Setting the Record Straight

There are some common misperceptions about the Christian faith that are propagated by BOTH non-Christians and people who claim to be Christians alike.  Before doing that, allow me to make a statement:

Christians are NOT Christianity.  Don't get me wrong - they should be, but many times they are not even in the same ballpark.  What I mean by that is, please don't confuse some of the flawed actions of some Christians throughout history, with Jesus or what Christ Himself asks of us.  Crazy and even evil things have been done in the name of the Christian God (think "Westborough Baptists" or the Crusades).  These things contradict what the Bible actually says.  They've been done by evil men who wanted power or wealth, and they used something that is pure and good and right to accomplish their goals.  Or - maybe worse - those actions have been done by ignorant people who didn't take the time to learn for themselves what the Gospel truly has to say.

But let's be clear.  That is not a "Christian thing".  This is true of ALL humans.  So it really has nothing to do with Christianity, but rather our flaws and imperfections as people - believers and unbelievers alike.  In short, don't blame Christ and the beauty and truth of Christianity for the actions of a percentage of people calling themselves Christian.

So, on to setting the record straight.  A few items to point out, in short:

1. Faith in Jesus is not a "blind" faith.  Not at all.  There is much to learn for someone who thinks this.  Unfortunately, that data has been removed from our schools.
2. Christians do not (or should not) hate those with homosexual tendencies.  Quite the opposite.  God loves everyone and so should every Christian.  Period.  Don't confuse the person with the action or temptation.
3. While there are many fairy tales from ancient times, the Judeo-Christian scriptures are NOT folklore.  They are historical, and this has been well proven and documented.
4. Science and Christianity do not conflict.  They support one another.  For example, at one point in the distant past, time and space began, perhaps through a brilliant flash of light we can easily call a "Big Bang".  And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.  Genesis 1:3.
5. On that subject, the Universe is a well-balanced, well-engineered, well-architected marvel.  It did not come from nothing - I don't have enough faith to believe something that ludicrous.  Everything but the uncreated Architect had a cause.  Dawkins will say, "Then who created God?"  Great question, but the answer is self-evident.  Something had to start it all that had no cause.  That something - or someone - had to be infinite, without beginning or end.
6. Christians are greater supporters of women and women's rights than any other organization on Earth, including misguided orgs like NOW.  Don't confuse this with the "Woman's Right to Choose" campaign ... that is another subject entirely, where the focus is on the life WITHIN the woman, not the woman herself.
7. There is only one way to God and to Heaven.  That is belief in His son, Jesus.  This sounds exclusionary, I know, but all truth claims are exclusionary in essence.  Even the truth claim that there is no truth (Is that claim true?).  That said, the offer is open to EVERYONE.
8. Religion ≠ Christianity.  If your view of Christianity and belief in Jesus is one of following rules and never doing anything fun, you're confusing it with religion.  Jesus came to eradicate religion and to pay our debt so that we could be brought back to square one.  Religion is man-made.  Christianity is God-sponsored.
9. Plus, they aren't rules anyway.  They are "laws".  Forget what you think about our man-made laws today and take God's laws for what they ACTUALLY are:  truths to keep us safe, give us true life and joy, and to please Him, our Father.  Think of the law of gravity, for instance.  You can try to break that law by jumping off a building, but you will die or be harmed somehow.  That's all the laws are - to keep us (His children) from harming ourselves.  Trust me, we need boundaries and guidance.  He is simply a good Father.
10. Clever platitudes and opinions - in the end - mean precisely squat.  Unless you are willing to study all the data with an open mind - both for and against Christianity and its historicity, its truth, and its importance in all our lives - you should keep your "well, I think" comments to yourself.  That includes me, all non-Christians, and all Christians.  Everybody.  Too many Christians think they know, but they don't.  They just grew up with it and never questioned it.  Too many non-Christians think they know, but they've never ACTUALLY looked into it fully with an open mind.  To both I say, "mark this as top priority".  If it matters (which I know now that it does), it means your eternity either in heaven, with Jesus and never-ending joy ... or it means your eternity in Hell (a.k.a. without God) and the agony, bitterness, and sadness that comes with it.  Keep in mind ... YOU are making that choice, not God.  It's called free will.

I'll keep it to ten, although I'd like to go on.  Too much misinformation has been passed around, and we all seem to suck it up readily without ever peering beneath the surface.  We are a "fast information" and "yeah, that sounds right" culture.  We are easily fooled - like lambs to the slaughter.  Unless we look up, look around, and look into it, we will continue to believe untruths.  

So let's cut to the chase.  Why am I telling you all of this?  It's to plant a seed.  It's to make you think, "Hmmm ... maybe I DON'T know everything I need to know."  

But know this:  God loves you, no matter what you've done or what you currently believe.  He just wants you.  He wants to love you and shape you into the person He created you to be.  He knows you're not perfect (or even close).  None of us are.  He wants you just as you are for now.  But he won't force you.  He wants it to be a real real relationship - and that takes free will.  It takes you making a choice to love Him back.  

It all starts with a statement like the following (assuming you believe what you're saying):

God, whether or not I think of myself as a "good" person by worldly standards, I'm not.  I am a sinner, and I can't do it alone.  I need help.  I need to be saved.  I acknowledge that Jesus came to die for my sins, and by believing in Him and accepting Him as my Lord (owner of my life) and Savior (my hero), I can be redeemed - made new.  The old man gone, the new man born.  I commit my life to following Jesus Christ, to turning away from my sins, to learning all I can about His Truth, then taking action on that Truth to the best of my abilities.  I am small in comparison to God, but I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.  From this point forward, He will increase in me, and I will decrease.  Amen.

I love you all.  God bless you and keep you.  I mean that.