Disclaimer: I don't normally write articles about religion. I don't agree with sueding any one person towards a particular belief and I certainly don't think ones' beliefs are anything but their own - determined by what best gives them a sense of security and purpose. The purpose of this article is to shed light on Christianity because it has been labeled innacurately due to a minority in the Christian community.
Before I was a believer or considered myself a Christian, I was on the outside of the church. I had no set spiritual beliefs or morals, but would occasionally attend Jewish services with my Grandparents and family members. I learned in recent years that the third-party prejudice against Christianity, which I admittedly believed at the time, is far different from the church itself.
Before I was a Christian, I thought that Christians were hypocritical, dogmatic, and bigots, as those are common terms associated in society with Christianity, and I didn't know any better. Not to mention, Christianity is portrayed in that negative way in modern media (more often than not...see the carefully selected GIF's below). And many of the people I knew classified themselves as Christian, did act hypocritically to their proclaimed faith and used it as an excuse.
When I first went to church, I was incredibly apprehensive. I thought I would feel judged or belittled for my troubled past or any of the many mistakes I've made. It actually ended up being the exact opposite, and I had never felt so safe in a social environment. Over the next few months, my enmity had been replaced with a new understanding and respect for the Christian community, of which I had grown to appreciate and cherish. And eventually, I made Christianity my identity and I hold the christian community very close to my heart.
I just recently started college and I am no longer surrounded by a large Christian community, like the one that I was so familiar with at home. Multiple times, the same prejudices that I once held, have been brought up, often. Jokes surrounding the hypocrisy of the church and jokes about being a "jesus freak" were more common than I had ever expected. I wasn't sure what to say, or how to react. So I just stayed quiet; which I wholeheartedly regret - not saying anything is just as much of a disservice to the community who has been so good to me, as holding those same prejudices as I once considered truth.
Suddenly, I realized I was once one of those people. The hypocrisy that one person in a community held, a corrupt church, or media coverage shedding negative light on the Christian community effects how an entire community is misrepresented. I spent years resenting a community that actually restored my soul and gave me a much needed, new perspective on life.
Before you hold an entire community to the standards of a small part of that population, try it out. See what it truly is, give it a chance, and really look into the greater number of people, not the minuscule outliers who create the bad name. This applies to all religions whether Christian, Catholic, Islamic, Judaism, or anything else, really. You don't have to agree with the beliefs, just understand where the greater population comes from and their purpose. And certainly, do not belittle or mark off any belief under any circumstance; it's not your place.
Despite common misunderstandings, Christianity is not about singling any group or type of person out. It is not about making excuses for sins made daily -- by each one of us. It is never an excuse. It is not anything more than loving one another, and understanding that Jesus died for your sins and you have been set free because God loved you so much, that He sent his only son to pay the ultimate price.
