Originally posted by: HotChic
My purpose in writing this: to dispel or confirm some of the stereotypes about Christians, especially for those who don't really know many Christians personally or well.
Disclaimer: Christians, just like other people, hold a multitude of views, and mine might not be the views of another. If you're a Christian, feel free to post your own views.
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I believe in God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. I honestly believe the only way to heaven is repentance and a true belief in Jesus Christ. I attend church every Sunday and sit on the board of administrators at my current church. I've attended and visited many different denominations in my life so far and I know that there is no single church with perfect theology, doctrine and attitude. I know that different worship styles have nothing to do with the intrinsic rightness or righteousness of a church.
I cuss. Much more frequently than I wish I did, in fact. I say stuff I wouldn't say in front of my mother and I would prefer not to say at all. I'm working on it, but it doesn't bother me when other people swear unless it's in front of kids.
I don't think my beliefs obligate me to a particular political party or figure. My beliefs do drive many of my opinions about social issues. I think abortion is wrong because I, in my heart of hearts, think that a fetus is a baby. I think the war in Iraq is wrong and unjustified. I think that the government should get out of the marriage business (hetero and homosexual alike) and just issue cohabitation licenses to whoever wants them. I support sex education in schools on the basis that hiding knowledge has never helped anyone make a good decision.
Yes, Christians are a seriously screwed up bunch of people. I know that Christians are not perfect; in fact, we may be farther from perfect than almost any other group. Christians became Christian because they knew there was something screwed up in their lives that they couldn't fix, and just becoming Christian doesn't make that go away, it just covers in the mercy of God and maybe gives them some support in helping them work on it.
I can't judge anybody else, no matter what they believe, say or how they live. I'm no better than anybody else and, in my own ways, I'm probably quite a bit worse.
I do believe in hell. And yes, I believe that most people who haven't asked and received God's pardon are probably going there, but that's between them and God and there's lots about God I don't understand. I don't preach hellfire and brimstone. I don't yell at people that they're going to hell; in fact, I've never told anybody that unless specifically asked by them if I believe they are. I think God doesn't just automatically send everyone to heaven because you are given the choice about whether you want to worship and serve God while you're here, and he's not just going to override your choice so you spend eternity doing something you didn't want to do on earth.
I have spoken in tongues, even though I thought I never would and thought the whole idea was kind of weird.
I think other people are perfectly justified in living their lives in whatever way they see fit, whether I think it's right or wrong. I don't think you can legislate morality and I believe it's wrong to try, beyond basic little things like murder, stealing, etc. Everybody should have the choice to sin or not sin however they want, regardless of my opinion. I think God gave us that when he gave us free will and it's not up to humans to take that away.
I don't believe in evolution and I don't think that makes me a moron. I see that science has gone through many many iterations of fact and I doubt that evolution is the last theory that's going to come around. The most prominent scientists in the world used to believe some pretty goofy stuff, and I don't know why that trend should end with our enlightened age. I wonder if the next major iteration of scientific fact about origins will happen in my lifetime.
I'm ashamed by things that have been done by Christians and/or under the guise of Christianity, both historically and in the present. Minor things like the way kids were taught in "Jesus Camp" and major things like the Inquisition or the child molestations and coverup are shameful, wrong and hideous distortions of the message of Christ. I know that there are subgroups of extremist Christians now that hate groups of people, and I know that hate is completely against everything Christ stood for. I think there's a difference between fundamentalists that want to get back to the basics of what Jesus taught and extremists who invent completely unfounded hatreds in the name of religion.
I am distressed that Christianity is publicly represented by such figures as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. I applaud Billy Graham.
I dated in high school. I didn't have sex til I was married. I don't judge my friends who did. I don't believe sex is just for procreation; it's just too much fun for that! I don't believe preventative forms of birth control are a sin.
I think that Christianity was originally not an organized religion and that, while it was inevitable it became one, much harm has been done because organized religions are an earthly construct and in general tend towards corruption. I don't divorce myself from it because of that but instead work to do what I can to improve it.
I know some Christians isolate themselves and their families and wrongly shield their children from the world instead of teaching them how to conduct themselves well in spite of it. I also know it's possible to have parents raise their children without outside interference and still do it well. I was homeschooled, learned about other religions from the foundational writers of those religions, learned history by reading the great historical authors, learned science and math by taking classes outside my home. I was exposed to the fact that there are terrible things in the world and then taught that I have a personal responsibility to live my life according to a different set of principles and I am accountable for my own choices. I graduated from college at 19.
I rarely speak up about my religion at work because most people there ridicule it and I am not always strong enough in character to risk them thinking me a fool.
I don't think America is a Christian Nation, even though most people might check the "Christian" box on a census. I think most people that consider themselves Christian in the US do it out of a vague memory of being taken to church when they were kids and a general feeling that they believe there's some kind of God out there.
I wish I could apologize to everyone who has ever been hounded by an evangelist, and I also wish I could explain to most of the people who have that the majority of those evangelists are doing that because they really do want the best for the people they talk to and they earnestly believe in what they say. They wouldn't be doing it otherwise.
I don't think that most churches or pastors exist for the purpose of fund raising. I know some televangelists do, and that there are individuals who abuse trust and embezzle money, but that the majority of people are good stewards, the majority of money goes to help people.
I don't believe I do enough to help others and I want to improve in how I give, especially of my time, to people who need it.
Cliffs: a few of my views as a Christian - see the first sentence of the post.
Pic to up the readership