True Christians or anyone with a logical opinion please..?

Question

I know many True Christians have expressed their dismay at their bretheren for being so harsh on non Christians and so have Non Christians done the same. How would you handle those who say they are of your Faith and hide behind your bible and faith and then use it as an excuse to lash out and belittle and tell people they will go to hell. How do you handle them within your own faith?

I am not Christian but I know a true Christian does not believe in being cruel or thumbing people down because they disagree. They will turn the other cheek and respect others opinions as the True Christians I know do. So how would you go about knowing who is a true follower versus someone hiding behind your Faith?

For me it is easy, they cant cite and scriptures and it is easy for my faith because im Native American and it narrows it down easy for me, but what do you all do? Im not bashing faith, just those that hide behind it and actually harm it to those who respect it. Please only honest answers!!

Materhead - ty, I did not thumb you down, i believe that spreads more negativity. There are no wrong answers here, im curious as all. Im glad that there are some sane answers here, and sorry you were thumbed down for expressing your opinion. Im not Christian but most my friends are and they never tell me i will burn in hell for it. sure I agree in your faith you want to save those who you feel may burn but I am sure you do not push either do you? thanks for answering.

Spencer - Ty.

I agree with the Christians answering so far, you are correct if your faith is correct as you believe then you would leave the judging to your god not do it yourself. TY. That is what i thought. That is what i mean between a true Christian and one that uses it to hide and war with. Where is the love in that? I clearly am not a Christian but respect all faiths and am always thumbed down for trying to give honest answers that are not belittling or negative and I get from so many exremeist that response. Its is good to see many today not that way. I wish it would stay that way more often ON ALL SIDES of the fence and religions.

sympleesymple- I never said I was a judge that is why I asked here!! You prove my point of what i am saying about not really listening. I am sad for you. I hope your kind prays for you sounds you need it.

Mookie - I agree ty.

mrehan - yes I knew immediately you were Muslim or quoting from it, but it does not matter. Does it help? not really but it also was not bashing either and as i said there are no wrong answers. sorry someone thumbed you down, i gave you the thumb up even though I may not agree with someone I will die to protect their right to speak their rignt to say it even if it is not what I believe. that is why you get a thumbs up from me, not because I believe in what you do, but i believe in your right to say it without being thumbed down, that just propagates more hate.

Gal from Yellow Flat - your sollution is exactly what I think a True Christian would do, that is why I do not understand the hatred I hear from so many, and NO they are not all Christians, the hate comes from all directions not just one.

To discuss and debate is good and natural, to kill and murder over these differences is not. As I said before I may not agree with you but I will fight for your right to say it as I hope any other believer of freedom would. so that is why I do not understand the bashing on any side. i am not an atheist, I am Cherokee and that is what I believe in, the same as my people. Why is that so wrong and so many say here on Y!A Im gonna burn. Yes I agree with who ever said it is because they have more courage online hiding behind a username and would not do it in person. Don't we all have a right to believe what we want without persecution?

Drewster - Nothing personal but how does quoting your scripture help determine a true follower versus a fraud? Please re explain in laments term, i am not christian and your scripture does not make sense to me, Im not bashing it, I am only saying i do not understand it so please tell me what you are saying in more modern terms ty.

Answer 1

I think I understand what you mean.

Yes there are many supposed Christians who are frauds or extremist. that is what you will run into much in these forums. most tolerant and easy going Christians are in most of the other rooms and are not in here because Religion is important to them but not so important that they feel the need to come on to y!a and bash non believers and tell them to repent or go to Hell.

Personally if offends me when I hear that. I am Christian but i do not think it right for those claiming to be to act like iditiots and just make others look at Christianity with a bad name.

I know it has its flaws, but to me to be a true Christian is not about going to church or praying daily. it is in the way you live your life and treat others. sure if you know some one that is not a Christian and THEY WANT to talk about it because they have interest than Im happy to oblige, but i would never go door to door and say Hello are you of my faith? NO well then your going to hell if you dont convert and give our church money.

that is how also you can tell an authentic versus a fraud just by their actions and words. authentics will respect your way even if they do not believe it and may pray for you quietly but never tell you to offend you. if they come roaring and screaming with a bible then they are just a ranting fraud or extremist not reading the scriptures correctly. I admit that the bible was not to be taken literally word for word but more is a great guide on how best to live a spiritual holy life and be with jesus and god in the after life.

