Christianity Perpetuates Stereotypes

[mymistake]

Maybe everyone else here has already figured this one out but it is something I could not see until now. Some stereotypes are pulled directly from the Bible. "Christians have the Truth." "Homosexuals are that way because they rejected God." "Without bloodshed forgiveness is impossible." "You can't understand because you are not a Christians so you are spiritually blind." Some fly in the face of the Bible but became part of certain Christian culture anyway. "Lips that touch wine shall never touch mine." "Marriage is between one man and one woman." Many of them had to be made up because the Bible is silent on various topics. "Eastern meditation is part of the occult." "If her skirt is higher than three inches above the knee then she is a . . . "

 

I myself remember hundreds of such simple minded platitudes that were given to me at church, at Christian school or from Christian relatives as I was growing up. My favorite family gem is "People who use garlic are serving spoiled meat." I'm not making that one up but even when I was a kid I could tell that one was nonsense. Unfortunately at the time I didn't have a healthy skepticism about most of the others. But now that I think about it I hear a steady stream of stereotypes at my church. "Mormons are part of a cult." "That name-it-and-proclaim-it church doesn't love Jesus." Christians tend to collect and spread stereotypes.

 

What really brought it home for me was watching the last couple of trolls Christian visitors with their collection of ideas. They would just bring these ideas with them, blessed us by sharing them and then they could not comprehend that others would not accept these stereotypes as the Gospel Truth. "Non-believers ignore the facts". "If you don't have faith then you are not faithful". "Belief is a choice." Christianity is accepting the world view that is handed to you by a religious authority. When you no longer accept the world view you become an ex-Christian. In my opinion this submissiveness to adopting another's world view is what leaves Christians vulnerable to over simplified thinking about everything else. That is why it is so hard for them to look past the stereotypes and investigate reality. Questioning the stereotypes leads to questioning Christianity.

 

MM

[stryper]

certainly a valid way of looking at it

 

 

It also ties in with the idea of people's beliefs being a part of how they define themselves. To challenge the belief is to challenge themselves and thus their entire existence. Once the paradigm has been established, it is as strong person indeed that challenges it.

 

But that is just my armchair psychology at work.

[ireckinso]

I was told by a xtian on another forum that I fear xtianity because I know I live a life of drunkeness and fornication. This comming from someone who knows nothing about me. This is how Christians perceive others who aren't.