Friday, October 26, 2012

Why more people are turned off by Christianity

The following editorial appeared this month in the Dallas Morning News:
Chance Hays: Why more people are turned off by Christianity 
 

 
Westboro Baptist protesters clash with other protesters across a line of police on the second day of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, Tuesday, August 28, 2012. (Tiffany Tompkins-Condie/Bradenton Herald/MCT) 
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Chance Hays of Midlothian is a senior at Ovilla Christian School and a Student Voices volunteer columnist.
Chance Hays of Midlothian

I am a Christian. I even go to a Christian school. That’s not exactly something most people are so proud to say anymore.
This week, a Pew Research Center said that 46 million Americans don’t associate with any religion and that, for the first time in our nation’s history, less than 50 percent of us say we are Protestant Christians. The trend is most visible among people under 30. A growing number of former Protestants are now checking the box for “none.”
I think part of the reason is that Christians have gained a bad reputation for judgment, condemnation, political agendas and even hatred. Many have seen the exploits of the group known as Westboro Baptist Church, as they protest at military funerals, contending that God is punishing the military for the U.S. tolerance of homosexuality. Or perhaps you’ve heard of the less famous hate-filled Detroit Arab-American festival, in which Christians stuck the head of a pig on a stick, parading it around Arabs. One of these “Christian missionaries” was even heard shouting, “You’re gonna burn in hell!”
I have grown up in an increasingly pluralistic society, and those who are judgmental and narrow-minded are becoming enemy No. 1 among people my age.
I even grew up in a “churchy” environment, and what I see outside of that environment is a general dislike for Christians as a whole.
For too many people, church is a place of pain — a place of constant reminders of their past, without any indication of a future. For example, my neighbor of 11 years refused to go to any church. He was rejected because of his appearance; he was very rough around the edges. He was a habitual smoker and lived a lifestyle that was hard for many to accept. He was also one of the nicest men I ever knew, but because of one church and the pain it caused, he lived with a wound that could not be mended. The last time he was in a church was at his funeral.
I believe in a man named Jesus, and the Jesus I know, the Jesus I follow, loved. He was a friend to failures. He loved the unlovable; he gave incredible grace to those who didn’t deserve it. So why does a church, an establishment that once stood for such love, reject grace and embrace judgment instead? The Jesus I know wasn’t very kind to those people. In fact, the religious leaders of his day (surprisingly similar to “churches” today) hated “sinners” and in turn, Jesus was very harsh to them, while the kind of people many Christians judge today were given extravagant love by Jesus.
Recently, many “Christians” have been known for anti-gay rallies, pro-life protests and political bias. But would Jesus, the one who we claim to follow, be telling gays that they are going to hell, or would he be comforting the hurt?
According to the 2009 documentary Lord Save us from Your Followers, 9 out of 10 Americans profess some sort of belief in God. Furthermore, writer-producer-director Dan Merchant found that while many people disliked Christians and what they stood for, they understood that Jesus was a kind, loving, incredible person. So it’s not Jesus that’s the problem! It’s us!
It’s time to stop. It’s time for our reputation for hate, judgment and walking all over those who are hurt to end.
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “I like your Christ. I don’t like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ.” I am a Christian. It’s time we were all more like our Christ.

Chance Hays of Midlothian is a senior at Ovilla Christian School and a Student Voices volunteer columnist. To respond to this column, send an email to voices@dallasnews.com.

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