Should Christians be hated?

[plaingirly]

Random question! I opened my Bible on Matthew 10 and verse 22 says :

And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.

I think there is another verse similar but can't remember it.

So if someone is really a follower of Jesus will people hate them and if people don't hate them are they not strong enough in their faith?

I don't really want to be hated! Also at work we have to get along with people so having them hate us wouldn't be ideal. Unless the verses are more specific or maybe aimed at the disciples.

[PedroPonyLikesCrisps]

Christianity perhaps, but not Christians.

But this line is fairly typical of a regime which wants to recruit and retain because it tells you to keep loyal even though some outsiders will hate, ridicule and challenge your belief. It smacks of fear to be honest and it gives the organisation something to point to when believers start to to doubt themselves.

[hiddenhome]

People hate being told the truth

[headinhands]

What concerns me is that a Christian might be led to interpret abuse differently than your average Joe and may tolerate it in light of such verses :(.

[Gingerandcocoa]

headinhands I think that if nothing else, Christians are less tolerant of abuse because they know the love of Christ, they feel loved and as a result are much more confident to stand up to it (as we know so many people who stay in abusive situations because they feel unworthy of love).

Jesus was a prime example of standing up to what was wrong, and the Bible tells us story after story of Jesus standing his ground and not accepting things for what they were.

Christians are, however, taught to endure persecution (and the value of such ensurance) because of their faith, and I guess you don't need to look very far for some examples of that (although we are greatly blessed to live in a part of the world where you should not in theory be persecuted for your faith)

[LizzyDay]

"And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved."

If you heard a complete stranger say this to a group of people in a pub, say, what would you think?

[headinhands]

How come millions of people bereft of the love of Christ have a fully developed and healthy sense of self worth? It would appear that it's not vital? Furthermore how come some who claim to know such a phenomenon tolerate abusive personal relationships that in turn expose their others to the effects?

[MTSgroupie]

I don't hate Christians. I just find it irritating when they talk about Jesus. Don't take it personally. I feel the same way when people talk about being vegetarians or socialists.

[Italiangreyhound]

Plaingirly, hi, IMHO I do not think all Christians will be personally hated, but clearly there will be some people who hate Christians. Many have been persecuted for their faith, along with people of other religions and no religion. The Bible calls the church Christ's body and says when one part of the body Suffers all suffer, e.g. I think it means we should care. Some people may like your faith, others may not, I think it is an encouragement to endure. If you are in the UK, like me, you are fortunate hopefully not to have problems with persecution. However, even here some who become Christians from other faith back grounds can experience problems. All the best.

[breatheslowly]

Do you mean that if people don't hate you, you aren't trying enough at being Christian? The only Christians I can think of who might use that logic are the ones that picket the funerals of dead US soldiers en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westboro_Baptist_Church. Otherwise, a more reasonable reading of it is "if people hate you for your Christanity then you should endure the hatred".

[syl1985]

In Gospels the life of Jesus is written down in them. Not all verses make a lot of sense. Some seem to be standing right against each other like:

John 13:34-34
new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another

Luke 14:26
If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters?yes, even their own life?such a person cannot be my disciple


I like to read the Gospels, but I don't read verse for verse I prefer to read a whole book:
Matthew, Luke, Mark or the one from John.

They make a bit more sense if you read the whole book.

My personal opinion:
The Lord has given us our own brain so we can think for our self. In some cases you might need to hate your family and move away from them.

Think for example about families that have been abusing their children from generation to generation until one child is born and grows up in this abusive family. Then makes the difficult decision to leave them and have no contact what so ever with them anymore. In such an extreme situation I can imagine that Luke 14:26 will be very useful and gives someone strength in such a situation.



Sylvia

[PedroPonyLikesCrisps]

I think that if nothing else, Christians are less tolerant of abuse because they know the love of Christ, they feel loved and as a result are much more confident to stand up to it (as we know so many people who stay in abusive situations because they feel unworthy of love).

