So, I consider myself a practicing Christian. That is to say, I have to practice a lot because I'm not really good at it. Still, I make an effort to follow the basic tenets of my faith in my daily life. I often fail, but I try. I do my best not to shove my religion into other people's faces, and I don't act like I'm better than everyone else because of my religion. I figure if I can show others that my life is better because of my faith they're more likely to come around than if I yell at them about hellfire and brimstone, and maybe if I acknowledge the suffering that others have put up with at the hands of the church, they'll realize that not all Christians are crazy bastards.
That said, I have encountered far too many people in my daily life who talk about how wonderful God is and how he's changed their lives who then commence to be utter douchebags. If you've ever worked in customer service on a Sunday, you know exactly what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the people who just got out of church and then come in for lunch and berate you because extra sauce costs fifty cents, or who have screaming horrid children and a party of twelve and then don't tip, or the jerk who comes in and complains because a dollar is too much for a clearance book. As a manager I once had put it, they just got out of church and they're ready to sin. This is not Christian behavior, and if you find yourself acting like this, you should be ashamed of yourself. Being Christian is more than showing up to church for an hour or two on Sunday and then doing whatever you want the rest of the time. Behavior like that is what is driving young people away from the church in droves. We're all human, and none of us can live up to the impossible expectations set by our religion. So let's not pretend we're perfect and then go out and be assholes.
And while I'm up on this soapbox (I'm going to do my best to keep this the only religion related post on here, so bear with me), I'd like to address another issue I keep seeing with so called Christians. It is the refusal to explore anything that is "ungodly." I see this the most often with fantasy books, and many of the young adult books that are out right now. They'll refuse to read a book because it contains witchcraft and devil worshiping, not even realizing that it doesn't actually contain either. They blindly follow close minded "pastors," and won't even consider thinking for themselves, because that would be "sinful" and they would be kicked out of their church and all their friends would abandon them. And, of course, this happens with a lot more than books. Either way, what the hell sort of Christianity is that? Abandoning your friends because they want to think for themselves? Because they want to be able to defend their position with something other than a rote response? Maybe I have the wrong understanding of the whole thing, but I thought God wanted us to follow him of our own free will. While blind faith in God is all well and good, mankind is infinitely fallible. And while I get the impression that following God without any solid proof is preferred, in these times, some kind of proof is helpful, and if the story of Doubting Thomas is any indication, God will give you something that will convince you if you ask persistently enough. So why not ask questions if it'll strengthen your faith? Oh, but wait, that's the problem. Many of these people avoid certain subjects because they're afraid it'll weaken their faith. But if their faith is true, nothing they can read or watch can ruin that. And if you don't really believe, you have no room to be condemning others because they don't believe what you do. Now, getting back to the ungodly materials. God has given us all gifts, right? Many of us were given the gift of creating things, be it stories, films, music, or art. So if he gave us those gifts, wouldn't he want us to enjoy the fruits of these labors? So how about instead of being douchebags, we try actually living our faith and be the loving individuals that our religion calls for? Because douchebaggery is NOT a Christian virtue, and if you're going to act that way you are almost certainly on the road to a dark place.
That is all.
(next time: Ponies!!!!!!!!!!)
Preach, sistah!
ReplyDeleteAMEN!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAmen. Goodbye to douchebaggery. I have met several numb nuts who said and did all the right religious things, but when it came to character and attitude, they made straight F's. But the problem is, most Christians are too scared to call a spade a spade and try to be friends with everybody.
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