Quasin  wrote:

> Pat Robertson aside, the original poster has a point -

> I hear periodic complaints that the USA (and probably the whole 
> western world) is going down the drain of immorality, but evangelical 
> Christians have as high a divorce rate as non-Christians, and watch a 
> lot of sex and violence TV shows and movies.  And how about the 
> diabetes epidemic?  Christians are over-eating right along with their 
> non-christian neighbors.


As far as I'm concerned, "evangelical" Christianity in the U.S. at
least has lost a great deal of its claim to represent historical,
biblical Christianity, by doing as almost all churches and all
movements have done over time: selectively following Scripture,
picking and choosing those parts that seem most convenient, and
ignoring the rest.

The fact that so many Evangelicals blindly but enthusiastically
support the current U.S. regime, including genocide against the Iraqi
and Palestinian people, just makes me sick.  Many Christians spoke out
against Hitler.  Where are their counterparts now?

And why are we so insistent on dictating to others, just because we
think we can, because we think "our guy" is President?  Why aren't we
doing what Jesus asked us to do - to lead (not dictate) by example?

Where do we get the idea that we are somehow better than other people?

We are luckier, maybe.  I'm not even so sure about that anymore.
Wouldn't it be better to not know the truth at all, than to know it
and reject it, by our words and by our actions, as I fear most of us
have done?


> I thought Christianity was supposed to make a difference in how we 
> live now, not just in where we end up later.  But I'm not seeing the 
> difference.

I'm sorry.  :(

You won't see a difference in many, many people I'm afraid.

I think you will see however that those who genuinely try to follow
Christ do tend to become better people over time.  Why?  Because they
read about Jesus, and they realize they fail to live up to His
standards, but that they should, so they ask for His forgiveness when
they fail, and for His help to do better.  If appropriate, they also
ask the forgiveness of those whom they have wronged, and do what they
can to right the situation in any way they can.

But I'm afraid that for every person who truly does follow Him, there
are dozens if not hundreds who claim to but show no evidence of it in
their lives.

I don't know why.

All I can suggest is that rather than following other Christians, we
should follow Christ.


Joe
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