christians? i have a very serious question for you?

Question

this is a very serious question and i'm asking this because i'm curious to see how you would justify this....every time a heinous act is done in the name of christianity,e.g.burning down Buddhists templeshttp://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070512003226AARF8l9&r=w#OJsuJlXACErF1eQD_WqJ is an example,and there are many more----christians always say "they can't be true christians".......

yet,every time some chaos happens in another country which is not christian,for example the war in sri lanka (i'm not justifying it,but there ARE reasons for us to want to vanquish the terrorist group) christians are quick to blame the other religion,in this case it was Buddhism and the comments were "this is what happens when a country has not been touched by God" etc etc

why is this double standard? if you say those crimes cannot be done by "true christians" then why do you blame another religion as a WHOLE when some people of that religion do something wrong?

and NO,i'm NOT blaming people individually....it's a general attitude that i've noticed....i don't have a problem with you defending your OWN religon,because that's a natural response.my question is,

why are you so ready to put down other religions?

Answer 1

As a whole, it is easier to see something from one's own point of reference. Let me explain. I am a Christian. I can easily see the teachings of my faith, and I can see the rituals and practices that are common among all the churches. I can see it because I am a part of that faith. If I choose to not study any other religion, then I cannot really see what is a good representative of someone's religion or not. I do not know faiths or what is part of a faith. However, my case is a little different. I do study religions. I know the difference between someone that is truly practicing a faith and someone that isn't really bothering to follow its teachings in the very least. When someone doesn't understand or seek to understand or even study another religion, they take on the opinions that are given them through media and very closed minded people around them. The media in this country has painted a really poor picture of other religions that aren't Christian. The media has a tendency to lump them all together.

Many Christians (not all - and it is usually the fundamentalists) truly believe that anyone from another religion (especially Islam) is evil in some way or another because they are NOT Christian. Yes, that is very, very wrong, but it is true that it happens alot in more conservative circles. Also, the studying of other religions for the purpose of gaining knowledge is looked down upon by some Christians. People believe that if this is done, someone is searching for truth outside the faith of Christianity. If someone does it to learn with is WRONG with the religion in order to WITNESS better, it is different. But, the information they get is usually skewed and very wrong.

It is a combination of many things to answer your question: 1) lack of desire to learn outside of one's own faith, 2) the natural understanding of one's own faith over someone else's, 3) the delusions of the media, and 4) the negative view of studying other religions for the purpose of gaining knowlege.

Keep in mind that this viewpoint is something that is really among the conservative, evangelical group of Christians. I am certainly a Christian, and I get great joy from my faith, but I am not afraid to admit when the people that follow it are wrong on my things. This is one of them. As a whole, we don't respect other people's religions, and it saddens me. I wish more people simply learned a little about everyone else's cultures and religions. We might get along a little better.

Answer 2

Hi Hello (haha that's funny...),

From your time on this forum i think first many groups are misrepresented. Most certainly there are many who claim to be Christians whose answers and actions do not accurately reflect what it means to be a Christian. Ultimately whether a person is a true-Christian or not is between them and God but as a Christian - i think if someone comes out and says that they are a Christian- they should be one!

The truth is there are a lot of things that go on in the world that can not be so easily explained. The Bible teaches that wars occur because of man's pride and sinfulness, and the truth is wars occur everywhere (places where there is and there is not Christianity). In some cases there are certain terrorist or religious groups who justify those killings. Personally as a Christian i'm opposed to any group who kills without just cause.

i also think that as you talk about double standards you can not presume that everyone who sees actions that are not Christ-like and are trying to portray an accurate picture of what a Christian should look like, is also blaming other religions for different wars, etc. that occur throughout the world.

Personally i think people just have to know that everyone gives a personal account to God and as an individual for Christ- i answer in regards to heinous things done by those claiming the name of Christ- because i want people to really know who Jesus is and why He is so wonderful and loving and how such acts do not reflect God's character.

i think in examining every religion you will find a range of what people believe and practice and as we see a lot on yahoo answers - people will take their personal experience or an experience with one extreme and apply that to the whole.

Hope that helps. Kindly,

Nickster

Answer 3

I don't know why people would say"this is what happens when a country has not been touched by God" but the truth is that all man is sinful but as Christians we do not accept sin. The reason we live in this world with evil is that sin entered into the world through Adam and Eves actions. Whether a christian sin or whether a heathen sins it is both evil in the site of God. It is more evil when a christian sins then when a heathen does because they are without excuse and god will deal more harsh with them then with the ignorant sinner. That is why christians should keep from sin as much as they can so that the name of God be not blashemed. The church today is very tolerant of sin, not like it was 200 years ago when you would be cast out of the church for drunkeness adultery etc. Now adays everyone is accepted no matter what your doing outside of church. It sets a bad example to those looking in from the outside that where some sodomite can easily say"hey their just as bad as I am so why should I be "saved"." As far as God blessing a country becuase they are godly is totally up to God and his will.Egypt in the old testament was very rich yet it was a totaly pagan society America is rich and we are evil here also, even though it may have been founded on godly principles.

