Christian Myths

It seems to me that alot of people I talk to have a predetermined idea of who a christian is....IE:

Christians are always happy-Not necesarily. Infact, I would argue that a person wholeheartedly pursuing Christ is generally unhappier then a person partying their life away. I use that term loosely though, because there is a certain joy (which out-sustains happiness) that only God can give. The bible says multiple times that life given to God is not easy, but the reward He gives you (in this world and the next) is worth it 10x over. The evidence of this in my life so far compels me to believe it. Evidence that He would freely demonstrate to others given half the chance.


Christians are offended easily- This probably depends on the person. Most Christians I know are actually slow to anger (as the bible calls them to be) and choose what to be offended by wisely. People make fun of the bible, God, the Cross, just about anything else Christ related you can think of. I tend not to get offended over these things because honestly, my energy is better spent elsewhere then fruitless squabbles.

Christians love celibacy-FALSE. I can say from personal experience that more often then not I would rather wrestle a tag-team duo of a ridiculously well trained, sword-wielding orangutans then wrestle with the desire to have sex with my future wife. But like so many other things in life, God calls us to this because A. She is God's and not mine...thus He sets the rules. B. By following this guideline it glorifies Him, and C. It it better for me in the long run. (not to mention countless studies done on couples having sex in and outside of marriage) Why would I put myself through this when it is more common now days to not? Because my God is one who gives abundantly, and He says sex is more abundant in marriage.

Christians follow God's laws primarily to make themselves look better to man-Mmm...Unfortunately some do. But these "Christians" are fairly easy to pick out of the crowd. It is not hard after a few conversations to see where one's priorities lie. It's so important to me to be honest with people who don't know Christ. To give the overall impression that yes, I am a Christ follower and I also make mistakes. This is how I became a Christian. By seeing someone who loved Christ with all their heart, and yet still made mistakes in life.

You need to have your act together before coming to Christ- Also a no. Infact, a gigantic huge no. The tiniest bit of research into Christ's ministry would reveal that He not only never demanded this of anybody to accept His gift, but actually preferred and sought out the really messed up people. This is no different today. He made me...He knows what I'm about and desires a relationship with me right were I stand. This one hung me up for the longest time...

Christians hate Science-systematic knowledge of the physical or material world gained through observation and experimentation. <----Dictionary definition

This is hilariously redundant. Science is our OBSERVATION of the world around us. Of God's creation! This observation can and has been flawed. (unless our earth actually is square and everything revolves around it) I refuse to believe we as people (given our track record) have it all figured out in the realm of science. If anything, our observations point to the Creator's breathtaking design. But hey, I'm no scientist...





I think alot of it comes back around to what people think we are representing. Our lives as Christ followers demand a higher standard of living. Why would anyone want to believe what we did if we were no different? It's our job to portray a joy in our life that they have never seen before...and have them question it. (which is not hard to do really...I seem to have made it sound obligatory)

BUT

The disconnect comes when people think we are representing ourselves, and that there is no outside element affecting our life. I think people just assume "Oh, that's just who he is." When in fact, no....it's not just who I am. Who I am is inherently selfish, backstabbing, mean, self-centered, and self-glorifying. It takes an outside party to change...there is no stronger force of that then God.