Religion Are all Christians intolerant and hypocritical?

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These are both assertions that Strongvoicesforward has made, and since these assertions are a bit different from the other threads, I thought it best to make these questions under a seperate thread.

I do not see all Christians as either, and I see some Christians as both.

More would I say that because they have a known standard, it is downright easy, and cheap, to cry hypocrisy. Christians are humans as well, humans that also are under a lot of stress, have difficult issues, and sometimes snap. Some of the standards they carry are high, high enough that all will fall short of them, and all will at sometime be hypocritical.

I do not call people hypocritical for not meeting a standard they set for themselves. What I mean, is that were my son to set himself a standard to never complain about the food on his plate, but after a long and difficult day, he blurts out, 'these mushrooms are disgusting, mom', I do not take him to task for breaking his own standard. I do not say, you're hypocritical, cause you say one thing and do another'. That's ridiculousness, and it is at the same time, that unless someone doesn't put in a true effort to meet the standard, that they shouldn't be taken to task for being hypocritical.

What were you to say if I said to the other people at the table, 'see, I told you children are all just whiners and complainers, and they are all hypocritical as well, this kid illustrates that quite well''?

It is also pure idiocy to try and make the assumption that because one
Christian has fallen short, that it illustrates well that all Christians are hypocritical and intolerant.

I will respond to the intolerant part when I have heard more from SVF on exactly why he feels this way.

This thread shall also be open for other Q about Christian characteristics and such that don't meet the criteria of the other threads.
 
Aside from trivial examples, generalisations are always false. The first point is that the word 'Christian' is used to refer to an overwhelming variety of people, who have a vast range of beliefs between them. The counter to that is often that 'Yes but, all Christians believe X". You then have to recognise that some people consider themselves Christians who wouldn't be considered so by most. So what do we mean by 'Christian'? I think the fairest definition would include anyone who considers themselves such. That way we avoid any judgments about who counts and who doesn't.

In my experience there are as many 'Christianities' as there are Christians.

There is the old lady next door who goes to church out of habit. She probably never even stops to consider what she believes, except maybe getting comfort from the idea that she will one day go to a better place and be reunited with her husband.

There is the mother across the street who runs a Brownies pack, and goes to church for the social life and to give something to the community. She also wants her children to get some moral instruction.

There is the JW who knocks on my door. He takes the Bible literally and wants to save my soul, even though he believes that only 144,000 people will be resurrected at the last judgment.

There is the school secretary who enjoys the sense of moral superiority she has over the rest of us. She gives all her work to her assistants and spends all day typing stuff for the church, but that's OK because she knows she's going to heaven.

There's the receptionist who tries to emulate Jesus in everything she does. Her life is one trial after another, but she stays strong because Jesus is so close she feels like she can touch him. She could get a better job, but she embraces poverty, and gives more to those she meets than she could ever receive. She won't pray for you or try to proselytise because she respects your right to your own beliefs. She picks and chooses which bits of the Bible to believe, because it's her relationship with god that has the real meaning.

There's the born-again cancer-survivor who feels he's been given a gift and doesn't want to jeopardise it. He gets scared if you mention horoscopes or goddesses.

These are all people I know, who live within a 20 mile radius. Isn't it ridiculous to say "all Christians..." anything?
 
I think that you can apply the words intolerant and hypocritical to other religions as well. All of them seem to have the fundamentalist type, especially those belonging to the Judo-Christian line. I have met with many a committed christian and not all of them have been intolerant in their belief and mine. Yet in other cases I will find those who will not see my point of view or even entertain that their world view might not be anyone elses. This can also be applied to sport, politics or even between cat lovers and dog lovers. I will try to post a bit more later, but I am a bit tired and just finished work.
 
I'm not strapping a bomb to my chest and boarding a bus.
I'm not going door to door to sell anything.
I like my fellow humans and have friends of many different faiths, colors, countries, sizes, income levels and sexual orientations.
I take correction well.
I consider myself a Christian and I don't find myself particularly intolerant or hypocritical...so the answer would be simply no.
 
Not all Christians are intolarent are hypocritical. But the one's I've met were. Some Christians don't realize that when they're "spreading the word of God" they're being intrusive on others beliefs. You know, sabro these Christians give Christians like yourself a very bad reputation. And this "holier than thou" attitude that some Christians carry, doesn't help much either.
 
