Comments on: Responding as Christians

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 20 Jul 2005 20:06:00 +0000

Good points Roger…very balanced.
Maugham

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 20 Jul 2005 04:11:00 +0000

No doubt it's true there is much hatred of Christians due to misunderstanding. It's a human tendency to fear, distrust, and denigrate that which we do not understand. This is why I think there are lots of people who rail against evangelicals, but often know some who they think are exceptions to the rule (I have Jewish friends who say their parents encountered the same attitude). And it's easy for Christians to rail against atheists in general, but know personally some very kind atheists.
That said, there are plenty of folks who despise Christianity and know exactly what it's about.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 19 Jul 2005 20:07:00 +0000

Bill, I absolutely agree that they despise Christians because they believe false things about us, and that my first reaction should be to refute their false ideas and increase understanding in as gentle and winsome a way as possible.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 19 Jul 2005 20:05:00 +0000

Thanks for your comment, Maugham. They were clear that they were referring to evangelicals and did not specify this particular group you referred to in this article. But even this article has some ridiculous statements. Focus on the Family is working to eliminate all public schools? Whether or not you disagree with Focus's politics, this is simply not true. I have to admit, this doesn't give me a lot of confidence in the rest of what's printed there. Political force or not, right now prejudice against Christians is high in certain circles and is often based on false ideas of who Christians are and what we believe (I've certainly heard worse than this exchange). What concerns me about this is the fact that if enough people begin to believe that Christians are abusive, or they're against democracy, or they hate women, or any other number of things I hear, there will be less dialogue, more fear, and more hate. Just as TV shows in the Arab world that claim Jews use the blood of children in matzah cause persecution, and just as the lies Hitler told about Jews caused persecution, the lies are the first step. My point here is that I shouldn't respond with surprise, anger, or fear (at least, in general), but I should work to endure, conciliate, and bear the prejudice with patience and dignity, seeking to promote the truth and refute the falsehoods in an honorable fashion.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 19 Jul 2005 17:13:00 +0000

Amy, If you take them at face value, they really believe these things to be true of Christians, and it causes them anxiety and alarm. They don't despise you for who you are. Rather, they don't understand who you are. Though it is upsetting that they would describe you so, defending the truth and tearing down falsehoods in this situation would be a matter of demonstrating who you are and who others are as Christians. I don't perceive that to be an act of battle, but of education, warmth and self disclosure.
If they understood you and hated you for who you were, that would be an entirely different case.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 19 Jul 2005 13:41:00 +0000

They may have been talking about “Dominionist” Christians. Here is an article.
http://whitechocolatejesus.blogspot.com/2005/04/rolling-stone-tramples-dross.html
Of course many Christians would refute these views immediately. But it would be hard to find a time when American Christians were less persecuted. They are quite a powerful political force.
Maugham