Tell me, how do you really feel?
I was walking on Burnside today when I noticed this bumper sticker on a truck:
Somehow, it didn't surprise me--this is a common sentiment here in Portland. The thing that saddens me is that it seems like so many people have real reasons for being against religion, Christianity in particular.
One of the questions I try to ask non-believers is if they have ever been hurt or burned by religion, or religious people. Let the floodgates loose, for some people. Of course, for some the hurt is not completely real, but manifests itself in prejudice, but I think the question really gets at the heart of why many people have not accepted Christ as their savior.
I am skeptical when someone tells me that their reasons for disbelieving are intellectual. Of course, they could have intellectual reasons, but in my experience there is usually a deeper emotional barrier. It could be a host of issues, some of the most common seem to be problems with good, evil, suffering, personal or lifestyle cost, prejudice, or ignorance. Once I talked to an angry atheist who, once I drew it out of him, told me that his problem with Christians stemmed from being mistreated in Sunday school as a seven-year-old. How sad.
So many people reject Christ on completely false assumptions about what His message was really about! It's both sad and motivating to me. If someone rejects the message, I at least hope they know what they are rejecting...a message of Christ's love for a dying world, a fulfilling purpose in life, hope of eternity to come, peace with God, and freedom from bondage.
Somehow, it didn't surprise me--this is a common sentiment here in Portland. The thing that saddens me is that it seems like so many people have real reasons for being against religion, Christianity in particular.
One of the questions I try to ask non-believers is if they have ever been hurt or burned by religion, or religious people. Let the floodgates loose, for some people. Of course, for some the hurt is not completely real, but manifests itself in prejudice, but I think the question really gets at the heart of why many people have not accepted Christ as their savior.
I am skeptical when someone tells me that their reasons for disbelieving are intellectual. Of course, they could have intellectual reasons, but in my experience there is usually a deeper emotional barrier. It could be a host of issues, some of the most common seem to be problems with good, evil, suffering, personal or lifestyle cost, prejudice, or ignorance. Once I talked to an angry atheist who, once I drew it out of him, told me that his problem with Christians stemmed from being mistreated in Sunday school as a seven-year-old. How sad.
So many people reject Christ on completely false assumptions about what His message was really about! It's both sad and motivating to me. If someone rejects the message, I at least hope they know what they are rejecting...a message of Christ's love for a dying world, a fulfilling purpose in life, hope of eternity to come, peace with God, and freedom from bondage.