Why are so many Christians offended by the claim that more Pagans are "Christ-like"?
Yesterday I was "dared" to ask this question: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AlfitpEm7onuIhtmhGA6KMLsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20070917110836AABQqMC
In response, some Christians answered rather defensively.
The question was not my own, but in retrospect I agree with it for the most part. If we take R&S as the only example, the characteristics the Pagans display are much more on par with what we as Christians should be striving for. The Christians constantly display bad scholarship, misunderstanding of other people and groups, lack of sympathy, and outright offensiveness. (No it's not all Christians of course.)
My first friend/contact here was a Pagan. (Hi, Riegan!) She immediately showed kindness and acceptance to me, even though our religious beliefs differed. On R&S Pagans as a whole seem to be less offensive and more accepting.
Why were so many Christians personally offended by this claim? Do you disagree with it?
2007-09-18T07:12:16Z
CJ: Believing in God doesn't make you "Christ-like." We Christians believe that Jesus displayed characteristics like humilty, love, understanding, and tolerance. Now are you really telling me that the average R&S Christian is like that?
2007-09-18T07:13:39Z
jim: I never said Pagans are Christians. That's silly. I'm saying they display certain Christ-like characteristics.
Anonymous2007-09-18T07:14:09Z
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((((RACHEL!!!))))
in real life, most people assume that i'm christian. i let them assume that. i take it as a compliment, because i know that they are looking the good qualities, traits, morals and values and i have. although at the same time, i see it as closed minded to think that someone who has these positive traits MUST be christian because no other faith could have people who possess these qualities.
you should see the look of horror i have received from some christians when i tell them i'm pagan (a witch at that lol) they have a lovely look of disgust on their face and some will immediately shun you forever, even if they thought you were wonderful 2 minutes ago.
just this morning, primoa said in one of his answers that peru is drowning in paganism. that hurt my feelings. primo is a great guy, he and i get along well, but i just wish he didn't feel so strongly that his way is the "only" way.
anyway, christians get offended because they are taught that pagans are evil, and it's understandable that if they truly think we're evil, that it would be extremely offensive to them that we often behave more christ like than them.
hopefully more and more will have an open mind and heart like yourself and make decisions on their own about who is truly evil and who is not.
I agree. I do my best not to stereotype, but yes I have encountered more hatered, ridicule and rejection in the face of Christians than I have found in any other religious doctrine. What I find "funny" in reading some of the answers is that "Pagan's can't be Christ-Like because they don't believe what the bible says about Him".
Someone please explain to me how this is not so. If Pagan's show the same qualities and character traits that Christ portrayed, how are they NOT Christ like. Jesus DID NOT have a denomination that He followed!! There were no real divisions in the church at that time other than Jewish or Roman. Now, Jesus was a Jew, but he didn't "follow" their religious doctrine, does that make him any less Jewish?
Why, as a Christian, do you want to say to someone "Well yeah, you have all the same characteristics and personality traits that Christ had, but that doesn't make you Christ-like." That would be like telling a Math Genuis "Well you're great at Math and all, but because you don't look like or follow the exact path that Einstein did, sorry we just can't say your a genius."!
Come on people. God/insert deity did not create the separation is the religious doctrines man kind did. For those of you who hold so tightly to your faith that you can't even admit that someone who IS NOT Christian can still be Christ-Like, well I feel more sorry for you than I ever have. To think that the term Christ-Like can only apply to Christians, well you are missing out on a perfect example of how Christianity ISN'T the end all be all answer and there are those of us who live our lives as examples to all, and many of us are better Christians as Non-Christians than many of your fellow believers are Christians and claim the title of Christianity. It is very sad indeed when a good example is ridiculed as a good example.
The only reason I can think of that they would be offended is that it points out that maybe they aren't living up to what they claim they do. Another thing I've seen a lot of is Self-Righteousness - thinking that just because they claim to be a Christian that automatically means they are forgiven for everything they do (even those things they continue to do) - some just don't seem to learn from their own mistakes but relish pointing out the flaws in others.
And, maybe, since so many call us evil-doers, wicked, without morals... then even suggesting that we are "Christ-like" somehow reflects on them personally - again, this ties in with Self-Righteousness.
No, not all Christians do these things. It just seems this place draws a lot of those that do exactly that. Most of my family are Christians and they certainly do not act the way I see many in here do and it surprises them when I tell them how some do act. At first my own mother didn't believe me till I showed her... it wasn't long after that and all the media about Pat Robertson, Taggard, etc... that she quit using the label Christian. She still believes, but she expressed disgust at the actions of others in the group, stating "do not even have the Appearance of evil"
Rachel, this is the reason you are one of my favorite christians in this forum. Thank you for the question. I asked a similar question a few weeks back and got many of the same negative replies, but as you can see, you are definitely observing the same phenomena that I am, and taking notice where others simply put on their blinders and start swinging. Thanks for being an example of the change we'd like to see. Have a great day!
Edit: Here's what I got when I asked this question. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ar1Bzg9oBAa1GT1mLjtBkqLty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20070825140941AAhnvq6
Notice the difference between the first two answers and the rest of them. batgirl2good would have had all thumbs up, but she attacked ME and my beliefs, when I never mentioned a word about atheists in this question. I had to give her a thumb down for that, even though I liked the rest of her answer.
I think it primarily has to do with the doctrine of justification and sanctification - many Christians believe that only if you are justified can you be truly sanctified. Most believe in some form of common grace - that anyone can do isolated good events - but they argue that the only people that can be truly be good are those that are justified.
But, everyone has a different idea of what it means to be justified. Some say that many are justified - therefore, we shouldn't be surprised to find 'good' people outside of the church. Others say that only a few are justified, so many who are in the church are not going to be 'good.'
I tend to think that a Christian should love good and hate evil, and thus should rejoice at every instance in which goodness is shown and evil reviled. We should be glad if the poor are taken care of, not matter if they are taken care of by a Christian or someone else.