What Kind of Christian are You???

I remember when the word "Christian" meant "follower of Christ" and Christians cared for the sick, the poor, refugees, and showed love for all mankind. Oh, wait... it still does!  But now the term has been twisted by right-wing extremists so that it seems to mean, "self-serving haters of the down-trodden, sick, poor, or any other race." It's to the point one must ask, "What kind of Christian are you?"

Don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting that Christians live on some type of moral high-ground, doing all the good in the world. Not at all. Sure, there are countless examples of people, even whole congregations, doing wonderful things in the name of Jesus, sharing His love and example by building homes, buying coats for cold people, and sharing food. But you don't have to be Christian to do this... you just have to be a good person and love others. Tons of people do the same things every day without a thought towards Jesus or any type of religion at all. It's just what caring people do.

In this case, how did these things become associated with being Christian? Or, just as important, why would it be a problem if these things were NOT done? Yes, there are poor people. Always have been, always will be. Sure, there are sick people. Tough luck. No reason to go out of your way to change that, right? Besides, some of "them" aren't like "us" and so it really doesn't make sense to help them out, right? Matter of fact, it doesn't make sense to waste valuable tax money on educating poor people, or helping them have a place to live, or food to eat.. it's not like they'll go away if we do. There will just be more poor people to take their place. No, much smarter to use this money to help out your friends and take lavish trips.  

But that's NOT right. How do I know? Because Jesus said, "When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, and when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me, and when I was naked, you gave me clothes to wear. When I was sick, you took care of me, and when I was in jail, you visited me."  The good people around him asked, "When did we do that?" He answered, "Whenever you did it for others no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me."  (Matthew 25:35-40)

There are folks running around, spouting off about being Christian, but they hate others. "Love your neighbor" only counts if they happen to love their neighbor, and it doesn't extend to strangers that can't help them at all. The reason for reminding others they're Christian is for selfish reasons at times, but nonetheless, this is their claim. It might be good for their business and sure helps for political reasons. 

But there's a reason they feel the need to say it so much... because you wouldn't know otherwise.   Showing hatred towards others is not Christ-like.  Taking away needed services such as education and food are not Christ-like. Screaming hateful things towards others is not Christ-like. Where is the compassion? the mercy? the generosity? the love?  

This is an extremely distressing situation to me.. I'm not used to feeling ashamed of people that claim to represent my faith. it angers me to be in this position, which in turn bothers me for feeling anger towards them.  All I know is what Jesus taught, and showed by example. I'm far from perfect, but it doesn't stop me from trying to live by His example.

"Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?" (Matthew 7:15-16)  The fruits of the spirit (of God) are love, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and self-control.  Considering we are all known by our fruits (our results), some of these fruits are missing in action.  

Non-Christians see those that call themselves Christians protest funerals, scream hateful things at refugee children, and use their clout to cut back Headstart programs, benefits for Veterans, and food stamps. They see them refuse to treat those of different races fairly, and deny people's rights if they disagree with them.  Is it any wonder some non-Christians think Christians are mean hypocrites?

It isn't that "Christians" are like this, but that those false Christians are not following Christ, and therefore, are not Christians, despite whatever label they claim.  

Beware: There are Terrorists Among Us!

9/11/01 Then and Now  Part 3 of 3 parts

In Part One, we remembered the tragic events of 9/11, realizing how this changed our national mindset forever. No longer complacent, we realized we were vulnerable to attacks on our own soil. Then in part two, amidst all the horror, the American Spirit prevailed, and the good moments were shared. But in the decade since the attacks, many have condemned Muslims, painting them all as terrorists. Is this a fair accusation? Who are the terrorists in our country?

 Beware: There are Terrorists Among Us!

On September 11, 2001, 19 militants, members of the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda, hijacked four airliners and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. They were from Saudi Arabia and several other Arab nations and financed by Osama bin Laden.

Yes, they certainly did an evil thing, killing more than they even imagined possible, as they had no idea the buildings would collapse. But it was intentional, and not the first time this group has attacked the US, even though not on our soil before.

But it is important to realize that they are EXTREMISTS,  meaning, way beyond the usual. Their actions are not the beliefs of normal followers of Islam. There were members of all faiths killed that day, including innocent Muslims, in the World Trade Center. 

It makes no more sense to blame all Muslims on the actions of these 19  terrorists than it does to blame all Americans for the actions of James Holmes, the guy that killed 12 and injured 58 more at the recent Batman movie.  If his plans had worked out, many more would’ve been killed, but his gun locked up and he had to change guns. His elaborate maze of booby-trapped lines and explosives were supposed to kill the police that he knew would investigate his apartment. There’s a good chance the entire building would’ve exploded, killing or injuring everyone in it.

James Holmes grew up attending the local Presbyterian Church, where his parents are still active. Do we blame all Christians for his actions? Why not? Isn’t that what we do to all Muslims since 9/11?

Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols killed 168 adults and children, in Oklahoma City when he set a bomb off in front of the federal building. I’m still haunted by the pictures of the bloody children they dug out from the daycare center there.

There have been others, including the bombing during the Atlanta Olympics, many school shootings, church shootings, and shooting sprees in shopping centers. People that do these acts are terrorists.

However, since 9/11, the MAJORITY of the terrorist attacks in this country have been by non-jhadist, non al-Quaeda, non-Muslim people! Sometimes they don’t have a particular group they identify with, but when they do, some have been members of white supremists groups.

There are 2.6 million Muslims in the United States Most of them are American citizens that work, buy houses, own businesses that employ others, and pay taxes. The majority were born here. They are peaceful and wish that others realized that the actions of the extremists do not represent them, or their religion.