You do not have to believe it just because I do, an extremist or a fraud would not let off you until you repented or changed or they were finished with you because your not worth their time anymore. To me that is how you can pick them out. authentic ones like myself I consider would never look for a confrontation nor start one nor force anything on you.

so for those that have done that too you and your fellow pagans im sorry to hear it, pagans have done their share of bashing too but just no more than any other. so that is why i usually do not answer in this category but you seemed serious and authentic with your quetion and not bashing and are being open to listening to the opinion of a faith you do not believe. For that i give you courage for most would not try this either way.

try not to let it bother you too much, if they thumb you down for trying to be honest just ignore t hem and dont stoop to thier level.

best wishes on your journey.

PS: I have never met a Cherokee before are you full blooded or close? i do think the planet is alive too but i think god made it alive thats all...not arguing with you just pondering.

Answer 2

Christ is not defined by man, nor is Christianity. Only God knows the heart.
You admit to not being Christian. A very basic teaching of Christ is that if you are not born again you will not be capable of seeing the Kingdom, much less enter it. So, please understand that while I regret your inability to see I must point out that you are in a poor position to judge what is a "true" Christian.
God has set a purpose for all things. We are not always told that purpose. Look at the difference between David and Solomon. David served God with the sword, while the honor of building the Temple was reserved for Solomon, who did not. Both served God and it is wrong to say that one is more deserving of recognition than the other.
Love your neighbor as yourself. This is widely accepted as the standard by which to measure a Christian. If you wish to gain a little more understanding read the parable of the Good Samaritan again, then answer the question Jesus posed, "Which of these is the good neighbor?"

Answer 3

Hello, Wolf.
Let's take your first question: How do I handle those who say they are of my fatih and hide behind my bible and faith, then use it as an excuse to lash out and belittle and tell ppl they will go to hell? ANS: Those who brow beat with the bible, or judge others, and all claim they are Christians, are zealots, and I don't fellowship with such kind. If you are open to know more about Christianity, I will be happy to share the good news about Christ, but NEVER should one damn anyone for not believing, we are not one to judge, as directed in the Bible.

2nd Question: How would you go about knowing who is a true follower vs. someone hiding behind my faith?
ANS: By the way they live their life. Their walk, talk, approach, etc. If you are a true Chrisitian, it isn't only on Sunday morning, or Wed Bible Study, it is 24/7, 365. Do we make mistakes? Absolutely! If we should trespass someone, we need to make it right with our fellow man before going to Christ and asking for forgiveness. Do we get mad? Yes we do,we are human, and get offended like anyone else. It is difficult to see ignorant slandering of Christianity from questions and answers I've seen on R&S, but choose to ignore the ignorant, and embrace the legit questions seeking information. I personally thumb down the absolute rude answers unwarranted, whether directed towards Christians or not. I look at the thumbs up/down as a voting system, and a way of saying we can agree to disagree, no harm in that! Yes, we are told to turn the other cheek, but we have a right to defend ourselves in a civil manner. True Christians are not hypocrites, and do not believe this world should be all Christians, it was NEVER that way, during Moses' or Christ time. You believe what you believe, we believe what we believe. We all have our day of judgement, and it isn't by Chrisitians.

*I'm Haliwa Saponi and a Christian *

Answer 4

I think there are two types of the people you are describing. The first type are those who are wolves in sheep's' clothing. They are claiming to be Christians but they aren't. They behave that way because they think they are being funny or they are doing it to discredit Christianity.

The second type are those who think they are doing good because all they've heard in their churches is the judgment of God and none of the mercy and grace of God. They actually think they are spreading the good news of the Gospel.

There are many opinions on here that I do not respect, but I try to be respectful to the person expressing that opinion. I don't always succeed. If a question makes me angry or is just Christian baiting, I won't answer it, usually.

However, I do believe that those who reject Jesus Christ will go to hell. But the message of Christ is that we have the opportunity to make the choice to live with God in heaven eternally.

