Any followers of Christ as pissed off at other so called "Christians" as I am?

[Love_Conquers_All]

I don't mean to be so friggin angry, but I am seriously getting tired of other "believers" out in this world spreading so many lies and so much hatred. Okay I know that homosexuality, murder, rape, and such are sins, but they are just other sins. They are not any worse than lying, backbiting, jealousy, adultery etc. etc. God views all sin the same. It is disobediance to His commandments pure and simple. It all leads to the same thing... death! not physical of course but spiritual. Although some sin could lead to physical death just not necessarily meted out by our Father. I try really hard to let His love flow, they just make it so hard. I would rather be tortured for my faith than deal with these types of so called "Christians" who wear the title more as a social badge of sorts and possibly an ego boost. It is wrong to tell someone that they are going to hell most assuredly for such and such sins when you are sinning just as much as them by the very act of telling them so with a judgemental heart. I apologize if this comes off as judgemental towards anyone in anyway I don't mean for it to be so. I am just fed up with people not following our two most simple commandments. Love the Lord God with all your heart, mind, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. By the way the quotation thing is not to denote that they are not true followers of Christ. Only God knows their hearts. We are not to judge others hearts. He doesn't tell us not to judge their fruit though. I personally think if another follower is bearing rotten fruit they should be made aware of it and offered prayer and help with it. Anyways am I the only one to feel this way, and also what are your thoughts if any on this matter?

 

[just me]

Doest thou well to be angry, Job? Not one correction, huh?

"Doest thou well to be angry, Jonah?"

 

[the]

I don't think God views all sin as the same. To say that lying to your mom is as bad as rapeing your mom is absurd. That being said I am tired of christians who insist on america being a christian nation and politicians using christianty as a political vehicle.

 

[Cornerstone]

I don't believe that their are punishments for 'sin', since I don't believe in 'sin'.

There is, as I see it, a Godly and ungodly way to live...two directions with an infinite number of expressions.

There are consequences to ungodly behaviour, and they may be punishing, but they're not punishment. We all begin and end at the same place from what I can tell.

The Christian you speak about would be proclaiming authority on rocky grounds in some other area of life if not for religion.

 

[Lerxst]

You do realize, that thanks to all the religions in the world, everyone is going to Hell. What's the point in splitting hairs over a few petty sins if your chances of getting to Heaven are 0, according to every other major religion.

 

[just me]

The OP started out with "Any followers of Christ", if anyone overlooked it.

I think sin as an act is different from sin as a lifestyle. Preachers that preach about lifestyles are doing so because they are most likely called to do so. If it pricks the heart, there may be a reason behind it. Maybe we should look at sin.

 

[Skarekrow]

Yes, I am.

 

[just me]

Judge not, lest ye also be judged. We are told we can tell what type tree it is by the fruit it bears. My wife loves pomegranates; myself, I stay away from them. If I don't like the fruit it bears, does that make the tree bad?

 

[Flavus Aquila]

A few points come to mind.

* It seems fair to hate the sin, but love the sinner.

* Christians are going to be hypocrites. They acknowledge that they are sinners - if they weren't they wouldn't need a Saviour - and they try, to various degrees of success to reject sin.

* Some people are going to be worse hypocrites than others - there is probably a bell-curve situation.

* It seems that Christian perfection (re. the two Commandments quoted in OP) lies in loving both a perfect being (God) and imperfect beings (sinners).

* In respect of loving sinners - it is easier to love those closer to perfection; and more difficult to love the less perfect.

* The most heroic Christian love would seem to be to be able to love the worst sinners.

* To us, subjectively, the worst sinners seem those who oppose us - ie. our enemies; or perhaps the worst hypocrites.

* Therefore, enemies and hypocrites are an opportunity to practice the best kind of Christian charity.

 

[Stu]

Zealotry is a perfectly acceptable form of Christianity with a long history of acceptance within the Christian community.

There are entire sects of Christianity which base their entire faith in the belief of the punishment of the Damned.

If you are going to wear the cross and live the gospels you need to be aware of this very real, very christian aspect of your religion.

 

[muir]

The US is the spiritual home of capitalism, excess and inequality; it also claims to be 'christian'

It says it believes in 'liberty' yet it stops the growth of democracy abroad whilst also passing increasingly oppressive laws at home

It says it believes it peace, yet it is involved in perpetual war abroad

It says it is the land of the free but how free do people there really feel?