Recently, there has been a lot of protesting in other countries by Muslims. Some, members of the same terrorist group that is responsible for 9/11, have killed some Americans in Libya. But what they don’t show as much on the news is that there are also Muslim groups that SUPPORT the US, that are mourning the loss of their friends that were killed.

The same people that discriminate against and hate all Muslims for the actions of a few, point to the few that are responsible for the killings and allow it to fuel their biased fire.  People like that are the kind of people that cause many of the problems.

Muslims, world-wide, are reeling at the vicious video created by an American. They are correct to see it as an attack on their faith. He portrays Mohammed in vile sex acts – they don’t even allow pictures of Mohammed, so are completely outraged. His notion of “free speech rights” is no different than yelling, “Fire!” in a crowded theatre, knowing that it would be inflammatory and incite riots. While I can’t condone killings, I understand their outrage.  It is an awful movie, one that everyone of faith, including Christians, should be condemning.

 

Terrorism is a horrible thing, regardless of who does it. Yet, despite the fact that more terrorism in the US has been done by Non-Muslims since 9/11, Muslims bear the brunt of the discrimination.

Sadly, many of the people that discriminate the most, claim to be Christians. Discrimination goes beyond denying access to facilities or clubs. It also includes not giving someone a fair chance, or spreading the false and slanderous viewpoints with others. A real Christian, one taught by Jesus Christ to love everyone, would not do this. If they do, then they aren’t really Christians. 

Beware of the real terrorists in the country. It just might not be who you expect it to be!

"9/11/01 Then and Now"

Part One Loss of an Attitude

Part Two The Bright Spots

I encourage you to view these:

The Sorry Project - a facebook page created by the people in Benghazi, Libya as they express their feelings about the loss of their friend, the ambassador  The Sorry Project

Muslims for America - a worldwide group  Muslims for America 

Libyan Reaction - A report about the arrest of those responsible for the killing of the US Ambassador and  3 members of this staff, in continued support of the US. http://www.libyaherald.com/?p=14462

God and the Election of 2012

Politicians have used the name of God as an endorsement for years…  though unfortunately, more as a “He’s on my side” than anything else.  While character is an important trait to consider when selecting a candidate for office, in reality, like it or not, the issue of one’s faith is not.  True, there’s the argument that one’s faith is what molds his character. Sometimes, this is true. Yet you can be a kind, generous, honest person and still be an Atheist. You can call yourself a devout (fill in the blank Denomination) Christian, and steal, cheat, and lie like a rug. 

While there are those that ignore, or even deny, it, our constitution does not endorse or condemn ANY religion, or lack of one, and there’s absolutely no reason to think that one would have to be a Christian, other than by those that are prejudiced against those that are not. Labeling oneself with a religious label does nothing to guarantee you won’t get in office and do things that cause great harm to people.

Newsflash: God loves mankind. Period. He is not a Democrat, or a Republican, a Libertarian, a Socialist, a Communist, nor a member of the Tea Party. Truth be told, I imagine He’d do away with political parties altogether since they obviously have nothing to add to furthering His kingdom on earth and have been the detriment to it in many ways. Yet, there have been claims, “If you are a Christian, you must be a _____.”  Well, I won’t say which party claimed that, trying not to demonize one over another, but you probably know which one it said.

More than in any election I recall, people seem to have gone off the deep end.  In many cases, they’ve lost sight of the reason for a campaign, which is to debate the issues and select the best person for the job, or as it is many times, the person that will do the least harm.

Not to get into mudslinging too much, but while all groups are guilty of spreading bad information about the other, there are some that are not content with this. They sank to the level of, “It’s not enough to disagree with someone. We’re going to completely make up stories and pass it around.” Seriously, some of these stories are so far-fetched, that it is ludicrous. (It's surprising that I haven't read that the president's mother was an alien from another galaxy, but perhaps they're waiting on the big news until just before the election?) The fact that the stories are easily and frequently exposed as lies really doesn’t seem to slow down the most zealous of the supporters. I've never seen such hatred and disrespect.

Over the years, I’ve disagreed with people on political issues before, yet we were able to simply disagree and move on. It certainly never affected a friendship and didn’t change how we felt about each other. Yet this election, I’ve seen some otherwise intelligent (I thought) people passing on rubbish as if they were uninformed lemmings, unable to read and understand facts. Yes, friendships have been affected. Unfortunately, there truly are some people I have lost respect for and most likely, will never again see the person in the same light again. It has nothing to do with disagreeing with issues of the election, but disgust at seeing them on a quest to spread lies.

Yes, I’ve posted many articles and comments on politics in recent weeks and months. I’ve never knowingly posted anything untrue.  If I share something negative about someone, it is using their OWN words and actions, not photoshoped not voice-overed, but legitimate, and especially, not some made up fantasy. While there are some really incriminating quotes and positions made by the candidate I oppose, I haven't posted them, mostly out of respect for my friends that like him. (These would be legitimate things he actually did or said, not rumors or lies.)  More than anything, I try to stick to the actual issues, not the candidates, or have so far.

It is one thing to discuss issues of an election. Those with opposing views are welcome to discuss them openly – it is in this way that intelligent, sane people learn and share information. This ability is one of the things that identifies us as being a civilized society living in a country where we are free to discuss things openly. Neither has to get bent out of shape over it. But it is something else to rant on, spewing false information, and ignoring reality. If you are unsure of something, look it up in a reputable location! Ask others. Challenge them by asking where they got the facts and figures they share so that you can discern whether it is a reliable source.

This is NOT a matter about which candidate you support. It is a matter of personal INTEGRITY. When I said that God was independent and didn’t care about the election, I was wrong. Actually, He DID have something pertinent to say and shared it with Moses to pass on to us. "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." Exodus 20:16.  Yes, it is one of the ten commandments.  (reminder: Jesus said everyone is your neighbor.) 

Just food for thought.