I will start out stating that I am not christian, although I have gone to church(es) because that’s where you find a lot of willing women.
Nor do I lack being critical about many of the things the modern churches do, or the behavior of people in them.
However, it amuses me to no end when someone who is not christian (and perhaps a few that profess that they are, but usually the person isn’t) condemning Christians for “Not behaving very christian.”
First, this is only said when the behavior in question is something the non christian does not like, usually a moral position and more often than not a moral position that non christian finds “hateful.”
As is occurring here, there and everywhere in this country there are issues of the various denominations and their position on gays. Some of the churches have taken a more accepting position and this has led to many churches having a schism.
I heard one very liberal woman condemning the conservatives of a church for “not being very christian” because of their intolerance.
Christians are supposed to be emulating Christ in their minds.
Which Christ?
The Hollywood Christ, or course. The gentle, all forgiving, quiet, soft spoken, sweet lamb that gets betrayed by his own follower and accepts getting scourged and crucified.
Christian’s aren’t supposed to have any strong moral position because Christ forgives all sins.
The fact that many churches sell this very line, feeds this problem.
It is a problem that even the fire and brimstone churches sell the following:
- All people are sinners
- All sin is equally bad in the eyes of a pure, good God (I’ve heard this spouted many a time) this is often connected to the “don’t judge other christian sinners that have come back.”
- God will forgive any sin if you repent (crying or being real earnest seems to be enough in some places)
- People will always be tempted and fall away to return again to God’s patient forgiveness.
If all sin is “equal” than there is no reason to condemn one type of sin more so than another. I know someone will come in and say that God has all sorts of different metrics in the Bible, which is fine, but the big message, the public one that gets sold is ALL SIN = BAD.
In a convoluted way I believe this is a female, feminist, message.
Women do not like public shame, they hate, hate, hate it. But if everyone is in the same boat: The sexless masturbator and the adulteress, then there is no judgment, there is no shame because we’re all equal before God.
Being bad is just normal.
Which ends up being a free pass for everything.
