Christians Suck

If you had told me 3 months ago that I would be starting a public blog, I would never have believed you. Ah, but such is life.

I am a Christian. There – I said it, and it’s out in the open. Now, let me try to guess some of the adjectives that may have just popped into your head:

Pushy Bible Thumping
Judgmental
Hypocritical
Pedophile
Homophobic
Self righteous
Intolerant
Racist
Ignorant

I could go on, but it makes me sick – not because these are the concepts that frame the World’s view of Christianity, but because I completely understand why they do.

It seems that every time I turn on the news, I see some so-called “Christian” doing something abominable in the name of God, or espousing a “Christian” belief with which I don’t agree and can’t find Biblical evidence to support. These people do not represent me, and they certainly do not represent the God I have come to know, love, and worship.

But bring it closer to home and think about a typical church. The members are usually alike – similar socioeconomic status, similar family background, same political affiliation, and of course the same culture and color. Anyone different sticks out like a sore thumb, and if they don’t conform, they don’t last. Didn’t Christ come to save EVERYONE?

I am a very practically-minded person, not given to emotion. Fits of rage are not my style, and I don’t take it personally when someone disagrees with me. Mostly, when I see these kinds of things, I am simply saddened because I know that people judge Christ by the actions of “Christians,” and are increasingly deciding that the whole Jesus thing is not for them. And who can blame them.

Recently I read a blog written by an old friend with whom I had lost touch. She is an extremely intelligent, accomplished woman who just couldn’t seem to fit into the Christian culture. So she stopped trying, gave up on God, and is now an atheist. She seems to be happier for it.

The only difference between her and me is that when I was rejected by Christian society, (a story for another blog,) it pushed me to intensify my search for God, rather than abandon Him. As I continue to seek Him, I realize that Christianity is not quite as complex as most Christians make it out to be, and I become more and more convinced that Faith and Logic are not mutually exclusive.

You will never see people like me on TV talking about Christianity, because we’re not very exciting. For the most part, we are quietly minding our own business, doing our best to be good examples of Christ to those around us. We’re not extremists, we don’t hate anyone, and we are not living in the Middle Ages when it comes to science, politics, and global culture. So maybe it’s time that one of us spoke out…