It says it is 'christian'...the religion of a humble man who rode into town on a donkey preaching that people should respect each other and share wealth and yet the US has the worst wealth inequality in the west and rampant poverty

There is an inherent contradiction at the heart of the US

There is a vast gulf between what reality actually is and what many people perceive it to be or what they are told it is by their media and leaders. This creates a huge amount of cognitive dissonance in the national psyche which leads to anxiety on a massive scale

Until the US public can develop a better relationship with the truth they are going to be continually divided within themselves and in a state of perpetual turmoil

 

[Jana]

If you are going to wear the cross and live the gospels you need to be aware of this very real, very christian aspect of your religion.

Actually, this is not exclusivly christian view. Many religion probably have groups that are very oriented to excitement by punishment of the "others" because others are sinners, they are not like "us".
On the other hand, there are groups who are more oriented to accepting because we are all people. Nobody has right to use that rock...
Never judge group by their parts...
I am Christian and I don't see particular joy in anybody being neglected by grace.

 

[Jana]

Plus, mixing religion with nationality can be very very very dangerous....belive me, I am from Europe. We invented that... You in USA only improved it...

 

[Stu]

[MENTION=1069]Jana[/MENTION], you are correct, many groups are focused on pointing to fault, not just religious groups. There are whole "political" movements devoted to pointing at the alleged ignorance of society at large, implicating the masses in what they perceive as a secret tyranny of inhuman manipulators (for example).

I would tend to think of those Christians who focus on the sins of others as being less Christian, but who am I to judge?

 

[Jana]

I would tend to think of those Christians who focus on the sins of others as being less Christian, but who am I to judge?

Exactly, I would say so as well, but than I stop and think: "But, then I would do the same thing that they do. I would judge who is "better" in God's eyes. That would be so wrong.

But, anyway, this story tells a lot...for Christian as well.



"Rabbi Shammai was an engineer, known for the strictness of his views. The Talmud tells that a gentile came to Shammai saying that he would convert to Judaism if Shammai could teach him the whole Tora in the time that he could stand on one foot. Shammai drove him away with a builder's measuring stick! Hillel, on the other hand, converted the gentile by telling him, "That which is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah; the rest is commentary. Go and study it."

 

[La Sagna]

I would tend to think of those Christians who focus on the sins of others as being less Christian, but who am I to judge?

As a Christian myself, I have always felt this way. A lot of Christianity is based on the idea that we will be judged according to how we treat others, so I always interpreted that as saying that if I judge others harshly I will myself be judged harshly. If the teachings of Christianity are real then Christians who judge and condemn others are in more trouble than those who sin a lot but are kind and non-judgemental to others

 

[muir]

@Jana , you are correct, many groups are focused on pointing to fault, not just religious groups. There are whole "political" movements devoted to pointing at the alleged ignorance of society at large, implicating the masses in what they perceive as a secret tyranny of inhuman manipulators (for example).

I would tend to think of those Christians who focus on the sins of others as being less Christian, but who am I to judge?

I think you did just ironically point to what you perceive as the faults of others

 

[Love_Conquers_All]

I suppose this is where I differ from others I don't believe that judging the fruit of someone's works i. e. actions is wrong. I believe that judging someone's heart is wrong i. e. Their motives behind said actions. This is mainly what I was referring to. People who tell someone that if they don't start believing in God right then and there they are going to hell for sure. If this is true then even though I have accepted Christ I am going to hell. I was an atheist until I was 19 and had many Christians tell me as well as others I know these types of statements as if it was true no matter what happened in the future. I am just frustrated at the American church as a whole promulgating such behavior with reckless abandon and not stepping up and correcting it. There are clear guidelines for believers laid out in the bible and leadership needs to step up and hold themselves and others to such instruction. I have read all comments thus far and appreciate all input at this point. Thank you for your thoughts.

 

[Stu]

i respect Christians, the non judging and the judging kind. I respect their religiosity and find it noble. I am very fond of the loving and non judgmental ones whom the lovely [MENTION=1069]Jana[/MENTION] seems very much to be one of. I have a personal disdain for bible thumpers whether they are thumping the bible or some other collection of dogma.
btw, I am not a Christian. I cannot say the apostles' creed in good faith.

 

[Love_Conquers_All]

Stuck from most of the posts I have read of yours on these forums you are an awesome person regardless of your beliefs. I try not to be one of those who shoves it down people's throats. Seeing as how that really irked me growing up. I believe we are all here to learn to love one another in purity. With that being said
people! just not so much some of their actions.