Persecuted? how? I am confused.

 

Are you a Christian?

 

There are many people out there that will shun you because of your opinion and way of life. If you are asked to go to the bar and you say no they ask why not. Then you tell them why and they accuse you of thinking that you are better then them. Many people just want to do what they want, not what it right. I understand that everyone one makes mistakes, but why put yourself in that position if it can be avoided? Just chewing the fat here though.

 

........are you a Christian????
and if I say "no" am I a worse person for it?
am I still respected for who and what I am?

 

The question wasn't directed at you, but even if it were I wouldn't judge you based on your answer. It's not my place to judge.

Darren asked how Christians in the U.S. are persecuted. I asked if he is a Christian with the thought that if he were then he would understand why I made the statement that I did. That's all.

But, Christians are persecuted here in the U.S. It's not the same as in other countries where they may lose their lives, but we are persecuted. You'll never hear me complain about it for reasons that I have already stated in this thread, but it definitely happens. If you are a Christian then you EXPECT persecution.

Speaking on a personal level, about the only persecution that I have ever endured was criticism or being ridiculed / laughed at by non-Christians. That doesn't really bother me though. Never has. Many people have endured far worse than I have though (here and abroad).

 

If this is true then it is truly a sad story. Any form of religious persecution should never be tolerated. You have to wonder what kind of human being (couldn’t really be considered one) would be willing to drive the steamroller. But then again, lets not forget burning "suspected" witches at the stake, the crusades, and the inquisitions to name a few.


Here is some interesting data from the CIA website:

That last line is pretty telling.

People should be able to practice whatever religion they choose without fear of persecution. It’s a shame it doesn’t happen that way.

Britt

 

I know that the question was not directed to me, I was just curious to see why it was important. Your reply was a good one and I appreciate the fact that you would not judge me for my beliefs, whatever they may be, thank you.
I must say that I am surprised that you think Christians are being persecuted in the U.S., I do not see that. To the contrary, I think that the religious right persecutes me by ramming their beliefs and "values" down my throat. I wish they wouldn't.
I am sorry that you have been ridiculed/laughed at for your beliefs, there is no reason for that, no matter what. I never like it when others think that what they do or believe is right, that anything else is wrong and then stand on their soapbox and belittle others . In some way we all get ridiculed/laughed at, I get more than that when I ride my road bike, people actually swerve to run me off the road simply because they do not think I should be there. For the record, it is legal to ride on the road. I am not sure if it is the same, but I am sure my feeling is the same as what you feel. For me, it is sad that we all cannot practice more tolerance toward each other, in all aspects. This world would be a much better, less violent place.

 

So in other words, what goes around...comes around?

 

I promise you.... I am ridiculed for my beliefs just as much, if not more, as any Christian. Being an atheist (agnostic) is not the most popular belief structure in America contrary to what some want to believe.

My only difference is I don’t want to change anything. I’m not on a mission to rid “God” from your money or take him out of the pledge of allegiance. I could care less. I want you to be able to believe in whatever “God” you want to believe in. It is your right as a human being to be able to practice your “free will”.


In February and March 2002 the Pew Research Council conducted a survey of 2,002 adults. Questions about religious preference were included. The results are below:

Religious Preference:

Christian 82%
Jewish 1%
Muslim *
Other non-Christian 1%
Atheist 1%
Agnostic 2%
Something else (SPECIFY) 2%
No preference 10%
Don't know/Refused 1%
TOTAL 100

As this small research shows, Christianity still makes up the largest belief structure in America. Granted, Christianity "is" losing ground, but it is far from being out of the limelight.

No matter what, If what they say happened actually happened, it is a human atrocity regardless what religion they belonged to.

