anitram said:Gandhi said:
"I like your Christ. I don't like your Christians; they are nothing like your Christ."
I think about that one often.
BonoVoxSupastar said:Gandhi's a cool guy.
martha said:
But he's burning in Hell.
Justin24 said:If you don't like his followers then we should get rid of religion since we are all imperfect. Heck why stop with Christianity. I love Allah, but I hate his followers, I hate Buddhas followers but I like Buhdda, I like Yahwe but I hate his followers.
AEON said:
Exactly.
That's why this is not one of his better quotes. It's yet another catchy-bumper-sticker-quality-one liner...and my, how we love those catchy little one liners!
anitram said:
With due respect, it is not a one-liner and to suggest so is insulting.
When you consider the circumstances in which Gandhi lived, you would perhaps better understand. He saw very well what Christian imperialists had in mind in his nation and rejected it. We have no trouble now citing the British for their appalling treatment of Indians. Did Gandhi mean, every last Christian? I bet he did not. But the ones he dealt with, who professed their religion and at the same time disdain for his - very apt summary indeed.
AEON said:
Exactly.
That's why this is not one of his better quotes. It's yet another catchy-bumper-sticker-quality-one liner...and my, how we love those catchy little one liners!
80sU2isBest said:Unfortunately, NonChristians are not only the only people who have disdain for Christians. It saddens me when I see Christians mocking, belittling, speaking poorly of, and ridiculing other Christians.
anitram said:Gandhi said:
"I like your Christ. I don't like your Christians; they are nothing like your Christ."
I think about that one often.
BonoVoxSupastar said:
I think there are a lot of "Christians" who do a pretty good job making jokes out of themselves.
You can love and still disagree with someone adamantly, sometimes that may come off or lead to mocking. But I also don't think God wants us to lift or support the hate, judgement, violence or ignorance that some do in his name.80sU2isBest said:
I and other Christians have been mocked and scolded by many people on this forum; from a NonChristian, it doesn't bother me a whole lot. But to get that kind of treatment from Christians goes against how the Bible says we are to treat other Christians. Christians are told to love each other, lift each other up and support each other. Public statements, mockings and insults made by a Christian against other Christians do nothing to improve any situation and certainly does not show love to his/her brethern.
BonoVoxSupastar said:You can love and still disagree with someone adamantly, sometimes that may come off or lead to mocking. But I also don't think God wants us to lift or support the hate, judgement, violence or ignorance that some do in his name.
80sU2isBest said:
Public statements, mockings and insults made by a Christian against other Christians do nothing to improve any situation and certainly does not show love to his/her brethern.
anitram said:
Yeah, right.
Why do we constantly ask that Muslim moderates speak up against their extremists if we are not willing to clean our own houses first?
BTW, I am not talking about you, 80s in case you think I'm labelling you as such.
But as a Christian, I think it's my duty to call out Christians who pervert the Gospel, who teach hatred, who would hijack our religion and make it political when the early Christians clearly rejected all forms of theocracy. I will speak out against it because it offends me to the core what some of these people have done. The ones who go bombing abortion clinics, the ones who protest at army funerals claming this is God's wrath for homosexual acts, the ones who insist on installing a theocracy in secular government, the ones who pervert science and then demand we give their non-scientific theories equal coverage in a ... you guessed it, science class! I don't feel any compulsion to treat them with kid gloves because we happen to share a common religious background. If anything, that should spurn us to examine their behaviour even more closely.
80sU2isBest said:
And the things I am referring to don't even have to do with sinning. I have seen instances in which Christians have been mocked by other Christians simply for having a different view point. And that is not right.
maycocksean said:
I know I end up on the opposite side of my fellow Christians on many issues here on FYM (Makes me wonder how much of that might be due to some smug sense that I thnk "I know better than everybody else"--Yikes!).
But I hope I've never mocked anyone. I would assume that you don't include vehement disagreement as a form of mockery. I would also assume that you are not suggesting that Christians must always present a "unified front" to "the world" to the extent that we ignore our conscience for the sake of that unity, voice support for issues we don't actually support, or allow Christ to be misrepresented. (And never mind, deciding who within Christianity gets to decide what the standard line will be).
When I post, I'm not trying to "join the Christian-bashing bandwagon." But when I see things being said that I believe are in direct contradiction to the message of Jesus, when I see people being driven away from the Lord, I feel duty bound to speak up.
I know it can be frustrating to see someone charging into the fray, trying desperately to lift up the name of Jesus, surrounded by hostility on every side and then see that some of his/her brothers and sisters in Christ are also slinging arrows of critcism. But look at it this way--if you see someone (like say, me) out there "defending Christ" but saying things that you believe with all your heart are misleading people and misrepresenting Christ to them, surely you can understand feeling the need to speak up and say, "No. No that's not what Christianity is all about."
We all have to be true to our convictions.
melon said:God deserves better than this.
Melon
80sU2isBest said:
I have been "called out" by people who call themselves Christians, even at times when there there would be no chance that I was "misleading people and misrepresenting Christ".
maycocksean said:
Perhaps not in your view.
80sU2isBest said:
When I speak of Christ, I support what I say Biblically.
80sU2isBest said:
When I speak of Christ, I support what I say Biblically.
maycocksean said:
I was reading this afternoon in Philippians chapter 2 where Paul says “If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.” As I was reading, it seemed these texts really seemed to address your concerns about the way we Christians treat each other on FYM at time and I felt like I kind of “got” what you’d been trying to say.
I can see how disheartening it must be to be out there trying to share a Christian perspective, and to have other Christians—people who are supposed to be your brothers and sisters brutally attacking you. I know I’ve felt that and it is sad. Here we are supposed to be of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose, and yet here we are attacking one another. It doesn’t seem right. And yet, we do have the same mind—the mind of Christ, the same love, we in fact do share the same purpose—to represent Jesus well in the world, to be a light, so that others might see Him and be drawn to Him. I’ve realized I need to remember that commonality, be aware of it and of the sincere hearts of my fellow Christians with whom I might disagree. I guess your recent posts plus my reading in scripture have challenged me to be more aware of that basic unity and to take more care when disagreeing with my fellow Christians or providing a different Christian perspective. From here on out, as we post, I hope you won’t feel “blindsided” by me as a brother in Christ, even when we disagree.
God bless, and be encouraged.
Sean
AEON said:Something for some Christians to think about before they shout, get angry, or blatantly call someone a name...
Colossians 3:8
"But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips."
BonoVoxSupastar said:
But isn't there a time for anger?
AEON said:I think so, but I believe those moments are few and far between.
I think the example Jesus set was that we shouldn’t respond in anger to those who insult us or mistreat us. It is a far greater testimony of strength and character to respond with love and kindness.
However, there does seem to be some allowance for anger against people that take advantage of those seeking a relationship with Him. That is how I interpret the story of the Clearing of the Temple.