let’s face it – Christians are not among the most loved and respected people when it comes to those outside of the church and i have often wondered why this is and so i started thinking about some of the core basics of this religion and suddenly it makes a lot of sense. When you look at what Christians intrinsically fundamentally believe (i’m not talking how some of them act or those who claim to be Christians but are living contrary to what being a Christian is meant to be but those who are actively living out what the Bible teaches) then it becomes pretty obvious why we are despised and hated and regarded with suspicion
so let me take a couple of notes – purely by looking at the basics of what Christianity is about or meant to be about – to show why it is valid to hate Christianity…
part I – the Love
in the book of matthew chapter 22 one of the local religious leaders comes up to Jesus and basically asks Him to define/sum up the Jewish law with the question ‘which law is the most important?’
Jesus responds by answering, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind, and love your neighbour as yourself. All the law and the prophets hang on this command.’
now if you study a bit further and read in the book paul writes to the early corinthian church you can find a description of just what is meant by this love command in chapter 13. not the kind of love sold by hollywood which is all about selfishly getting what you want and about instant gratification through sex and so on. no, instead paul writes,
‘Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. It always protect, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.’
i mean, there you have it right there – the heart beat of Christianity and how deplorable it is. a love description that is more choice and commitment than feeling. that focuses on the needs and well-being of the other person rather than oneself. that seeks to build up someone else even when it means i get hurt in the process
no wonder they hate us if that is what we’re all about…
for the second point of ‘reasons to hate Christianity’, click here.
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To be honest, it might make SOME people uncomfortable, but I don’t think Matthew 22 or 1 Corinthians 13 are going to cause much hatred. More like respect, and possibly begging the question…why can’t the bastards keep it this simple and drop all the crap. That’s not to say that it isn’t a challenge. But it’s a fair challenge, and one that people can match given encouragement, support, and a reasonably OK upbringing. Or later help.
ps Many atheists might be happy to swap the “Love God with all your heart” bit to “Love Life with all your heart”. It might sound different on the surface, but I suspect that in practise it might not be worlds apart.