How many times have you met a Christian person who was closeminded and rude because of who you are? A person who took one look at you and, since they didn’t agree with you, immediately judged you and belittled you because you are different than them.
Let me set something straight: those people are wrong.
Many times before I’ve met people, and told them I was a Christian, for them to say, “Oh gosh I hate Christians, they’re so judgmental and rude,” and for a long part of my life I didn’t really think much of what people said about my faith because I wasn’t super devoted to it. Now, it’s become the most important thing in my life, and for people to assume I’m just some stuffy old Christian is wrong.
I am speaking for myself here, but I’m willing to bet that many other Christians would agree with me in many of these areas.
1. No, I don’t hate gay people.
So often, people assume that because I’m a Christian, that I automatically hate gay people and the gay population as a whole. This couldn’t be more wrong. Some of my closest friends consider themselves to be gay, and I’m perfectly okay with that.
I love them in the same way that I would love any of my other friends. I don’t see them differently.
Although the Bible considers homosexuality as a sin, the judgment is not up to me, it’s up to God. Therefore, I can love and befriend anyone, no matter their lifestyle choices. I choose to look past what someone may consider as a fault and love the people I want to love. If people didn’t look past their difference of opinions with me, I wouldn’t have friends, because no two people have the exact same opinions.
And that’s okay.
2. No, I’m not a racist.
Sadly, this remark is uncomfortably common. Often I have been asked if I am an “Islamo-phob” or a “White Supremacist”. This breaks my heart. Some of my dearest friends are other colors and other faiths, but that doesn’t determine how I look at them.
Our generation is so caught up in how we look on the outside, that we don’t worry about how we look on the inside, and it looks ugly.
Just because I’m a Christian, that does not call me to hate others. As my Papa once told me,
“You don’t hate anyone, you intensely dislike them”
And he’s right. My whole life I’ve grown up learning to not hate, but instead find love and appreciation for those who I might disagree with. That being said, no, I’m not an Islamo-phob, and I’m by no means a racist. I love people for their hearts, not their outward appearance.
3. No, I don’t care that you drink and party.
This is one of my favorite accusations, especially because I go to parties. So many people have tried to hide their wild lives from me because they thought I would hate them for the way they behave. Quite honestly, it’s none of my business how you spend your time.
Just because I’m a Christian doesn’t mean you won’t see me at a frat party.
Like everyone else, I enjoy the occasional party with my frat friends. That doesn’t make me a bad person. It doesn’t make you a bad person in my eyes. I would never hate someone for something they enjoy doing.
4. No, I don’t hate people that have sex before marriage.
Honestly, in my generation, it’s almost impossible to find someone my age who is still a virgin. Yet, it is so common to be called a “slut shaming Christian”. Like I said before, what you do in your spare time is none of my business, and I would never hate someone for doing something they enjoy.
Yes, it may be considered to be a sin, but it’s not something I care about. It’s not something I’m going to judge someone on. It’s not something I really even care about. So please don’t ever think I look at you differently for making a choice to have sex.
5. No, I don’t believe that I’m perfect.
Just because I’m a Christian doesn’t mean I’m perfect, or that I think I’m perfect. Many people have asked me if, because of my faith, I find or view myself as perfect. The answer is no, I find myself far from perfection.
We as humans cannot truly achieve perfection, therefore nothing and no one is perfect.
Do I wish I was perfect? Well, yes of course, to a certain extent we all wish we were perfect, but it’s not something we’re going to achieve. You can view another person or thing as perfect, but beauty comes in the eye of the beholder. So please don’t think that I define myself as perfect when I’m far from it.
6. No, I don’t hate you if you have a different belief system.
Another common accusation is that Christians hate people who don’t believe in the same way. Like I talked about earlier, hate is not a word I use to define how I feel about people. (I use it to describe most food other than Reese’s.) Just because someone doesn’t believe that Jesus is God and that He died for their sins, does not mean I am going to dislike them.
If we didn’t learn how to agree to disagree, this world would be a more bitter place than it already is.
Where my faith might differ from a Muslim’s, a Mormon’s, or a Hindu’s, that doesn’t mean I see, treat, or love them differently. I love people for their hearts, not their minds.
7. Yes, I love all people in the way God calls me to, without judgment.
Faith looks different for each believer, but to me, one of the most important parts of my faith is that: there are no boundaries. There is nothing God can’t do, and there is nothing I can’t do with Him through me.
Although that’s my viewpoint on my personal faith, it doesn’t define other people’s faith necessarily, and it doesn’t define how I see other people.
My favorite passage of the Bible is in John 8. It talks about Jesus approaching and talking to an adulterer (which in his times was a deed punishable by law enforcement). A crowd is surrounding her, wanting to stone her for what she did. Instead of condemning her and agreeing with the masses of people, Jesus drew a line in the sand.
Literally.
He says to the crowd, that those who have never made a mistake in their life, to cast the first stone. As you would probably suspect, the crowd set down their stones and left. The woman asks Jesus why He took mercy on her, and He explains it’s because He loves her, as He loves all of us.
Often I am reminded to love like Jesus did in this story. No matter the situation, the circumstance, the person, or the mistake, it’s not up to me to judge people. So instead I try to love without seeing fault.
Always
HMS
