Okay, here's the thing: as humans, we love to spread foolish rumors. We believe that ostriches really stick their head in the sand and ignore problems (they definitely do not), lemmings jump off cliffs in groups (they don't), and if you see a piranha while swimming you will likely be eaten (people living around the Amazon river swim with piranhas all the time without injury). We really spread stuff if the rumor is sensational. Right now the rumors are really flying about politicians, but I want to address rumors about Christianity and Christians.
Lie: Christians worship 3 gods.
Fact: Christians worship 1 God. God is triune, meaning he has 3 parts. This is weird and hard to understand and is one of the mysteries of the Christian faith. To say that Jesus Christ is not equal to God the Father is considered heresy; it also means that God himself did not die for our sins if Jesus is some sort of lesser deity.
Lie: Christians or Jews have ever offered human sacrifices to God.
Fact: Nope. Abraham was ASKED to offer his beloved son and heir, Isaac, as a sacrifice to God. This sacrifice did not happen, God just wanted to see if Abraham was willing to give up what he loved most in the world for God. What Abraham loved most just happened to be his son. We're also called to love God first and foremost, loving nothing else above him. God intervened because he did NOT want Isaac to die. A ram showed up and Abraham offered that as sacrifice to God. A rumor spread in the centuries after Christ came that Jews kidnap Christian babies to offer as sacrifices. Such a lie!
Lie: Christians condemn unbelievers to hell.
Fact: Each person decides where to go. No person can send anyone else to heaven or hell. God alone is Judge and we each choose whether we want to be with him for eternity or if we'd rather not be with him. We can either say to God "Thy will be done" or He will say to us "Fine, then, have it your way."
Lie: Bad things happen to bad people and good things happen to good people. So Christians should only have blessings.
Fact: Christianity doesn't believe this; Islam does (obviously replace "Christians" with "Muslims" above). The Bible says the sun shines on the righteous and the unrighteous and we all get rain too (Matthew 5:45). The idea of karma is not in the Bible. Many a saint lived righteously and yet had way more than their 'fair share' of bad stuff happen. Don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean that Christians are not blessed, we just expect that pure joy and true happiness are once we are with God, i.e. after death.
Lie: All Christians believe the exact same thing. So we all hate the same stuff and approve of the same things.
Fact: There are basic beliefs that define a person as being Christian, but other stuff is interpreted differently. To be a Christian you must believe in only one God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We acknowledge that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin and he died for the sins of all. Another key belief is sincere repentance to God for the sins we commit and acceptance that 'Jesus Christ died even for me'. Just Google "Nicene Creed" to see what Christians must profess.
Stuff we differ on can be according to denomination or even person to person: whether tattoos are okay, whether Harry Potter is okay to read, whether abortion is ever okay, if women can be ministers, what's appropriate to wear to church....frankly the list goes on forever. Yes, we argue about these things (*sarcasm ahead* thank you Facebook for making it possible for people to slam me for being "a pagan priestess" conducting "lesbian wedding ceremonies" when I Celebrate Communion *sarcasm over*).
You will find Christians who are thrilled that gay marriage is now legal in all 50 states, and Christians who mourned the decision. Just as there are Democrats who disagree with other Democrats and Republicans who fight with Republicans, Christians do disagree on things, though they usually aren't as exciting as the press would have you believe. We disagree on mundane things such as is there only one valid form of baptism or Communion, what are the functions of a deacon, and 'is this hymn the best choice for Easter services?'
What crazy claims have you heard about Christians?
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