Ma Cherie said:
Not all Christians are intolarent are hypocritical. But the one's I've met were. Some Christians don't realize that when they're "spreading the word of God" they're being intrusive on others beliefs. You know, sabro these Christians give Christians like yourself a very bad reputation. And this "holier than thou" attitude that some Christians carry, doesn't help much either.
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I've met people like that. I know a few. But the view from the inside is different. Some Christians are struggling just to make sense of their own lives and are fighting battles we could not begin to understand-- but as for the rest:Most of the Christians I know are caring loving individuals. My friend Mark raises foster kids and runs our food and homeless ministries- he would come out to my house in the middle of a storm to check on my pets. I know others that spend countless dollars and hours on other people's kids-- that care more for them than others think wise. And the generosity goes on. It is a community that I am glad to be a part of.

I stopped accosting strangers a long time ago. Spreading the "word of God" is a lot more than attacking your beliefs: If I have to use words, I probably have already failed. The bible says that you "will know...Christians by your love one for another." Not your shouting, or your t-shirts and bumper stickers, nor for your positions on political topics. As for holier than thou, that is the worst kind of crap.

Someone once said that they loved Metalica, but would never go to concerts because of the fans. I hope that we as Christians are a bit better than rock fans.
 
I have a good friend of mine who is a born again christian. He knows that I am an atheist and he knows my general views on religion as a whole. He has never tried to convert me, preach at me or castiagate me in anyway whatsoever. He is actually a very tolerant man and we rarely take about religion. The strange thing is when most people hear he is a born again they seem to think he is the typical God bothering type. In these cases it strikes me that the intolerant ones are the people who have put him into the Bible bashers slot
 
Ma Cherie, there are some who are like that, but those tend to spawn from one Christian or another who honestly was doing a good thing, they try to emulate that person's actions, but end up taking it too far.:p

For the most part, Christians are given a bad name because many of those who say that they "speak for all of us" are usually the ones whose beliefs differ the most from the majority. My community is a largely Christian one, but there are other beliefs scattered here and there (especially among the teenagers). If all Christians were intolerant, there would be mass mayhem and community-wide fights. I'm a Christian, and two of my friends are Jewish, many are atheists, and one has even started her own religion, so simply by that I can tell you that many Christians are not intolerant, though, most of my friends, admittedly, are Christians.

Basically, my point is that one's religion does not have to make them a hypocritical buthead, though some do let it do that.
 
Sorry im going to put my two cents worth in, sorry if it offends anyone.
Look at two of the first four of the ten commandments....

You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath it, or in the waters below.

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

Its common knowledge that Sabbath is Saturday... so why would anyone want to keep Sunday as the Holy day, when it is just a 'holiday'... It wasnt God who changed the day to Sunday, it was the Roman empire... same as giving the sun god a birthday on 25 December.

As for the idols... nearly every church in the world has a cross... right? The cross is just a mere idol. Why worship something that Jesus DIED on, its the same as any other of the criminals, they all died in the same way at that time. Why would we want to associate our Lord with them?
Moses didnt walk up Mt Sinnai a second time to receive the 10 Commandments for nothing. The first time he came down, he was horrified to see that the townspeople supposedly believing in God, had made an idol. Having destroyed it, he again climbed the mountain for another 40 days and 40 nights, and made the people vow never to have another idol again, or they would suffer severe consequences. Yet thousands of years later, the idols are prevelant in churches worldwide.

Sorry, im going on a bit here....
 
When you know a christian who won't ever let his kids go to public schools, shields them from everything, and doesn't let them watch Peter Pan (Rated G)B ecause it has a fairy in it, you got problems. I hope thos ekids rebel agianst him.
 
Kara_Nari said:
Why worship something that Jesus DIED on...
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He did? Prove it.
Moses didnt walk up Mt Sinnai a second time to receive the 10 Commandments for nothing. The first time he came down, he was horrified to see that the townspeople supposedly believing in God, had made an idol. Having destroyed it, he again climbed the mountain for another 40 days and 40 nights, and made the people vow never to have another idol again, or they would suffer severe consequences.
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He did? Prove it.

Sorry, Kara_Nari, but you need to build your argument on a little more valid premises.
 
Kara_Nari said:
As for the idols... nearly every church in the world has a cross... right? The cross is just a mere idol. Why worship something that Jesus DIED on, its the same as any other of the criminals, they all died in the same way at that time.
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Kara_Nari, the cross is not worshipped, you do not send your prayers to a piece of wood. Every church activity I've gone to calls it praying at the cross. It simply serves as a reminder to Christians of the price that Jesus paid for their sins.
 
