Christians Bad, Everyone Else Good

Published on August 26, 2004 By Gideon MacLeish In Religion

OK, I'm a little miffed right now.

I am really getting hacked at the proliferation of blogs denouncing Christianity and Christians. The reason they upset me is because of the blatant hypocrisy that is evidenced on them.

If I were to write a lengthy article listing the bloody and violent history of Islam, I would be flamed, hard and heavy, even if everyone of my facts was thoroughly researched and referenced on the thread, and even if in the context of the post, I mentioned that this was not the character of all Muslims. I don't have to prove this point; it's already been proven in numerous articles.

And yet, when someone chooses to post an article denouncing Christianity as the scourge of mankind, the same naysayers on the Islam thread are right up to bat, cheerleading the poster for their "insight" and "intellect", even if the tone of the post is clearly subjective and poorly assembled.

The fact is, many of these "liberals" are as much responsible for the hate throughout the world today as the Jerry Falwells and the Pat Robertsons of this world. Hate is hate, and no noble end came of using hate to fight hate. Ever.

If you extol the virtues of a man like Gandhi, why do you tarnish his image by spitting on Christians? Gandhi respected people of all faiths, and was, likewise, respected by people of many faiths (for the record, MANY Christians respect Gandhi; those that don't actually are among the minority in the Christian world).

I understand how one's religious upbringing can affect their viewpoint, but is saying "I was raised in a strict Christian home and so I hate Christians" really any different than saying "I was mugged by a black man and so I hate blacks"? By presenting yourself that way, you've pretty much ensured yourself that any Christians will either censor themselves out of fear of retribution, or try to convert you, or avoid you altogether. A minority will stand up and point out to you the hypocrisy of your position.

You can dislike certain individuals all you want, but I would encourage you to not be so hasty to judge others simply because they belong to a faith with which you have had bad experiences in the past. We are all people, and there's far more to us than can be seen with a simple look at our "tags".

Just my two cents,

Gideon MacLeish

Comments

Janders

on Aug 26, 2004

Amen brother-man!

Texas Wahine

on Aug 26, 2004

Great post, Gideon! Love the title, too . . . caught my eye.

(I still haven't converted from old smileys to new smileys . . . please forgive me)

Gideon MacLeish

on Aug 26, 2004

Thanks, both of you. I would urge each of you to get with the new smiley protocol, though....lol

BlueDev

on Aug 26, 2004

Excellent article Gideon, gets an "Insightful" from me. I have never understood why it was okay to bash one religion while defending another. This needed to be said, and I think you said it quite well. Thanks.

Teegstar

on Aug 27, 2004

i have seconded that "insightful". this is something i have often thought about but struggled to put it into words. thank you for doing so.

Manopeace

on Aug 27, 2004

Scroll back a bit on my bloggsite and read the poem i wrote called The Nazerine. Any one who is against Christians is against what Christ Himself stood for. Not being a Christian myself, I can still appreciate all it represents.
Bless you Gideon!

Gene Nash

on Aug 27, 2004

Jerry Falwells and the Pat Robertsons

Interesting how often those two names are invoked together.

I not long ago referred to them as the Christian equivalent of PETA -- making controversial statements solely for the sake of publicity.

A minority will stand up and point out to you the hypocrisy of your position.

On rare occasions I'll take the time to call them bigots, though it never has any impact.

We are all people, and there's far more to us than can be seen with a simple look at our "tags".

I'd add that not everyone who calls themselves Christian really is. For instance, I have relatives who are at best "social Christians." They love to go to church to socialize, and they've assimilated all the right words and phrases, but you'd be hard pressed to recognize anything Christlike in their ways. Then there are areas such as Northern Ireland where "Protestant" and "Catholic" are often more forms of ethnicity than religious commitment.

The clearly unchristian behavior of some should not be justification for deciding all Christians are frauds. Which brings us right back to bigotry, doesn't it?

"I don't have respect until I am judged as an individual, not as part of a group." -- Dr. Gene Scott.

Amitty

on Aug 27, 2004

Gideon, you have once again wrote a excellent article.

While I am not Christian, and get condemned by them alot, I don't think anyone should denounce them. Like everyone else, Christians have a right to do what they want, believe what they want, be who they are. True, there might be people out there that have been slammed by them for whatever reason, and hold it against you, but that is not your problem. Hell, I've been hacked by lots of people and I never retaliate.
I think the secret is knowning that what you do, or beleive in, is right for you. You know that feeling, when you are so confident in something it doesn't matter what else comes along. People see that, and sometimes they attack it, because they are missing that in their life.
Don't let it get to you.
Keep writing.

LadyCleve

on Aug 27, 2004

Very insightful and a wonderful read, as always.

Gideon MacLeish

on Aug 27, 2004

And that's all many of us ask. We have found, in our quest to learn more about our own Jewish roots and the Jewish roots of our faith, much of the same appreciation (and, because the Jewish and Muslim faith have more similarities than differences, an understanding of our Muslim brothers and sisters as well).

I'd add that not everyone who calls themselves Christian really is.

Precisely. As I'm fond of saying, just because I call myself a supermodel doesn't make me so anymore than someone calling themselves a Christian makes them so.

"I don't have respect until I am judged as an individual, not as part of a group." -- Dr. Gene Scott.

or, as stated by another, more populist philosopher of the 90's, "was it Dick van Patten or Kierkergaard who said 'if you label me you negate me?" (lol)

You know that feeling, when you are so confident in something it doesn't matter what else comes along. People see that, and sometimes they attack it, because they are missing that in their life.

and, to them I have a response that trumps all:

messybuu

on Aug 27, 2004

I'm completely with you. The defamation of Christians annoys me to no end. Sure, I used to hold such beliefs, but I was an idiot then, and I didn't stop being an idiot until I realized that I can't group people based on their religion.

Gideon MacLeish

on Aug 27, 2004

Thanks. It is good to see people of all faiths (and non-faiths) come to realize that prejudice begins and ends with us.

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