Do Christians Turn People Away from the Bible?
Do you ever see people that are turned away from church because of Christians that they have met? I think we all have. Do you ever see people question God because of how Christians have treated them? I have. I'm sure I'm not alone.
A common theme that I am seeing on social in light of the legalization of gay marriage is people making fun of the Bible because of what it does and does not stand for. One Facebook meme I have seen shows the Bible condemning homosexuality while condoning rape and discrimination. Another compares photos of people with their guns, Bibles, and flags with another photo of a person with a library of books and a telescope.
Of course, the um... "reason" Christians will use for this type of exposure is, "The Bible says we will be hated" or maybe "the world will not understand us. We're a peculiar people." They will never bat an eye at how their interpretation and their hatred and their self-righteousness are turning people away from the Bible - the very thing they are trying to promote.
It's very sad to me.
You know, I have been a Christian all of my life. I was raised studying the Bible. I have a degree in religion. I make it a habit of studying the real meaning of God's Word in the context in which it was written. But when a fellow Christian hits me with a self-righteous, legalistic attitude, - especially when they use a Bible Verse to do it - I tend to cringe when I hear that Verse again. I don't mean to. And it's not at the Bible or the real meaning of the Verse. It's because I can still hear that person's voice using the Bible as a weapon against me and a pedestal for him/herself. It's an automatic reaction.
If I, as a Christian, experience even such a fleeting emotion, what about those who are not Christians? What about those who have never picked up a Bible to see what it says? Are those people going to be drawn to a loving Savior about whom the Bible teaches when that same Bible is used to condemn, hate, and point the finger?
Perhaps instead of Christians taking a fast from social media to get away from the drama, these Christians should pay attention to what people are posting. Then maybe we can all ask ourselves if we are a part of the problem. We might not be happy with our honest answers.
A common theme that I am seeing on social in light of the legalization of gay marriage is people making fun of the Bible because of what it does and does not stand for. One Facebook meme I have seen shows the Bible condemning homosexuality while condoning rape and discrimination. Another compares photos of people with their guns, Bibles, and flags with another photo of a person with a library of books and a telescope.
Of course, the um... "reason" Christians will use for this type of exposure is, "The Bible says we will be hated" or maybe "the world will not understand us. We're a peculiar people." They will never bat an eye at how their interpretation and their hatred and their self-righteousness are turning people away from the Bible - the very thing they are trying to promote.
It's very sad to me.
You know, I have been a Christian all of my life. I was raised studying the Bible. I have a degree in religion. I make it a habit of studying the real meaning of God's Word in the context in which it was written. But when a fellow Christian hits me with a self-righteous, legalistic attitude, - especially when they use a Bible Verse to do it - I tend to cringe when I hear that Verse again. I don't mean to. And it's not at the Bible or the real meaning of the Verse. It's because I can still hear that person's voice using the Bible as a weapon against me and a pedestal for him/herself. It's an automatic reaction.
If I, as a Christian, experience even such a fleeting emotion, what about those who are not Christians? What about those who have never picked up a Bible to see what it says? Are those people going to be drawn to a loving Savior about whom the Bible teaches when that same Bible is used to condemn, hate, and point the finger?
Perhaps instead of Christians taking a fast from social media to get away from the drama, these Christians should pay attention to what people are posting. Then maybe we can all ask ourselves if we are a part of the problem. We might not be happy with our honest answers.
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