Britt

 

who or what really is a christian? having Christ in christian would make it seem to me that they would be Christ-like. cant imagine Christ using tobacco which i see alot of supposed christians do. seems to me a christian would value life and not endanger it with substances that harm the body. 1 Cor 6:9-10 clearly says who would not inherit Gods kingdom yet many supposed christians have no qualms about sleeping with boyfriend/girlfriend outside the marriage bond. The bible clearly speaks against idolatry yet many "christians" unlike the first century christians who refused to hail ceaser and were fed to wild animals in the arenas, will pledge allegiance to a piece of cloth. isnt that against the ten commandments??? cand imagine Jesus pledging allegiance to the flag of the Jewish state of Isreal. did not Jesus also give command to go preach in math 28: 19-20. see very few doing that. just a few things to think about. btw Babylon the Great in revelation ch 17-18 will be destroyed by the united nations shortly. Babylon the Great is the world empire of false religion. its also hard for me to imagine true christians fighting their own brothers of the faith. for example catholic against catholic or protestant against protestant like in ww2. i realize some of you may get upset about this but feel free to pm me, and lets not turn this into a fight on this thread

 

Very well said Beamwalker... That is exactly what I was trying to decide if I wanted to post or not. Maybe a little more in depth than I was thinking, but I agree 100%.

 

As I said, it doesn't really bother me. If a little ridicule is the only persecution I ever encounter then I will have had it easy compared to Christians in other parts of the world. Besides, if I'm being ridiculed for being a Christian then it must mean I'm doing something right.

 

I can tell you what I think about some of your questions/statements.

I believe a Christian is someone who has obeyed the Gospel of Christ. By that, I mean it is a person who believes that Jesus is the Son of God, has confessed this belief before men, has repented of their sins and has been baptized (immersed) for the forgiveness of their sins. That is how I think the Bible defines a Christian. I also believe that a person who becomes a Christian must continue to try their best to live a Godly life...and that it is possible for a Christian to "fall away" and lose their inheritance (by "inheritance" I mean salvation).

I completely agree. No offense to anyone here, but I cringe when I see or hear of a Christian that drinks alcohol, smoke cigarettes, etc. Our body is a holy temple and we should treat it as such (that includes eating healthy and taking care of it...something I'm not always very good at). That being said, I also realize that we are only human and everyone has their "weakness". My grandfather is a Christian, but he smoked a pipe for my entire childhood. Fortunately, he has stopped. But, yes, I agree that Christians should take care of their physical bodies.

One of my biggest pet peeves is people who are hypocritical. That goes for Christians and non-Christians alike. In my opinion, if you are going to TELL people that you are a Christian then you need to ACT like you are a Christian. Don't proclaim your faith in one thread and then talk about getting drunk with the guys in the next. Don't go to church on Sunday and then go sleep with your girlfriend on Friday. I have to be very careful with what I say on DTR (and other sites I frequent). There are things I might say to my Christian friends that KNOW me and know that I'm just joking, but that might be taken seriously by people on the internet who really don't know me.

I have to disagree with you on this one. I don't really see the Pledge of Allegiance as idolatry. Idolatry is defined as worshipping something other than God. That could be idols, money, your job, your truck or any number of other things. In my opinion, the Pledge of Allegiance is just that. When I say the Pledge, I am not worshipping this country or the flag that represents it. I am simply stating my allegiance to the country that God has blessed me to live in. That allegiance does not in ANY way take the place of, or even compare to, my allegiance to God.

Absolutely!! Many people find that very hard to do. I'll tell you first hand, it is hard to get people to commit to study the Bible with you. I can't tell you how many times I have tried to study with people only to be told that they are not interested. All you can do is pray for them and move along to the next person. But, small things can plant a seed. I can't say that the Bible study linked to my signature has ever caused anyone to be saved that I'm aware of, but I can without a doubt say that it has lead to several discussions about the Bible. Sometimes all we can do is plant the seed. All Christians are called to spread the Gospel and should try to do so every chance they get.

Good thoughts.

 

Beamwalker,
You do have some good points, but I respectfully disagree with this one. The Pledge of Allegiance is nothing like hailing Ceaser. "Hailing" Ceasar meant that they would be putting Ceasar above God. When you Pledge to the flag it's like wedding vows. The flag is a symbol of your allegiance(or fidelity)like a wedding ring and you are saying you will be faithful to the U.S. like you are to your spouse. The Pledge also says that our nation is under(e.g. serves) God(marriage was also designed to serve God) so no I don't believe it's against the Ten Commandments. Not trying to start a huge fight or anything just expressing my views.

Jason