As my closest friends know, being a Christian is who I am. My whole life is based on my faith. My faith is my shelter, my plumb-line for life, my encouragement, my strength.
THAT is why Obama gets under my skin do deeply. It just drives me CRAZY for anyone to call themselves something, but have NO idea what that means. And yes, I have friends too, who call themselves Christians… merely because they are good people, make moral decisions, and went to church at some point. I have learned not to argue with them, because then a whole slew of labels get thrown my way. In their minds, for me to call them on their so-called faith, I have become close-minded, judgmental, and condescending. They fail to see that I merely am trying to clarify the misnomer they have adopted.
Frankly, it bothers me JUST as much when a teenage girl calls herself a woman. What does SHE at 15 know about being a woman? Has she bore a child? Has she had to work 40+ hours a week to make ends meet? Has she been THIS close to losing it all, including her mind, only to find that being a woman means that you can’t run home to Mommy, but must keep on keepin on? Sorry, but very rarely is that true, and no amount of make-up, sexual encounters, and drama will suddenly zap her into being a woman. It also bothers me when I meet a homosexual who is gay one day and swears this is true love and they were born this way, but then six months later.. whats this? Dating (and being blissfully happy) with a member of the opposite sex??? Really. Wake up, people! We expect so much from everyone around us, and yet we expect nothing more from ourselves than the flimsy labels that we hide behind.
Know what it is you call yourself!!! Educate yourself before you claim it! Then when you DO claim it, claim it proudly with the knowledge to back it up!
And since my biggest pet peeve lately has been the label of my faith, that is what I want to talk about.
In a previous blog, I added the actual definition of what a Christian is. But here it is again for clarity:
“A Christian (listen) is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ as presented in the New Testament[2] and interpreted by Christians to have been prophesied in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament[3].” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian
So what does this mean? How many of my own, good, and dear friends define their own Christian faith as this: “Yeah, I am a Christian, but I don’t believe that any one faith is the right way, so long as you are a good person, and make the right decisions.”
WHOA!!!! Wait just one minute! Now look at the definition of a Christian. See that word ‘monotheistic?’ That means ONE God, not ANY god. Christianity has never embraced other gods and other faiths into its own. Some of the people who use the label may, but Christianity does not. True, Christianity has taken symbols from other faiths and used them as their own (IE, the Christmas tree) but the belief system has stayed the same! Christians believe in The Bible to study about their faith. Everything that Christianity is based on is within its covers, yet those same ‘Christians’ who don’t believe in one god, also don’t believe in The Bible.
And that just gets my blood boiling!
Call me conservative. Call me old-fashioned. I admit it. I believe that my Faith is contained in that book that we call The Bible. I also believe that you must take it in its entirety and weigh its message against the place you are in your life. Obviously, some passages in the Old Testament are outdated, but look closely… those same out-dated passages were guidelines to the people on how to live healthy lives! Most of those same guidelines would benefit us today! I also believe that there is A LOT more to being a Christian than JUST reading The Bible.
Being a Christian is more than being a ‘good’ person. Being a Christian is more than reading your Bible. Being a Christian is more than believing that Christ existed (because even Satan knew Christ and is condemned.. James 2v 18-19) Being a Christian is more then going to church. It is deeper, it is a CHANGE deep within you that defies all logic. When you have experienced that change, and can call Christ your Lord, THEN I will accept you as a fellow Christian.
(and for everyone saying that we are not to judge… I BEG to differ. If we Christians did not hold our fellow Christians (and so-called Christians) accountable for their actions, for their lack of faith, then we may as well turn OUR backs on Him as well! We are AS responsible for showing these friends and family the TRUTH of Christianity as anyone else. The burden is on US to live above reproach, to share our Faith, to defend our Faith from getting blended and watered down, to pray ceaselessly, and wait patiently for His Hand. We MUST stand up and be heard in order to make a difference, or one by one our very own children will read in their history books about a faith that lost its back-bone and wonder what Christianity was all about)
Now, I am not saying that I have a right to condemn you if you aren’t a Christian. Yes, according to my Faith, anyone that is not a Christian will face judgment. And THAT judgment SHOULD be left to God. I do not condemn Muslims for their faith, or the Hindus, or any other religion. I DO condemn anyone that uses the label of Christianity for thier own purposes or just because they are too lazy to really make a decision one way or the other.
If you don’t want to be a Christian, and simply call yourself one to get your family off your back, please grow a pair, grow up, and be honest about it! If you were raised in church, but have no clue what it means to be a Christian, please get online and research it. Open the Bible you were given for graduation. Talk to someone you trust. LEARN about your Faith!!!
I am FAR from perfect, but I AM forgiven!
