Four Legs Good, Two Legs Bad

[Alan]

Hi all.

I need to share my problems with a wider audience and gain from your insight. For some months now I have been having a real crisis of faith.

Most of you will be familiar with the phrase 'Four legs good, two legs bad' from Orwell's 'Animal Farm'. Recently it has come to haunt me with regard to my faith. I do not and cannot understand how we as Christians allow ourselves to remain so judgmental about our brothers and sisters who worship Christ in different ways and churches. Not only am I having difficulty with the way I encounter so many examples of Christians seriously believing that their branch of Christianity is the best but also believing that those who worship at different churches are inferior. There isn't a nice way to put this but we are all aware of how utterly vile some Protestant opinions of Roman Catholics can be and how utterly vile some Roman Catholic opinions about Protestants can be. That's just at the top of the pile, it fragments all the way down. We seem to spend so much time defending and promoting our own little cliques and sneering at anyone who is not part of our exclusive little club. Daily I am forced to ask myself how I can continue as a Christian when I am so deeply out of step.

Then there is the attitude we have to those who are not Christians. It seems like if a Christian does something deeply sickeningly utterly wrong we can forgive them in an instant but if a non-Christian points out our disgusting behaviour the tirade of abuse we inflict on that person knows no limit. We have to face it that the church has harboured a whole lot of child abusers but when we are exposed by non-believers our hatred towards the non-believer goes to full strength yet we can't hush up the actual child abuse too quickly. Every single one of us can think of an instance where that has occurred. I set that as an example but it doesn't take much to show identical behaviour on a number of issues. I'm seeing a rise in anti-Semitism being backed by the church ( particularly but not exclusively in Poland ) I'm seeing some disgusting blood-lust towards Muslims and Muslim countries and as for gays and lesbians: those who have the courage to attend churches are treated as if they suffer from the most disgusting disease imaginable and those who are non-Christians are sometimes openly abused in the streets by Christians. All of this seems to be either OK or tolerable so long as the perpetrator of these attacks is a Christian. Yet let an Atheist, Agnostic, Jew. Muslim or whathaveyou behave in an identical way and we spare nothing in the force of our outpourings. I am having the greatest of difficulty continuing in a faith that behaves so badly on a day to day basis. As Christians we criticise each other if we are in some way different. We tolerate behaviour in ourselves that we would preach mighty sermons about if others did the same and we have no respect for those of other faiths or lifestyles. Yet we believe that we are the ones that God will call his own while the good man who is an Atheist will fry in Hell. What makes it worse is that there is always a Biblical passage that supports such vile behaviour to the letter - so I must be wrong. All of scripture tells me I am wrong. The Bible is no help to me, it sends me further into the wilderness. I find it harder as every day goes by to associate with those things that are Christian.

I have shared these thoughts with my vicar. I think he wishes I'd shut up and go away or at least shut up. Any thoughts?

[Genie]

[Karla]

Apart from being hopping mad at your vicar, I think my first reaction is that you're likely to find petty, closed-minded people everywhere. Unfortunately, not all people who call themselves Christians love their neighbour, despite its importance as a fundamental law.

As for your faith, I couldn't presume to say anything about that; it's between you and your creator to forge out that most precious of relationships. But it is your relationship, and doesn't have much to do with how other Christians live or don't live out their faith.

[sstanek14]

I don't post much on this board but I will try to offer some insight. I understand your position. My wife, who is now Christian, at one time thought people were ignorant to believe in Christianity because their actual behavior did not reflect someone who is religious. Yes, we are all sinners and unfortuneatly we are not good examples of our faith or of Jesus' teachings. Scripture can be misused to back a myriad of claims and is wrongly used as justification for evil acts. Yet the teaching of Jesus was consistent; we are to love God with our whole hearts and minds and love our neighbors as ourselves. But people are not perfect. Consider Romans 7:14-17 (NIV): "We know that the law is spirtitual; but I am unspirtual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer myself who do it, but it is sin living in me." Paul is talking about the sinfulness of man. Due to our fallen nature, we will fall into sin. Now, misrepresenting the teachings of our Lord can be considered a sin (bearing false witness). I think Christians often confuse what the Scripture teaches about how they should act in their lives. They read that homosexuality is wrong and then seek to condem those who are thus misguided (I only use this as an example and do not wish to spark a debate). But we should remember to act out of Love, not spite or hate, and judge not, for we all shall be judged. What helps me is the fact that Jesus, or God, is represented in all humans (Matt. 25:40). Thus, I must treat them with Love and respect, even if their behavior is wrong. Hate the sin, not the sinner. So, Christians often do not act of Love, but be careful. God, due to his nature, cannot lie. Thus the teachings of Jesus are ture and unchanging. People can be mistaken, God cannot be. The command to love your neighbor is unmoveable. Acting on anything other than love for each other is contradictory to the Word and a sin. C. S. Lewis stated in Mere Christianity that his most frequent sin was against charity towards his fellow man. I would hesitate to deny Jesus based on the attitudes and actions that his followers exhibit. Give them a second chance. Forgive them. Read the Scripture and find a Church that teaches what Jesus taught, not politics of the age. I am saddend that Christians often drive people away because of their behavior. But Jesus Christ died for us all, and thus forgiving our sins. Follow Jesus, not man. Also, we all can make the case for Christianity better if we act out of love and are well versed in our knowledge of the teachings of Jesus, and share these with people when they fall.

[calliope_queene]

I understand--it's hard not to slip in the faith. I think it's sad your vicar doesn't seem more understanding...I've been coming through a time of questioning and doubting, not necessarily about the things you've described, but rather similar.
It's difficult for Christians when they want to do what is right, but do it in such an unloving manner. However, I must say, there are a lot of Christians who do reach out to unbelievers with compassion instead of desperately trying to convert or judge. It's a tough balance.
I think it's good that you find these flaws in the church. It is good to honestly criticise things. But, like everyone else has said, it is your relationship to God, not others'.

[Karen]

Hi Alan. Do you know Christians who don't behave as you've described? People who really do love their neighbor, no matter what that neighbor's beliefs, race, or behavior might be? If so (and I hope you do), look to them and most of all, look to God. If you believe in what Jesus taught and in the new life he has imparted to us, live that kind of life. In doing so, you will counteract the lack of love you see around you and perhaps change some hearts along the way.

[robsia]

Sadly, this is one of the reaosns why I began to question Christianity.

When I was at college I was a very hard fast Christian and had many Christian friends and we all went to the same church and had prayer meetings and belonged to a Christian drama group etc.

One of our number, my best friend, after years of denial eventually came out as gay.

He told one of the others first and she told him how evil his thoughts were and that she would pray for him to be 'cured.'

Then he came to me.

I hugged him and said it was OK and that he was very brave to finally come out. He then cried on my shoulder and told me what the other 'friend' had said.

[Donna]

[Bill]

[Alan]

[Steve]