Ok, so you need a reminder of the price that Jesus paid for our sins? Then why dont you keep the Passover? The last supper where Jesus announced the new covenant in order to repent our own sins, through his blood.
That would be a much better reminder, and more worthwhile than having some peice of wood in a church. At least you are actually guaranteed eternal life by keeping the passover.
This was what Jesus wanted, he didnt ask for a cross to be put in every church as a reminder of the price he paid for our sins, he simply wanted us to keep the new covenant.

So you pray at the cross, and the cross is in the place of worship.
 
Kari Nari, just out of curiousity, are you a Seventh Day Adventist?
 
I of course agree that the statement 'all Christians are intolerant and hypocritical' is false. Tsuyoiko put it flat out on the table for all to see, generalizations and blanket statements are never fully true, and often wholly false.

One thing I thought I might correct there, Tsuyoiko, just to keep the record accurate, if you don't mind. . .

Tsuyoiko said:
There is the JW who knocks on my door. He takes the Bible literally and wants to save my soul, even though he believes that only 144,000 people will be resurrected at the last judgment.
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The 144,000 are understood by the Watchtower Society (JW) to be those who are resurrected to a spiritual life, the ones who have been 'stamped', and whose spirit calls out from inside 'abba !'. The ones who actually drink the wine and eat the unleven bread at the paschal feast.

The rest of those, according to WS's understanding, who had never had the chance to accept Jesus, or who had never*and this is a twist for sure had the chance to learn from the JW (in short) will get a physical resurrection and have the chance to prove themselves during the 1000 year reign of Christ before the final Gog and Magog battle which will throw all those final rebels (physical and spritual) and death itself into non-existence. WOW !! And can't you just see the preview scenes for that action pack movie running through your head. Better than Ben Hur, Moses, and the Ten Commandments all put together !!

But, on the more serious note; there are a good number of tolerant and non-hypocritical Christians.

Nice to hear from you after such a long time, Kara_Nari san !! Oh !! That reminds me, I'd better clean my tractor up and get it ready for the Spring plowing.

I can see both points of view on that cross matter. I wouldn't feel that the OT has any more real bearing on Pauline theology than just the spirit of it as he had interpreted it.
 
To answer the thread's question, I think it is important to define what "Christian" means. For me, a Christian is somebody who believes in everything written in the Bible (either literally or metaphorically). Someone who has doubts about his/her faith (even on a single point) is not a Christian but an Agnostic. Someone who believes in god but does not think that the Bible is the word of god or reject organised religions, may be a Deist. Someone who picks and chooses what he/she likes in Christianity (but not everything) and mix it with beliefs from other religions or his/her own beliefs is a Universalist. I personally haven't met more than a dozen Christians in Belgium. Most of those who call themselves Christians are Deists, Universalists or Agnostics.

In regard with this definition, I believe that indeed it is difficult to be a Christian without being intolerant (of non Christians or ideas contradicting the Bible) and/or hypocritical (because one cannot say they believe in both the Bible and in modern sciences).
 
Yes, Maciamo. Right on all counts.

One thing, though, you chose the word "Agnostic" who doubts his faith (in this case as it pertains to Xtianity). Hmmm... I see how that could be seen as an Agnostic. Myself, I have always felt Agnostics were better described as not yet having come to the decision as to whether a God exists or not regardless of dogma.

I feel that Christians who pick and choose aspects of their Bible and ignore others are *Neo-Christians.

Just like todays many skin heads in Europe may be referred to as *Neo-Nazis, not the pure form of what was originally put forth, but a new breed with perhaps somewhat reformed ideas of the ideology/belief.

I think virtually all Xtians are better described as Neo-Christians since they now do many things different from what they were supposed to do in the Book that they draw their religion from.

--------------
*Said academically in the descriptive sense -- not pajoratively to insult.
 
Mars Man said:
The 144,000 are understood by the Watchtower Society (JW) to be those who are resurrected to a spiritual life, the ones who have been 'stamped', and whose spirit calls out from inside 'abba !'. The ones who actually drink the wine and eat the unleven bread at the paschal feast.
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Thanks for that Mars.
 
just for the sake of contradiction :evil:
" are all atheists tolerant and up-front?"
 
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