almostbeardedeagle

[almostbeardedeagle]

Christian Stereotypes

The world today is extremely quick to judge others while also “cancelling” those who judge the wrong people or groups. But why is it that those who judge Christians are not frowned upon? Why is it that just by wearing a cross necklace a person is open to the judgement of the world without having known anything about you? As a Christian who wears a cross necklace, I have received both positive and negative reactions due to my necklace. The idea of judging others based on their outward appearance is something that does not sit right with me, especially if it is due to religious concerns. Today, it has become more normal and casual to show hate towards Christians and it is both wrong religiously and culturally. I want to show how some of the negative stigmas surrounding Christianity are not entirely true while enforcing the positive stigmas to lessen the negative perceptions towards any outwardly religious people. By wearing a cross necklace, it labels oneself to the world with both positive and negative viewpoints.

#jesusisking #cross necklace #stereotypes

[almostbeardedeagle]

[almostbeardedeagle]

Christians are Bad People?

Many Christians are faced with negative  stigmas that may cause an individual to look at them differently, but most of these aren’t even true. I wear a cross necklace every day, and this necklace is an outward symbol of the Christian faith. With this comes times where someone may instantly assume negative ideas surrounding me or others wearing a cross based off of stigmas which they believe to be true about Christianity. Some of the people wearing a cross may not even be religious and just like the symbol, yet they receive judgement as if they are Christian. One of the largest misconceptions around Christianity is that Christians hate homosexuals and others in that community. I have had many instances where an ill-informed person accuses me of homophobia due to my religious beliefs. They threw out everything they knew about me as well as dismayed anything they knew about my character as a person to make a claim like this; their claim was solely made based on my religious beliefs which were made known through the wearing of a cross necklace. In a study conducted in 2016 surrounding non-Christians’ viewpoints towards Christians. It was found that Christians had “historical callousness toward minorities and subjugated groups, as well as an alignment between Christianity and conservative politics that is seen to unfairly neglect the poor.”(Simpson 321). There seems to be a common belief among non-Christians that all of us Christians hate minorities and homosexuals as well as are all part of conservative parties. The first thing that I clear up when refuting these stereotypes is the misconceptions about hate towards race and minorities. This stigma is extremely ignorant as the purpose of Christianity is to love your neighbor and spread the gospel to the world. Jesus quite literally preached to the Gentiles which were the Jews greatest personal enemy during that time. Not only this, but Christians come in all shapes, sizes, and colors because it is a religion, not a race. It is quite ignorant to think of Christians as only being white as Christianity can be practiced by anyone who believes its teachings.

[almostbeardedeagle]

[almostbeardedeagle]

We Don't Hate Homosexuals

Another misconception is that God hates homosexuals and therefore all Christians do as well. This is also extremely not true at all. While the bible may condemn homosexuality, that does not mean that God or Christians hate that community. I personally grew up with a friend who was gay and both she and I understood what each other’s religious beliefs were. The bible teaches to hate the sin, but not the person, and Christians are heavily taught love everyone and hate SIN. The last thing that I wanted to touch on is the idea that Christians are all conservatives. How does politics even mix in with religion. I feel like this stigma is awfully stupid. Just as someone can have different religious beliefs no matter what race or gender they are, a person of any religion may have whatever political ideas as well. No where is it taught in Christianity about what political viewpoints you ought to have. All these negative stereotypes surrounding Christianity are generally rooted in misconceptions and are false. Many people continue to see Christianity with the viewpoint from a negative stigma, but you shouldn’t be so fast to judge a person just by their outward display of identity.

#gay #homosexual #loveeveryone

[almostbeardedeagle]

High Standards

Christians are also seen with a positive viewpoint and are often held to standards near perfection. By outwardly showing the world of one’s belief, many may hold you to a higher standard and criticize you for any mistake you make due to your identity. This is most often seen within the church community itself. Many different denominations will look poorly upon another because of how much of a “real Christian” they are. Growing up, I went to a church that taught that Christians needed to be as sinless as possible and needed to live a life that was gearing towards perfection to get into heaven. I later learned that through God’s grace and my faith in Him, I will be saved; it has nothing to do with my actions. Simply, as a Christian I live my life in a way that pleases God. This does not by any means mean that I am perfect; I sin often and need forgiveness. All people are tempted by sin, and everyone commits actions of sin as well. It is impossible to be perfect, so why would you hold these standards against a specific group of people.

#notperfect

[almostbeardedeagle]

Pull the Log Out of Your Eye

I often feel as though my actions are highly critiqued by those who practice Christianity much more traditionally who see that I am a Christian because of my necklace; other Christians and myself are judged on normal actions in everyday life because it may not be seen as sinless and therefore we are viewed as not true Christians. A passage from the bible helps to clearly define how we must go about judging the world. Jesus teaches, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.” (“Matthew 7”). This passage so clearly describes not only what Christians should do, but the whole world; before being so quick to judge others and hold them to near perfect standards, look inward. Are you, the person judging others, perfect? Then what position do you have to judge another for their imperfections. The world tends to hold Christians to near perfect standards, but no one is perfect. This verse from the Bible shows that no one can lead a perfect life, but one should look to improve oneself before criticizing others. Christians like myself are just trying to live a morally sound life which is by no means perfect, so don’t look to hold me or others to these levels. No one is perfect, but everyone can try; don’t look to hold anyone to perfect standards just because He who they follow was perfect.

#thats what jesus said

[almostbeardedeagle]

Positive Stigmas

Just because there are many negative stigmas surrounding Christians that are not true, this does not mean the positive ones are false as well. I have been approached for personal help by others as well as to participate in religious activities because they have seen my necklace. I believe it is extremely important to help others and, in general, live a life of purity and morality. Many people recognize that Christians have a standard set of morals that they follow and typically see them as a kind-hearted and helpful group. Christians are referred to as following life with “a purely social and secular sanction like honor, with its threat of social ignominy, provides a much stronger disincentive to oath breaking than does the fear of otherworldly punishment on which the Christian faith relies to keep its exponents in line.” (Pacheco 255). This may seem like a confusing choice of words, and to be honest it is somewhat hard to understand. The main point that this is stating, however, is that Christians hold themselves to an extremely high standard and want to live a life that pleases God. They fear God and choose to live a life with the goal of eternal life and to bring others to faith while fearing eternal damnation. The true purpose of a life lived with pure intentions and morals is to live a life that is pleasing in God’s eyes and that represents God and the Christian faith well to others. By living a life like this, we hope that someone who is not a Christian may want to learn more about our faith because of our actions. Christians live their life in a way to please their Father in Heaven, and try to follow their morals to represent themselves well to the world. That is why you may see so many Christians who do wear a cross to outwardly show others who we are and what we believe in hopes that we set a good example of what a Christian is and that we may possibly guide others to faith.

[almostbeardedeagle]

Final Toughts

Wearing a cross necklace labels an individual with both positive and negative stereotypes. There are some stigmas that are perceived by the world to be true even though they are not, as well as many positive stigmas that may also be seen and often held against Christians when their actions are not perfect. The general public needs to distinguish between the true and false stigmas and not hold it over the Christian community’s head. Before you judge someone based of a stigma, whether negative or positive, think about how your actions may affect them. Even though they are “just a Christian”, it is still religious discrimination no matter whether you believe it is or not.

#cross #christian #dontjudge