What offends you most about those who profess to be Christian?

Question

i am currently doing a project for my youth ministry and am interested in what others have to say about the topic at hand. your opinion will help me to narrow my thesis and thus get a better idea of the general discomfort or problem people have when encountered by a person of the christian faith, whether it be something they say, the way they act, etc, that the project will be focused on.

if you have anything positive to say, that would also help me.

thank you, and god bless

Answer 1

First of all, I appreciate that you are actual asking non-Christians rather than allowing groupthink to guide your paper. You get major kudos for sheer openmindedness.

Personally, the only beef I have with Christians is when I feel like they try to force themselves on me. I intensely dislike being "witnessed to" - it is highly uncomfortable to be placed in a social situation where someone is asking you to change your fundamental beliefs to make them happy. Humans are trained, socially, to only ask for reasonable requests from strangers and we are also trained to give in to requests when they come. For a Christian to ask (no matter how well-meaning they are) you to radically alter your lifestyle on their account is patently unreasonable, yet it creates social discomfort in the person being witnessed to because we are taught to feel guilty when we don't do what people ask us to. It's unfair and manipulative - even if the Christian doesn't realize it.

Consider if someone came up to you and earnestly begged you to worship Zeus. The first time, you'd shrug it off and go on with life. Now consider if this happened multiple times a day. You'd start to feel trapped. You'd start to feel guilty that you were so stubborn to turn down so many nice people, but at the same time you just can't worship Zeus. You'd want to hide from these people, or maybe lie to them so that they would leave you alone. That's how many Wiccans feel in the U.S.A.

That's also assuming that the people are at least polite, albeit persistant. Add into the mix that some of the Zeus worshippers say hateful things to you and accuse you of worshipping the devil and of going to hell, and you'll get an even better picture of why people have trouble with Christianity. I'm not saying you all do that, but it happens enough times to give a really bad name to the whole religion.

I hope that helps. In passing, Jesus told his disciples that if they couldn't convert someone, they should shake the dust from their sandals, leave that house, and never return. Basically, let the heathens be heathens and stop trying to convert them. The whole idea is that they're going to hell and it's not your responsibility anymore, and frankly, I love that verse. I hope it gains popularity soon, because I'm tired of people insisting that they're "just trying to save [my] soul".

Brightest blessings.

Answer 2

Nothing. I could care less what delerious assumptions anyone makes about the nature of the Universe, as I have my own and am comfortable with them. I only hope they are used to make you a better person.

When I am offended by christians, it is often because of the presumption that I am somehow ill-informed about the subject. Simply don't know enough about it and if I am preached to enough, I can be saved. I have been told by Christian friends that I know more about being a good Christian than a lot of supposed good Christians and require no lectures on the subject. Though I do not object to a thought provolking civil discussion.

I am also offended when people, of any belief system, attempt to 'moralize' me or others. By implication, this makes me currently immoral. This may or may not be true, but I think that's really up to God, not people or their interpertations of the will of their God(s).

Also, these people are a small minority I realize, but there are those that appear to be so insecure about their faith, that they feel compelled to smack-talk the faiths of others. I find this to be the act of someone who is truely of the weakest faith, that their faith in their creator is so fimsy it can withstand no one's disagreement.

I loath people that justify their actions as the will of God.

These all apply to people of any faith, however I live in America which is 80% Christian, so I most commonly observe this in people who profess to be of the Christian faith.

On a posative note, I understand and admire many of the basic tennents of Christianity, I simply disagree.

Answer 3

IT bugs me, as a believer, that folks are down right nasty to other people of other faiths or believes.atheists are just as good or bad as Buddhists, Muslims, Jews Hindu or the different denominations within Christianity.Catholics are better than Protestant or Evangelical ..blah blah blah........religion seems more important then the cause!

It is my opinion that Jesus loved all man kind no matter what! Christians as well as the Muslim faith are so keen on trying to make you believe their way.make you convert to their believes because it is the only way.How arrogant is that exactly?-I don't like the fact that there are so many rules applied which were made up by society in the name of Jesus Christ! it is always just my way or the highway-black or white -no no no, no gray area here.Such bible thumpers but so hypocritical IN MY FACE.so self absorbed like they are no sinners...I think you know what I am trying to say.ITS almost like a fashion trend!

so then there is this name ,they call themselves,"CHRISTIANS" I don't think that they should call themselves this because their believes have absolutely nothing to do with Jesus in any way, shape or form.He did not wage wars,did not discriminate,did not lie,did not kill,did not judge,did not condone evil. Christians, have a lot to learn.