Answer 4

If you'll look through there, not all of us defended or soft balled it. I stated my opinion pretty clearly: what they did was wrong and need to be persecuted harshly.

Now, I am quick to make the point on other religions provided it meets a couple of criteria: 1). It is widespread. 2). It appears to have a doctrinal or philosophical backing in the group's teachings. If those two criteria are met, then I will accuse the other religion of being violent. If they aren't, then I simply condemn the individual action.

As an example, I don't condemn Buddhism on account of the occasional Buddhist violence (which does occur). It cannot be substantiated from Buddhism, nor is it widespread. The historical and systematic instances are not widespread enough to justify the connection (e.g. samurai warriors and the organized crime that the Shaolin were involved in during some of their history). It just means they, like everyone else, don't have a clean record.

I do respond that way to atheism. Atheism has no means to support morality beyond personal preference, and every atheist government has brutally violent. The combination of the two makes for a sound argument, and they have to deal with it by asserting more than "We can be just as moral as anyone else."

There is rational grounds for criticizing another religion, but we must be willing to come down harshly on our own. Those Christians who say "Well, they aren't true Christians" are playing the Protestant game of division (you don't like them, split yourselves from them), and it'd be much more profitable to simply condemn it outright. They are, themselves, doing wrong by not speaking forthrightly on the subject. Moral people shouldn't practice spiritual nepotism.

Answer 5

I don't know why some Christians do this. However, THIS Christian tries not to use the term "true" Christian. Either a person is a Christian or they're not. There is no middle ground. As for other religions, I don't put them down either. I may say that I believe that other religions are false, but I NEVER say that Buddhists or Wiccans or Muslims are bad people.

Perhaps some Christians do what you described because they're insecure in their faith. They can't handle the thought that even "true" Christians sin sometimes, and they also can't handle the thought that Buddhists, Muslims, Wiccans, et cetera aren't bad people.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

Excellent question and comment christians are use to pointing a finger. They are a "saved" child of God blessed so anything terrible that happens christians point the finger at a devil or anywhere or anyone else. it is a simple relief to say they were not true christians that did these thing or thats what happens if you are not christian. completely neutral and actually one of the root causes of our worlds problems. Christian usually take 0 responsibility for their own actions. The term Christian simply is someone who is saved and believes in Christ however you do not have to behave like Christ just believe and you go to heaven. the terrible act does not matter because they are going to heaven. Close to radical muslims

Answer 8

The few Christians that do that are narrow minded and judgmental and they don't reflect the majority of Christians' viewpoint.

Take for instance, the Tsunami disaster that happened a few years ago. Mostly this happened in countries not traditionally thought of as Christian, but I don't believe that situation happened due to the religion of that area, nor do I believe that Hurricane Katrina happened due to the evil society of New Orleans.

But I also know that a lot of Christians have gone to both places to help with the cleanup and donated money to send to those locations. So, please don't judge Christians by the vocal few that say negative things.

Answer 9

Perhaps it has something to do with Christ's teachings...
That business about loving one's neighbor, and praying for our enemies, etc....
We believe that Jesus meant that stuff. Therefore, when a group totally ignores Christ's teachings, we tend to think that they aren't truly following Christ. If they aren't truly following Christ, it would follow that they aren't "true Christians".
Having said that, I do think that Christians need to remember that we have ALL sinned, and fallen short of God's glory. It is all too easy to say, when someone does something that is clearly out of line with Christ's teachings that that person is not a "true Christian". It is a bit more difficult to say that, perhaps that person has made a mistake, and leave it to God to judge him.
In my humble opinion, any person who thinks that they are somehow "better" or "holier" than someone else because that person "knows Christ" while the other does not...well, that person obviously does not know Christ at all. In fact, it is entirely possible that that person is not, after all, a "true Christian".
=D

Answer 10

Buddhism is not a religion of God. It denies the importance of God. In fact, the Dalai Lama said that God is your own mind. Now, while it would be a tragic error for Christains to harm other people for having different religions, it would not be in the minds of some Christians, especially in a God believing culture like Korea, wrong to take down and root out pagan temples like those of Buddhism. Just as any false religion is an affront to God, is an act of idolatry, and is essentially an evil in the land, so too is Buddhism, and it is at least understandable that godly people would behave in such a manner as to be rid of it - just like you might want a whore house out of your town, or a gay bath.