I disagree. It's often the religious who do stay in abusive relationships because they fear divorce or leaving a partner because the bible or other religious text suggests as such.

There's another thread in this forum running on exactly this topic. Whether the Christian is tolerant of the abuse is perhaps negotiable, but the endurance in the relationship is evident.

Of course I'm not saying all Christians do and I'm not saying all atheists don't, but religious beliefs most certainly make people stay when they shouldn't.

[Italiangreyhound]

I'm going to partly agree with Pedro here. For my own reasons I would say because many Christians believe in a sacrificial self giving love ( I am nor saying we all achieve it and certainly not all the time) they may wish to stay in difficult situations. I expect people of many different religious backgrounds would all hold marriage and commitment in high regard. If the relationship or situation tips over from being hard to being abusive it can be hard for some to see they do not need to stay on that abusive situation or that they need to get help to end the abuse. I don't think the passage from the Bible is about this at all but I wanted yo mention this because it was spoken about.

[Italiangreyhound]

I should add I am not against self giving love, of couse! But we should be wise and should not be door mats! Also we do not need to go out there and make people hate us as Christians, IMHO.

[thermalsinapril]

I think it means that if Christianity is about love and peace, then people in the world who don't want those things are "hating" what Jesus taught.

[headinhands]

But Jesus wasn't all about love and peace was he.
"Do not think that I have come to send peace on Earth. I did not come to send peace, but a sword. I am sent to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law" Matthew 10:34-35

[thermalsinapril]

headinhands

The "sword" denotes a way of being, and the fight is good against evil not a literal fight. Being set against one's own family doesn't mean Christians are literally meant to fight their families, it just means that changing the world in a good way begins at home.

A good deal of what Jesus said was metaphorical, which the people of the day would understand. That's why he told so many parables, such as the Good Samaritan who wasn't a real person but took care of a fictional "outsider".

Jesus said himself that the most important thing was to love God and to love one another. Everything else should be viewed within this context.

[headinhands]

So how do you decide what's metaphorical and what's literal? If you are able to decide one thing is metaphorical, what's to stop you deciding it's all metaphorical?

[Italiangreyhound]

Personally, as a Christian, I try and interpret the Bible in the light of my belief of my loving God. For me my faith has to make sense too.

[headinhands]

So you bring your own reasoning and intellect to bear when making your conclusions. That's great! So do I :) But suggests god assumed you would do so when he littered the bible with metaphors. Only, there are over 4000 different denominations of Christianity, and there are as many different ways of reading the bible as there are Christians, and they sometimes visit atrocities on one another over the different interpretations. So maybe it would have been better if god hadn't used metaphors and had been clear? Why would he allow his followers to come to diametrically opposed opinions seeing as they all claim to be in daily contact with him?

[Italiangreyhound]

headinhands I agree things are very problematic. (Sad). I don't think it is my job to judge God for how he created or gave us the Bible nor is it my job to visit atrocities on anyone else at all. The atrocities in the world full me with sadness and horror. I personally think common sense alone, aside from any subject of compassion (which I would hope I live by), would male it clear that visit atrocities was wrong. I am sure many have their own agenda, down through history, such as land grab, power, control

[Italiangreyhound]

Sorry, phone cutting me off!!! Basically I cannot explain any atrocities and am constantly saddened that the Bible us used to excuse/explain it permit any atrocities.

[headinhands]

But how do those two beliefs sit side by side as in a, god needs me to use my skills of reasoning, common sense and judgement to interpret passages of the bible that seem unloving/violent and b, god does not want me to use those same skills on his character and his choices? Did he not think, being so clearly up for a bit of reasoning that many many people would reject his message via use of the skills he needs us to have?

[Italiangreyhound]

I don't know why the bible isn't easier yo understand.

[Italiangreyhound]

I guess for me the Bible is a big book of stories, poems, songs and dreams/ visions that tell the story of God interacting with people and people interacting with God. It is not highway His that tells you hoe to drive your car around the UK.

[Italiangreyhound]

I mean it is not the highway code.