So-called Christians and hypocrisy...

Something that really bothers me about Christianity is that it's so casually mainstream that a lot of times, the whole point is overlooked. (The whole point as far as I see it, anyway.) These are the "Fair-Weather" Christians, or the "Sunday-Only" Christians. Before I begin, I'm not saying this to be judgemental. It's an observation, that's all. No flames!!

As I understand it, Christians are to be Christ-like. I see this as accepting, loving of one another, patient, giving, gentle, helpful, honest and trustworthy. I could go on of course, but I think I covered the basics. I'll admit: I'm not the best Christian at all times. I work on Sundays and therefore don't attend church. I curse relatively regularly, I can be dishonest...yeah, and on and on, we all have faults. Anyway. My point, I guess, is that in being Christ-like, we should try, and be mindful of our actions at all times, so we can be held accountable for them, and therefore ask forgiveness.

True or true not? True.

So why, then, do I see such hatred and discrimination against those of other religions, by Christians? I hear the excuse, "They hate us, too"--and yet, it scarcely matters. Christians have been attacked and persecuted for a damn long time and it's not about to change now. In separate instances I have come across several disheartening and shameful displays by so-called Christians...one was a congregation ridiculing sects of Wicca. Another was of a pastor who openly disgraced a girl he referred to as "crazy". Another is one I have seen far too often in recent years: people who dishonour Islam.

I am not Muslim. I have read quite a bit of the Qu'ran (In English, however) and I actually subscribed to the faith for some time. Islam is not violent, in itself. Anyone who says otherwise is speaking out of ignorance. No one I know who has bashed Islam has ever bothered researching it. And it saddens me that all the ones who so publically propagate their hatreds in my presence call themselves Christians.

I'm ashamed to be associated with this group of people. I hate to admit it, but I actually feel guilty sometimes when I'm asked if I'm a Christian. I know what it means to me, and how it's changed my life in the past five years, but I also remember what it was like, as a non-Christian, meeting people affiliated with the religion and hating them for it; their snobbish, hypocritical, judgemental false pretenses and good-natured lies. And don't even get me started on how Logan (or his friends) used to feel. My views were much more...kind.

What really gets me is that so many people don't see the connection. Take any religion, and there is going to be fanaticism. Any faith is made up of worshippers, who are human and therefore falible, unconsciously urging falsehoods, manipulation and so on. The Danish cartoons depicting Mohammed in a poor light: Why? Because some die-hard fundamentalists decided to misinterpret their holy book to suit them? The same could be said of Christianity: that depiction of Mohammed with a bomb for a turban is the same thing as depicting Jesus wearing a white sheet and holding a burning cross.

Merely because a relatively small group of followers are engaged in unsavoury conduct based loosely upon their chosen faith does not at all mean that the religion itself or those adhering to it are evil by nature. It's foolish and childish to assume otherwise.