Is 'pity' the right word to use?

Question

I asked a question to Christians about why they thought they got hostility from Atheists (yes, I know hostility works both ways!).

One of the answers I got was very good and informative but in it they mentioned that Christians were perceived as arrogant but weren't....fair enough, but they went on to say that they had pity for those that didn't understand them.

For me, I have seen this word a few times, although I voted the answer as my favourite, I did say that I thought the word 'pity' was the wrong one to use, it is arrogant to pity someone because they don't believe in what you believe in.

So my question; do Christians actually pity atheists?

Catlover....I have to be a bit hypocritical here as I pity anyone with your dark views....

psuiup.....I must admit there are a lot of good things in the Christian faith, but condemning someone to a lifetime of hell (remember, they could have led their lives well and given a lot to others); just because they don't believe in your views seems evil in itself.

Answer 1

To me pity isn't the right word, at least the way people view the word today. Pity actually means compassion or hurting for someone, but today people view it as more of a derogatory term. I don't pity the atheists, I hurt for them. It doesn't matter what they personally believe, I believe they're going to go to hell, and I hurt for them for that reason. I see them making the same mistakes that I used to and it hurts me. So, after my rambling, I don't think people should use the word pity just because of the connotations the word evokes today, if a person is a true Christian they should do whatever they can to make sure they don't come across like they are belittling someone.

Answer 2

Pity = sympathetic grief or sorrow excited by the suffering or misfortune of another, often leading one to give aid or show mercy

Answer 3

Pity? Hmmm, I don't feel sorry for the willfully ignorant< I feel sorry for their children

Answer 4

Pity might be the right word, but not for those who don't understand us, but for those who are not saved. I guess you would have to see that from a Christian perspective, though. If you thought someone was heading for destruction, wouldn't you have pity for them?

As for those who don't understand, there are saved people who don't understand me, because I'm radical. I don't pity them. I just continue being radical, hoping that some of it will rub off. You have to be radical before you can understand radical.

Why Christians are concerned about the hostility of the atheists is what I don't understand. Of course they are going to be hostile if we hit them head on. I think that a hole lot of us need to learn some tact. Even then some are hostile, but that's just because they don't want to change. What we need to do then is to stop taking it personally.

Answer 5

Well, no.

For example, if you knew that I was living on top of a toxic waste dump that was definitely going to give me cancer, and you tried to tell me to move, but I didn't believe you, wouldn't you pity me?

To truly believe what we believe, to know it deep in our hearts, and to know the fate of those who don't see, does not make us arrogant. Not anymore than you would be arrogant for feeling sorry for me living on that dump.

However, I do see how it would sound that way to you. The true motive behind it is that we see what waits for you at the end of line.

Answer 6

if you take a child and tell them they are right regardless of what any one else says, they will believe it. same with Christianity. if you believe you are correct, no matter what, you will "pity" those that don't know better. maybe even try to save them.

Answer 7

Pity merely means sympathy, and sympathy means compassion....so in essence it means Christians are showing their feeling for their fellow man...It's very much the correct word :-)

Edit: I think the problem lies where people tend to categorize "pity" with pathetic...but this is not the case at all, as shown in above paragraph

Answer 8

Pity is not a good word. It doesn't fully express the concern of Christians for those who turn their back on God.
Being humble in the face of ridicule is something that Christians need to practice-arrogance is not of Christ, it only reinforces the negative image that many people have of Christians.
I don't pity nonbelievers. I do my best to pray for them and to not react in a hateful manner towards them.

Answer 9

My faith in God gives me a great joy knowing that I will have salvation through Christ. I am saddened when I can't share this joy because it is not accepted. Perhaps that is what other Christians are trying to convey.

Answer 10

In the words of Ray Comfort, "Christians are not better than anyone else, just 'better off'." He was speaking in regard to our eternity. Jesus felt compassion on those who were perishing. Should we 'pity' someone who will spend eternity in hell for their refusal to open their eyes to the truth? 'Compassion' and 'pity' are both words that could describe the heart of Christains toward non-Christians.