have very unloving and judgmental thoughts towards them. For instance, as Iraq dissolved into various militant Islamic groups fighting everyone who does not believe exactly as they do, and more and more moderate Islamic people and people of other faiths were being threatened and even killed, I began to think that we should just airlift all the non-Muslims out and then let the Muslims kill each other. Because of all the horrible things that Militant Islamists have been doing, I was losing compassion for all Muslims... over a billion people.

I asked God to forgive me and change my heart towards them. It is in our natural make-up to accept "us" and be against "them", but Jesus calls us to let this nature die within us and to let the Spirit create within us a new nature, full of love for our enemies. As a Christian I have two natures, my natural one that I should be actively putting to death, and a new Spiritual nature that I should be actively nurturing... this is a battle that will not end until the day I stand before my Lord in heaven. Part of the problem with the visible church is that so few Christians seem to be trying very hard...

 

[pyramid33]

All people deserve love, that is the whole point. None deserve to die at a murder's hand.

 

[orangeness365]

I have that problem too. I have a hard time sympathizing with the people that are a part of ISIS because I see them as an enemy to Christians. However, every person has the chance to be saved in Christ before they die, so I try to see everybody as potential Christians.

 

[Hikarifuru]

Sometimes, a little. Prayer helps me rebound.

DeanW: Did you see the same photos of the Christians and other ISIS victims in Iraq that I saw? Or did you just hear sanitized reports? I'm just curious to see what level of exposure you had when you saw that you were unmoved. (And I'm glad that your inner shock at your complacency moved you.)

Ive only heard reports.

 

[Hikarifuru]

Valleygal

Well i dont think you attacking your attacker is really the same as this but yes i do think doing the same thing back isnt justice.

 

[Hikarifuru]

Messy

Thanks for being honest. I myself just hide from it all over here. I shape a beautiful dome in my music or my video games or my books. Out of sight out of mind.

 

[Hikarifuru]

Food4thought

Well the idea that you will forever struggle with it concerns me, a battle you never plan to win sounds like pretense to me. It sounds very superficial, like ypu have no plan or desire or need to ever really change and you feel thats ok. Thats just how it sounds to me when people say they know theyll never really change or stop till heaven.

 

[Hikarifuru]

All people deserve love, that is the whole point. None deserve to die at a murder's hand.

I agree, no one.

 

[Hikarifuru]

I have that problem too. I have a hard time sympathizing with the people that are a part of ISIS because I see them as an enemy to Christians. However, every person has the chance to be saved in Christ before they die, so I try to see everybody as potential Christians.

I think being a human is enough reason to treat them right. I dont think really need a reason.

 

[dcalling]

Yesterday i was watching the news and as i saw that ISIS was trying to kill these christians i realized that i felt no sympathy for these christians because they were christians. Witnessing myself acting in such an immoral manner shocked me. I know its wrong and i immediately set about correcting it. I didnt know i was losing so much love and kindness and growing so cold and becoming so much like these murderers. I know that if i saw these events take place id realize my problem immediately and i would die trying to help them, but i didnt know i could have this pattern or grudge within myself. Its disturbing.

Have any of you found yourself becoming cold toward people who oppose your beliefs? Do you let these little debates become you?

It still bother me a bit that you hate christians so much. Do you got abused by some of the Christians or is it just the entire/part of the teachings that you don't like?

 

[Hikarifuru]

Dcalling

I dont hate christians, i hate what they commonly think and what their book says. This is because of the things those ideas did to me and do to humans.

Sometimes i struggle to remember to limit my aversion to their ideas and not let myself lose my love and compassion for them and all people.