Is it just me or do most modern day western christians embody the spirit of antichrist?

Question

It seems to me that the christain church in the western world seems to be it's own worse enemy, many times doing more damage to their own agenda than all other non beleivers combined. How did these people get so turned around from the true teachings of Christ? Seldom do we hear the message of love and acceptance but hate and comdemnation.

Answer 1

Define hate and condemnation. While I definately agree that many Western Christians are hateful and rude, many are also slack and uninterested in Jesus. I try to accept everyone, but stand for what I think is right in a respectful way. I agree though, the mainstream Church has been messing up again and again. Time for a reformation!

Answer 2

I went to Christian school as a child. Imagine my utter surprise when I realized that Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy were imaginary figments but grown people actually believed that Jesus rose from the dead and the insanity depicted in the book of Revelations. The book of Revelations was ridiculous but the fact that people in whose care I was as a child actually thought they knew what all that gibberish meant was downright scary.

However I did get to decipher one kernal of insight from the teachings.At least what some Christians believe it means since the entire book is actually intelligable. And that was that the AntiChrist was a concept that Christians themselves will be fooled by. As a non Christian I'm in very little danger of believing someone to be the second coming of Christ as I don't expect the second coming due to the fact that I'm convinced the first coming never occured. From what I could gather there are enlightened Christians and there are stupid Christians and most of them will be stupid and believe the Antichrist to be the real Jesus back on earth. But the stupid Christians will be wrong and the few enlightened Christians will be responsible to correct the error and save as many people as they can. So I would say to everyone when the buzz starts about Jesus being here. Like maybe it's Pat Robertson, or Billy Graham Jr or Joel Olsteen, or Snoop Dogg. Just avoid the first allegation and wait for the second guy or maybe it will be a girl, that would be tricky....

Answer 3

wow, that's a hefty accusation! it kinda took me aback for a second.

i know what you mean.... but i'll refer you to the beginning chapters of the book of Revelation where Jesus is talking to the different churches. in my opinion, the 7 different churches were the different dispensations of christianity over the years since Christ's resurrection.. the last church is the church of laodicea. if you read what Christ says about it, it goes something like "you think you're rich and fantastic and all-knowing but you're really poor and wicked and blind". the scripture basically says that the last church is concerned with wealth and secularism, but they are in fact miserable and lacking in all spiritual awareness. and for the first time, God now stands outside of the church, and is appealing to the individual believer instead of speaking through the church.

to me, this is huge. when i turn on tv, and see pastors with millions of dollars preaching sermons about making more money, i see that the book of revelation is right in front of my eyes. never before in history has the church been so concerned with material possessions, and less concerned with spreading the good news of Christ.

You are absolutely right about the message of hate and condemnation. It's actually the goodness of God that leads us to repentance, not the damnation. I was shocked when, in the days following a major catastrosphe here in the us, some popular christian leaders said that it was God's judgment on the country that brought those disasters. at the time when ppl were honestly asking questions of God, they should have much more been preaching about God's love, and how He comforts, instead of how He condemns.

But, unfortunately, these things must happen. It's a sign of the times, and that the anti-christ is near to rise.

Answer 4

It's about money. Any time you see ideals sold out, ethics breached, good turned to evil purposes, follow the money. Fearfulness, xenophobia, self-righteousness and the creation of a fortress mentality is how political and religious hucksters have always seperated the rubes from their money and gotten them to kill for the leader's greed and glory. By the fourth century Christians bishops were having one another poisoned, beaten, burned in their ships at sea, and it was about power and the wealth and self-indulgence that comes with having it.

I had dinner a week ago with a traveling evangelist and his wife, and I asked, "When is the last time you heard John Hagee or any other televangelist preach, "Blessed are the peacemakers" instead of a message of urgency, fear-mongering and money raising?" He admitted as far as he could tell, the major figures of televangelism had never read the Beatitudes, or if they had, they quickly glued those pages shut. In the west, particularly fundies and conservative evangelicals preach a pretty OT Paulianity and Jesus' teachings in the Synoptics get short shrift because "blessed are the meek" doesn't fill the collection plate. They teach all kinds of Christology about Jesus, but they don't teach what Jesus taught.

Matthew 23:13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. 14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. 15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

Answer 5

Most of the western church is more into catering to it's members and making sure the calander is filled with lots of programs, then just simply trying to help people and doing the work of the Lord.

Answer 6

Brilliant - and not just because I agree with you. So, first question, it's not just you.
Second question, how did WE get turned around? Same old same old: Having other gods/agendas before God. Happens to individuals/churches/nations etc. Maybe we just covet God's job as Judge and think we should prove our own qualifications on others?

Answer 7

today christians are following the antichrist by worshiping on sunday the catholic church in 222 ad made sunday the day of worship. God made the seventh day of the week for worship at creation week 2,500 years before the first jew ever lived on earth.

Answer 8

i agree with you, it seems to me too that christians in our generation is drifting more and more away from God's purpose. There is a huge misunderstanding of christians these days; there are people who think that they are christians, because they listen to christian music, wear WWJD bracelet, and go to church regulary, when nothing can be further from the truth.

Answer 9

Oh, how I adore angry girls.

It's so much easier to hate and condemn, isn't it? They're simple feelings, and you don't have to deny yourself their pleasure. In hating and condemning, you get to take the moral high ground. There's no reward for turning the other cheek. In fact, it's humiliating and unpleasant. So really, why bother?

Answer 10

You and Julia (see post a few minutes ago) must have experienced the same people. LOL