Answer 5

Unfortunately, it is true that many Christians go about confrontation the wrong way. You're right about one thing: a true Christian does not believe in being cruel. However, a Christian will tell you the truth. The truth is the only way to Heaven is through Jesus Christ. If one doesn't accept Him into their heart, Hell will be their resting place. That's not me trying to be cruel or defensive. It's just the truth.

You seem like a very intelligent person and from what I can gather you're one of the few of us on here who come for actual discussions instead of arguing and putting others down. But there's no way for you and I to know others' hearts. Only God can see a person's motives. We just have to try to accept those around us for who they are.

Answer 6

Honestly, to handle them in any way other than a loving one would be doing the same thing they are doing.

I do not think it is wrong to tell someone the truth in a loving way. If I think God is not pleased with them, and I truly love them, I am not going to want them to continue down the path that they are going. But, you get more bees with honey than vinegar as they say.

I honestly think that the Christians who are hurtful fall into 2 categories: 1. Those who mean well and 2. Those with low self-esteem issues.

Those who mean well do not realize they are turning people off by the way they are behaving. They know that people are headed in the wrong direction, and want to help them. But, they do not have the people skills and tact to do it in a loving way.

Those with low self-esteem are much like the bully on a school playground. They bully other kids because they feel badly about themselves. They zero in on something that they THINK makes them better than someone else, and then they use that to beat down the other person.

The only way they will stop is if they realize that they are valuable to God just as they are. Once they learn to love themselves, they will realize how much God loves every single person on the Earth. If He loved me when I was a sinner, He loves the person I am attacking as well. They will begin to act out of love and not anger. Their conviction will still be there, but it will be surrounded by love and not hate.

So, as a Christian, if I were to come across a person that was spewing hate under the banner of a Christian, I would ask them if they had ever committed a sin. I would tell them how sinful I personally was, and how grateful I was that God loved me while I was in my sin.

Then, I would quote Romans 5:8 that says that "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." And ask them if they thought that meant that God loves us all, even when we have not stopped sinning yet .

I would talk about the scriptures that say that sin is sin - there is no hierarchy of sin. Homosexuality is no worse than fornication to God.

I would then end by saying how excited I am about the power of God's Love. How the Bible actually says that God is love and that if we do not dwell in love we are actually not considered to be real Christians.

I would say all of this in a non-confrontational kind of way. Just two Believers having a fun conversation about the love of the Lord. I would not condemn them, though. Because then I would be just like them.

Answer 7

If you're using this forum as an example, don't. Anonymous posting of answers seems to give people a lot of boldness. I doubt that you'd see the same hostility in answering questions face to face from either side, Christian or atheist.

As for your question of handling them? We don't. I don't personally know anyone who tells people they are going to hell as a way of striking up spiritual conversation. But there are always going to be discussions about a persons belief system if they do not agree with our own. Same thing happens in all aspect of our beliefs whether politics or other things.

Answer 8

My opinion is that Jesus, as a Jew, would have never taken Genesis literally. Yet, the ignorant fundies are obsessed with supporting ignorance. You have my pity. "Christian fundamentalists look at Genesis from a single viewpoint. The Jewish approach has long been to consider it across four levels, from what is said through interpretation and allegory to esoteric. Another crucial factor is the way the two religions see themselves in the world. Christianity sees itself as the one and only (an attitude it inherited from the imperialism of its patrons). Judaism sees itself as one of many. So it doesn't threaten our world view if other people see things differently, it's just normal that they do." - The angels have the Arc Light.

Answer 9

You know I have never know of anyone to tell another that they were going to hell. I hear that all the time on here, but I have never seen it happen. We are all going to hell, except for the fact that we have a way out, redemptsion through our Lord and savior Jesus. None of us have any reason to brag or think we are the lucky ones. I Just can not imagin how that would go

" Hi would you like to know Jesus"
"no"

Burn in hell you HEATHEN!!!!

Answer 10

By looking at the essence of a person's words and deeds, and not their surface declaration or manifestation, is a good way to tell the sincere from the fraudulent. The frauds, when poked, will fall apart like a cheap Roleks knock-off. Another good way to tell a fraud... they take themselves way, WAY too seriously.