I have had it with one or another person going on about how others are losers. Most of these people owe the bulk of the money they have to scientists – whom they would regard to be losers. They owe their postitions as yuppies to their teachers and their professors – whom they would regard to be losers. They owe their property rights and their lives to the military and the police – whom they would regard to be losers. And they owe the money that they make to manual and brain laborers – whom they would regard to be losers as well. I am tired of people claiming Christian values treating others like dirt. This is not what Christianity is meant to be about. If you claim your authority to come from Christ, then you better be treating other people well. And if you are not willing to do that, then you cannot claim to have Christian values. Yes, I was guilty of this wrongful behavior myself. I have learned from it. I did use to have some elitist attitudes; but life has cured me of that problem. Right now I have respect for all sorts of people for whom I did not have respect before. I want to see more people make the same choice. If you really do believe in Christian values, then you are obligated to be good to other people, including people who are not part of any kind of “elites.” And if you are not willing to do such a thing, then you cannot claim legitimately to have Christian values. The people who claim to have Christian values when they are treating their workers like dirt are full of crap. You are a Christian, you are obligated to be good to others. And if you refuse to do so, then you cannot claim to be a Christian. So it is about time that this hypocrisy be confronted. If you are a Christian, then you are obligated to treat others well. And if you fail to do so, then you cannot claim to be a Christian. It is about time that more people recognize this and treat the situation accordingly.
RE: "Losers" And Christianity ※→ ibshambat, et al, I think your entangled "Christian Values" with the application of those values in "Behaviors." These are entirely different from each others. In this case, "Christian Values" are accepted theoretical constructs. Behaviors, on the other hand, is a matter of conduct. They are independent of each other. (COMMENT) "Behaviors" may either be influenced by "Christian Values" --- or --- may not be influenced by "Christian Values." Remember, if society was void of Christian Values there would still be observable Behaviors. To convert others to the Christian faith --- teaching faith and associated values --- demonstrates the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of another. But it is not guarantee as to what effect on the character, development, or behavior it might have. Most Respectfully, R
Actually I treated most people with disdain before I became a Christian. I thought I was better than everyone else, I used people as toys. Jesus humbled me, now I don't think of myself as better than anyone, just a part of our human existence. I no longer judge people. So I think you have this OP backwards.
This is an ongoing conundrum. Being Christian and therefor following in the footsteps of Christ, or being Christ like is something most fall short of. And the perplexity of this is that most of us have only 70-80 years to practice it. Not enough time.
What's the issue with it? We will all fall short but its the effort that counts. God doesn't care if you succeed, only that you try. If we could succeed at being like Christ He wouldn't have had to die for us.
I see beggars / homeless people sitting on the street going 'God loves you' from time to time... I've on occasion with a friend, have retorted 'to my friend' going "Obviously God doesn't love this person or they wouldn't be on the street begging."
I don't know any christians who fall into the group you are ranting against. Perhaps you need to hang around other christians? The christians I know, and I know so many, are good, decent people who do not act as you posted above. And this has been my experience for my entire and very long life.
Have you ever considered....how one chooses to treat other people does not necessarily have anything to do with religion?.... but perception, self image, values...etc (although I acknowledge for some the basis of their self confidence is religion, and therefore without religion they have none)
Yes, good deeds do not get you into Heaven. However, if you don't try to do good than you are not really a Christian and God will turn away from you.
Salvation comes through faith not deeds. No need to behave well. Just believe in God and you get salvation.
A review of some of the messianic prophecies that Christians claim were fulfilled by Jesus. It reveals that many of the "prophecies" are nothing more than Christian fabrications, misquotations, and misapplications of passages in the Hebrew scriptures. By the Bible's own standard, then, Jesus was not the Messiah.
this knocks down the christianists narrative what they have been drilled into their heads since childhood
Not believing in Jesus means he will cast you in a lake of fire. Not sure this guy is moral or anywhere near a role model.
Jesus appears to have had a similar effect in my life as well. I am talking here about how people who think in terms such as winners and losers are not being true to the teachings of Jesus Christ.
I have definitely been around good Christians. I am talking here about some in American Reagan conservatism who claim to have Christian values even while they treat their workers like dirt.
Always seemed a bit strange to me that the Conservative Christians vote Republican and it is the Republicans who seem most distainful of the poor and umemployed. Someone someday has to tell me what work Jesus did to earn a living. Bet modern day Conservative Christians would have considered him a bum.