Answer 4

I agree with Erin's answer. I also want to say that what turned me off when I was an Atheist also turns me off now that I am a Christian. There are some groups that have preachers that are not well trained and they teach this 'hell fire and brimstone' type of Christianity to their flock. The flock, being mostly people of average intelligence and perhaps not well educated, believe and follow what they are told. These people then go out to "save others". They start with the idea that only the "saved" will go to heaven and all others will go to hell. Then they present their case to everyone they met, everywhere they met them. Worse than Insurance Salesmen they are. I recently went to a folk festival in my city and someone came up to me on the street and asked me if I was "saved". I though to myself, "oh brother, one of those, here it comes!". And when I told him that I was a Christian, he didn't stop. The FOOL. I am a college educated person with a higher than average IQ and I know it is unkind, most of the time I don't look down on stupid people, but when they force their insane ideas upon it, I just hate it. STOP TRYING TO SAVE PEOPLE. You only turn people off. You only push the non-believer farther away because your ideas are not rational to an intelligent person. If it was left to the fundamentalist bible thumpers, "are you saved people", I would still be an Atheist. Thank GOD that he came to me Himself and the people He sent to me after that were a different type. I hope you listen to this with an open mind, I am telling it to you like it is, no sugar coating.

Answer 5

They use a black magic marker to cross out of JC's actual words when they don't feel like following what he said.

They proclaim to have the truth and the "fulfillment of Judaism" when they know absolutely nothing about Judaism.

When they have their heads so far up their butts they tell a Jew (or anyone for that matter) "no, you're interpreting the scripture wrong."

When they become "Hebrew Xtians" and then tell everyone else they're wrong, including the real Jews they are trying to impersonate.

When they try to be more Jewish and give everyone wrong information about Judaism.

Three words: Jews for JC

When they use the Bible to beat someone over the head with to make them believe in JC as a messiah, but ignore the prophesies he does not fulfill.

And many other reasons.

Answer 6

A negative Testimony in public ! Gossip ! Non tither ! Not knowing enough King James Holy Bible to counter the myths and falsehoods brought up by critics of Christianity and The Bible . God Bless with Peace & Understanding ..

Answer 7

What offends me most are those who profess to be Christians in order to make a point, when in actuality, they aren't Christians at all.

Of Christians themselves, the only thing that really offends me is when one particular faith or another tries to foist themselves off as the ONLY true faith.

I like the more inclusive "non-denominational" Christian churches that seem to have a more open mind to those (like myself) who make some less accepted lifestyle choices. I'm also pleased that they are open minded enough to accept aspects of other philosophies, such as Buddhism, which have much to teach us.

If you would like to know what offends me about non-Christians...it's when they want to judge Christians at a higher moral code than they would themselves. I find judgmental people very offensive.

Answer 8

Some of my Christian friends don't want to associate themselves with the ungodly. I totally disagree with their view.
How can you spread God's Word if you don't associate with them? It doesn't mean that you do things their way - you simply try to steer them out of trouble.

Some are having preservation going to certain churches. For me, a church is a place of worship and I would go to any church - meaning Catholic, Baptist, Charismatic, etc. I don't see anything wrong in visiting different denominations, as long as the teaching is based on the bible. If we are the body of Christ and we're having problem entering God's sanctuary, then something is wrong here.

Answer 9

Ironic that you would ask this today. My sister claims to be a very devout christian. However, she is in the process of judging me and my family and deeming us not worthy of being involved with a health crisis our mother -my kids grandmother- is having. She is forever professing her "good christian life" and yet she fails to practice any of the principles of it. I cannot stand the utter hypocrisy that unfortunately most christians live. It is bad enough that they try to recruit others into their ways and damn the free thinkers to hell. I just find it so disgusting. Why is it impossible for them to accept people who have found a different spiritual path and live their lives causing no harm to others? Why must they be christian to be considered worthy? Such self-righteousness just reaffirms they hold themselves to be a better class of human. And the lack of forgiveness and acceptance certainly goes against what their bible is supposed to teach them. Yep, it's the utter hypocrisy.

Answer 10

When I notice that he puts the Messenger far above the Message
as if believing that the purpose was the 'coming' and not the 'message'.
Also when they come to visit me on those visits and on the second visits say would say "Should we start the bible study now". I ask them if God the Almighty sent them to my home and they say yes. So I tell them "you know I am lazy and never preach my faith to others so He sent you to me to test if I will do the Quran study with or to you. So let me tell you about the Quran.
And after all those discussion with them about my faith of Islam, its absolute monotheistic character in believing one and only one God with no partners, accepting Jesus as a prophet of Islam and a messiah for those who accepted his message and lived by it, they still ask me if I will accept Jesus as my saviour, saying that all I have to do is say that he is my saviour and that is it, you are saved! I ask if they were listening to me because I had been listening to them.