These days, everyone has an audience that we didn’t previously have, thanks to social media sites. They allow us the ability to vent, muse, and share with our audience whatever crosses our minds at any given moment. There are many people who use this platform with the best of intentions, but there a select few who seem to exist only to shame others. Profess your political beliefs, and start a somewhat friendly debate, but profess your faith, and be prepared for some people to react in an entirely different way, altogether. Welcome to the generation of faith-shaming.
I was reared in a Christian home, Lutheran to be precise. I attended services every Sunday, even when I didn’t want to roll my angst-ridden teenage rear end out of bed, including Easter Sunday sunrise services. One could say I was forced to have a relationship with God as a child, and I was no stranger to questioning that faith, on a sometimes daily basis. With frequent bouts of teenaged moodiness, I often found myself curious about God’s presence in my life. As an adult, however, I’ve worked to forge my own relationship with Christ, but I’ve had to work for it.
I don’t expect others to believe as I do. I do not force my beliefs on people, and I refuse to ever do so. If someone I encounter desires a relationship with Jesus Christ, then I will pray with them, speak with an open-heart, and welcome them into my world. However, I don’t profess my faith publicly. I know, as a Christian, that this isn’t the way it is supposed to be. We’re supposed to shout loudly and proudly about our faith, and witness to others. We are supposed to show them the way to have a relationship with God. So why aren’t we doing it?
Yes, some of us attest to our faith in God on a daily basis, but is it even one-tenth of what we would be doing if it weren’t for the dreaded internet trolls? Has the faith-shaming made us afraid to tell people we believe in God, and have a personal relationship with Christ? A couple of years ago, I was going through a particularly rough time in my life, and I shared a status that included a bible verse. While some of my friends on Facebook liked the status or commented back in a positive manner, two people chose to attack me for my choice of posts.
When did all of this start? I would never attack an atheist for his beliefs; I don’t make any negative comments about the people posting statuses about worshipping The Flying Spaghetti Monster, or whatever they choose to follow. A simple update about my faith is attacked relentlessly by two people, essentially calling me an idiot for having an unwavering belief in my personal Savior, but people can call Easter “Zombie Jesus Day” without repercussions. What kind of world have we turned into, where a belief in something more than myself, isn’t celebrated?
Yes, religious persecution has existed for a very long time, and there are a great deal of factions that give Christianity a bad name. Too often, many ridiculous acts are carried out in the name of religious beliefs, and this has forced a negative perspective about what type of people Christians really are. A person that holds true to Christian beliefs will give of themselves freely, offer their prayers, and tell strangers of an unconditional love that they’ve discovered. However, are there fewer and fewer people professing their joy because we no longer feel free to do so?
There are certain religious groups that call themselves Christians that picket military funerals holding signs riddled with hate speech. These people are not the Christian’s that God intended them to be, for a true relationship with God is free from hatred and bigotry. A true relationship with Christ doesn’t mean that you don’t make mistakes, or sin. It simply means that at the end of the day, we ask for forgiveness, and we forgive others who have caused us hurt and pain. Loving God means we love one another, forgive easily, and repent for the wrong we’ve done, as that is the true spirit of Christianity.
Social media and others’ opinions make it difficult to be ourselves and profess our beliefs these days, but we must learn to overcome the fear of ridicule if we’re truly going to embrace our place in God’s kingdom. We have to find a way to celebrate our faith, wholeheartedly, as this is what our religion intends. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” I have hope that one day, we will live in a world where people are no longer shunned for their beliefs, but we embrace each different person equally. It may be a bold and naïve dream, but I have faith.
from Soshable http://ift.tt/1PeyrOP
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