As a Christian, I think I can say that. I don’t know. It may depend on what denomination I ask or something.
I read Pastor/Faculty Member Jack Black’s letter last week. Pastor Black seems cool. He makes my head hurt though.
He decided to confront students who are Christians about the atheist debate. He claimed that Christians should not have even been around atheists. It’s against the Bible. He emphasized how foolish it is to explain the existence of God to someone who is “simple minded.”
He then went on to explain the existence of God.
At the end he exhorted Christians to unite and stand up for the Gospel.
The Gospel. The one, that is to be shared with all people? To the same people that as Christians we are not allowed to be around? I don’t understand this letter.
I don’t understand Christians..(or why there is never chocolate milk at Einstein’s..that’s another soap box though).
As a whole, Christians are ignorant. You have a mass body of “believers” who proclaim the existence of this Jesus guy. A guy who walked a couple thousand years ago. They tell you about Him on a cross. Then they tell about Him coming out of the grave alive after three days of being dead. Somehow in all of this we get the privlege to hunt Easter Eggs and eat chocolate around March or April.
Past these facts though, as a whole, Christians do not seem to know much else about this Jesus. They can quote a few sayings, recite a few stories, but they do not seem to know much more about Him.
They have that Bible book. The book that tells about Jesus. As a whole, most Christians will only read certain parts of it. The majority have never read the entire Bible – nor have tried. If you criticize the Bible, especially in Texas, they’ll probably “fight like hell” with you. Yet they don’t even know what they are fighting for… they have never read it.
This doesn’t even include knowing church history, Jewish history (Jesus…that Jewish guy), etc. Nor does it include acknowledging the dark parts of Christianity. Why do priests rape little boys? Why did thousands of people die because of the Crusades in the name of Christ? Killing “witches” in Salem?
I guess my point is this: Christians, as a whole, are really ignorant of their own belief. It is easy to call an atheist “simple minded” for not believing in deity. “Simple Minded,” however, is shown by Christians, who believe in an All Powerful, All Holy God and never make the time or effort to dig into the deep treasures that that have been trusted to them.
Christians do not need to unite and stand up, they need to submit and hush up until they know why they believe what they believe. Then, at least, it’s a belief they are madly in love with and can share from the heart.
As for those who do not believe: Go read about Jesus yourself. Even if you do not believe Him to be the Son of God, go check out who this guy really was. See if He is who He said He was. At least you will have taken a look at one of the most beautfiul characters in all of history.
That’s more than some of those who carry his namesake today.
Daniel Owens
dj003@shsu.edu