Why do so may people have such a misunderstanding about religion and christianity?

Question

Religion is st the man made traditions that go along with church and carrying a Bible around and judging people and generally it is hypicritical.

But being a Christian is trying to live your life by the example that Christ set for us while he was here on earth. He did not judge people or make them feel bad about themselves, he loved people unconditionally and showed them patience and kindness and befriended them regardless of their walk of life.
When will Christians understand that it is not our job to judge people or tell them what they are doing or how they are living is wrong? It is or job to love people no matter who or what they are and just be an example of what Christ was.

COOKIE MONSTER XD: I was not trying to imply that Christianity was the most persecuted and misunderstood religion out there. I was merely trying to clear up a misunderstanding that is very common. Thanks for your comment.

To all of those who say that christian should "rebuke sin" as christ did when he was on earth and not tolerate it:
it is not my place or yours to tell condemn people, that is Christs job and if you are a good example and have aith and patience in God then he will move that person to ask you about your faith then you may have the opportunity to lead them to Christ, but to publicly rebuke someone only turns them away from God.

Answer 1

Thanks for being the kind of Christian I'd be proud to know.

Answer 2

To answer your question, I don't think it's so much of a misunderstanding. People do understand religion and Christianity, maybe only too well. You paint a very nice picture of what religion and Christianity mean to you, and I truly wish all religious and Christian people shared your mindset. The truth is that when these same religious and Christian people talk of hell and the punishment that awaits if one, for whatever reason, views religion and Christianity as a myth, it is offensive. First of all, they know as little about the universe as anyone else does, maybe less. Second of all, Christ is only a kinder, gentler version of the monster of the Old Testament spewing fire and brimstone. Christ also believed in hell, I suppose, although I would have to search the Bible for his threats to non-believers. So it all comes back to punishment and reward. Christianity has had 2,000 years to make its case. It seems that as more and more ultimate truth comes out about the reality we live in, more and more of the old religious ideas in the Bible are ignored, and the remaining ideas are "cherry picked." In this way do you also cherry pick, because you paint the good side of Christianity but ignore the fact that these same holy followers of the Word burned people alive less than 300 years ago for heresy.

Answer 3

Your Question seems to be more on Judging.
In Fact Being a Christian is not being in a religion, it is to live a life that reflects Christ on Earth..
I agree we have not the right to judge people around us, But we should not use this reason to tolerate everything.. If Something is wrong, it should be sanctioned just as Jesus himself did, Paul did and many other examples..

Answer 4

Yes, it is true Jesus taught that love is the most important thing.

In fact, the best way to show people that you are saved is by imitating Jesus. And, actually, that is exactly what Paul said.

But what you must realize about Christianity is that it is all about God's Kingdom. It's just not some theory in the air. It is about God's Kingdom.

And God's will is that all enter His Kingdom.

So, it is necessary to live in love so that people can see God's Kingdom in you.

It is also necessary to rebuke sin so that people can turn away from unrighteousness and into God's Kingdom.

It is for this reason that Christ came: To save us from eternal damnation and usher us into the Kingdom of God.

Keep in mind that your life on this earth is less than a millisecond of your life to come - since your life to come will be eternal. So, even though we don't see it, the life to come is more important than this one.

That is why it is better to lose this life and gain that one -- than to gain this one and lose that one.

A parent does not rebuke their child out of hate, but out of love. So it is with Our Father in heaven. That is what Jesus taught when He said, "If ye being unrighteous know how to give good gifts......"

Ok?

Answer 5

I completely respect your question, and I would love to hear more of your views on God and life.

The true nature of Christianity was rather poluted when they started deeming other religions inferiour and wrong. You remember the true nature of Christianity and that is to love your brother as you do yourself. When an enemy slaps you in the face, you give him your other cheek. You remember the story of the Samaritain and how others walked by the wounded man on the road, but the Samaritain... i forgot the nationality of the man but Samaritains were far from friends with that man's nationality, yet he stopped and helped that man.

And when Jesus said go out into the world and spread God's message. He did not mean go into the world and start hacking up Muslims and burning Pagans. He meant just as you said...

Love people no matter what.

Keep up the good works, sister.

Answer 6

most christians don't follow these rules. I've been to many denomonations of christian churches- I've never found one that didn't pass some judgement.

my grandmother was raised catholic, but she never judged a person is her whole life. judging was up to god and being nice was a duty for all people, in her eyes.
naturally she slipped once or twice- no one is perfect. but I still think her 'slips' were different than the judgments made by other christians- she'd slip up when it came to racists/bigots, sexual predators, and violent criminals. she really hated and judged bigots due to the fact that she lived through world war 2 and had mant people (including family) she knew hurt/killed during that time.

I wish more people were like her.
historians and linguistic experts have even said that some people whom jesus helped violated cultural norms such as being female (with or without sexuality), being gay, being transgendered, being criminals, ect.

religion today is too corrupt, too angry. children aren't taught tolerance and to ignore their differences. not that those are easy things to do, but some don't even try at all.

Answer 7

Christian after all means "little Christs". So being a christian has nothing to do with traditions of worship order, but with day to day living life that flows with the Holy Spirit. Others will determine eventually that, "there's something different" about one who radiates the love of Christ and inquire about the faith that motivates them.

How to accomplish this without judging them or compromising our relationship with our savior is the trick.

Answer 8

It's all part of the Christian walk...maturity is Christ takes stages. Some have unchecked enthusiasm without fully developed understanding of the Word or insights into the spiritual realm.

An excited new Christian or one who doesn't have a rounded relationship with Jesus can easily spout such religiosities and judgements - alienating and condeming people with the intent to convert and save them from hell.

I pray that those who zealously preach about Jesus use Him as the example.

Answer 9

I very much like your take on what it means to be a Christian.

However, please be aware that while for you, following Christ's example is different from following a religion, please realize that religion is a term that generally is used to describe any belief system that has anything to do with a God, moral code, and beliefs in the afterlife.

So, to you, if being a Christian also includes believing that Jesus is God incarnate, or believing in an afterlife, then in terms of how most people define "religion," you have one.

Also, remember that Jesus had a religion, too--Judaism. So if you're really interested in just following Christ's example, then perhaps you should explore becoming a fairly unorthodox Jew.

Answer 10

I couldn't have said it better. That question has been asked for centuries. When God created man and woman, He gave them the ability to make choices. The first man and woman, used that choice unwisely thereby bringing sin into the world. Ever since, we have been making wrong choices. We are fallible and unfortunately satan has successfully used this to lure us unto the quest for superiority. Some believe "their religion" is better than anyone elses instead of acknowledging that the only religion is Christ crucified and HIS plan of salvation, not theirs. After all, He was the one who willing died a horrible death by crucifixion for ALL of us to have that hope of an eternity in paradise, not Martin Luther, John Calvin, Eddy, Joseph Smith, Mary and on and on.

Answer 11

Very well put. But often christians mistakenly feel, when their beliefs are challenged, that they must"stand up for Jesus" or show they are unashamed of him or they just feel that if they point out other people's sins to them, they have done their duty and that's that. Many honestly believe that's what God wants them to do. But the Bible also says to "speak the truth with love" and christians often neglect that part. And if we believe someone is going to hell (tho only God knows what's in their heart) we should pray for them not hit them over the head with the Bible.