Why are Christians supposed to be gentle and polite?

[VCR-2000]

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?

 

[thecolorsblend]

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 think Our Lord was speaking to persecution on that. If we are being persecuted for our faith, there are limits to what we ought to do.

Mind you, starting with the Boomers that advice got warped into a position of total pacifism (unless it's to fight wars for muh Israel, that is) and as you say, it's destroying western civilization. Historically, Christian nations didn't think twice about dropping the hammer on somebody when their homelands were threatened. I would support a return to that model.

 

[Jude1:3Contendforthefaith]

Well, not all of Us Christians are weak, gentle or passive :

.

 

[timothyu]

Man was tossed from the Garden for pursuing self interest. That self interest leads to seeking gain at the expense of others, self determination of what is good and evil to serve self and so on. This leads to ALL the trouble in the world of man. Jesus taught us the will of the Father and the way of the kingdom, which is to serve others over self. This counteracts self interest. But when a religion seeks to become a power, that concept once again gets lost in the pursuit of self interest.

 

[Aussie Pete]

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 had a dispute with my neighbours and I refused to back down. They accused me of not being very Christian. I said that I'm not a carpet and I was not going to be walked over. We should not be rude. We should be gentle. But that does not mean weak, indecisive or easily manipulated. Lord Jesus whipped the money changers. Nothing meek and mild about that.

 

[.Mikha'el.]

"Turning the other cheek" doesn't mean we have to give others a license to treat us like a doormat and walk all over us.

 

[Not David]

It's just an excuse used by non-Christians who believe Christ was a liberal pacifist yet at the same time a Communist revolutionary.

 

[thecolorsblend]

I think Our Lord was speaking to persecution on that. If we are being persecuted for our faith, there are limits to what we ought to do.

Mind you, starting with the Boomers that advice got warped into a position of total pacifism (unless it's to fight wars for muh Israel, that is) and as you say, it's destroying western civilization. Historically, Christian nations didn't think twice about dropping the hammer on somebody when their homelands were threatened. I would support a return to that model.

Something else.

I believe (but could be wrong) that God has given some pretty broad authority to the state to maintain law and order, establish justice, punish wrongdoers, etc. This is strictly my opinion. But I believe that God's a realist. I think He understands only too well that law and order sometimes means busting a few heads in order to get the job done. I'll even say that He's done that Himself a few times when His hand was forced.

Another thing is Our Lord's admonition about turning the other cheek carried a cultural resonance in the ancient world that doesn't necessarily exist today. The type of physical abuse He talked about would've been considered an attack on one's personal honor back in the ancient world. Somebody attacked in that way would've been expected to fight back to protect his honor.

So when Our Lord said to turn the other cheek, today we would call that a psy-op. It's psychological warfare in the extreme. Not resisting abuse/persecution even though social norms of the time would've demanded otherwise is gossip that would've spread far and wide... carrying the Gospel with it.

But in today's world, not defending oneself against physical assault can actually be the smarter move under certain circumstances. It's not a poor reflection on one's honor in today's world to not resist an attack like that. In the west, we don't have the same conception of shame/honor that exists in other parts of the world.

I have no real ending to this post so I'll just say "Orange Vanilla Coca Cola".

 

[VCR-2000]

I think Our Lord was speaking to persecution on that. If we are being persecuted for our faith, there are limits to what we ought to do.

Mind you, starting with the Boomers that advice got warped into a position of total pacifism (unless it's to fight wars for muh Israel, that is) and as you say, it's destroying western civilization. Historically, Christian nations didn't think twice about dropping the hammer on somebody when their homelands were threatened. I would support a return to that model.

Obviously, I was not around when the Boomers were young so I lack the perspective of that experience.

 

[VCR-2000]

Well, not all of Us Christians are weak, gentle or passive :

.

It's just the impression I got from it off today's teachings.

 

[Lord Give Me A Sign]

I dont consider myself worthy of defending but i would fight to defend others, especially women and children

As Christians our most powerful weapons are love and the truth. It takes great strength to only use these weapons while not resorting to anger, cuss words, violence etc

Being gentle and polite are fruits of the spirit. If we act like the rest of society and blend in, we are being a poor representation of Jesus Christ. We must stand out by not resorting to the same tactics that society uses

 

[thecolorsblend]

Obviously, I was not around when the Boomers were young so I lack the perspective of that experience.

Neither was I. I'm basing my premise around the modern Boomer's "muh Israel forever!!!!" nonsense that's turned modern day evangelical Christianity into a coffee bar.

 

[Not David]

Neither was I. I'm basing my premise around the modern Boomer's "muh Israel forever!!!!" nonsense that's turned modern day evangelical Christianity into a coffee bar.

My former Baptist Church has an Israel flag by the reception

 

[Francis Drake]

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.

Speaking as a bible believing Christian-
Although weak pacifism is the interpretation most Christians pursue, I don't believe its biblical.

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.

Agreed. Islam today has set out to replace Christian culture in the western world, largely because passive Christians have abdicated from any involvement or resistance.

But even if you are Christian, do you also honestly wonder if Christianity is weak or at least has been weakened?

You are absolutely right in your judgement of western emasculated Christianity, but that's not my Christianity.
As far as I am concerned, passive churches get what they deserves.

 

[thecolorsblend]

My former Baptist Church has an Israel flag by the reception

I'm sorry to hear that. I'll be praying for them.

 

[Francis Drake]

It's just an excuse used by non-Christians who believe Christ was a liberal pacifist yet at the same time a Communist revolutionary.

It's not just non Christians, most of the church fall for it.

 

[timothyu]

My former Baptist Church has an Israel flag by the reception

You'd think they 'd know Israel disappeared long before Jesus' land of Judah was in the scene.

 

[Sketcher]

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.

The man with a scarred face is a Medal of Honor winning Marine. The other man is a retired SEAL. These are not weak men, but they know the virtue of kindness. Being kind is not weak. Being kind is decent, and sometimes merciful. Christians are called to have mercy. Mercy implies that you are in a position of strength, not weakness - because it means you could damage or destroy the other person, but are choosing not to.

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.

You mention "Islamic civilization" being "intact" and "cohesive" - but the fact of the matter is there are many different Muslim countries, mostly police states, rather than a caliphate. The last pretenders to a caliphate got smashed in Iraq and Syria, and most of the ground troops who smashed them were Muslim. So it seems that whatever you're attributing to Islam isn't very good at keeping it intact or cohesive.

 

[Strathos]

Is being "gentle and polite" suddenly a bad thing?

 

[timothyu]

Is being "gentle and polite" suddenly a bad thing?

Good shall be called bad and bad good