I Hate Christians [Me]

Sometimes, I really hate other Christians. Well, not other Christians, because they aren't the same kind of Christians I am. But they call themselves Christians, and they shove that down the throat of everyone they meet. And when I identify as a Christian, the victims assume I'm that kind of Christian and hate me for it, and I can't even blame them. 

Let's split terms here. I believe that my God wants me to love people and be good and be happy. I prefer to think of Christianity as my faith, rather than my religion. So let's call people like me Faith Christians. And then there's the other folk, that tell everyone they're going to hell and argue and accuse and make the rest of the world think poorly about Christianity. Let's call them Religious Christians.

The impetus for today's rant comes from a friend who came to me asking for advice. She's in a therapy group where they are insisting that she recite the Serenity Prayer before every meeting. However, she's not Christian; why should they force her to say a Christian Prayer? That would be like my Muslim coworker dragging me to an office for prayer to Allah several times a day. How would that make any sense? I don't pray to a God I don't worship; why should she?

But what really made me angry came next. She has panic attacks every time someone starts talking about God because she grew up being told that she was a sinner and the Devil's child, and that God and Jesus were going to get her and punish her and make her suffer for it. She had this pounded into her head until she can't stand to even set foot in a church. She told me, "maybe one day I'll square out my issues with Jesus, but until then, I'm scared to death of him, God, and those who follow them". She's been told over and over that God is the big scary guy in the sky judging her and condemning her to Hell because she is evil. God is just as scary to her as Satan is.

I was really proud that she felt safe talking to me, knowing that I was a Christian, as she got into explaining. But I was also incredibly sad for her. The entirety of Christian teaching can be summed up as LOVE. And yet religious Christians were able to twist that around to terrorize this poor girl until she's afraid of the one being with the purest love for her. I hurt for her that she can't experience that love the way I do. And then I became angry. How dare these religious people sit in judgement of someone, telling her that she's evil, stealing away her ability to trust in her own Father?

Unfortunately, I have found Religious Christians to be some of the most judgemental, pushy, and negative people in my life. It's no wonder that I have so many friends that are Buddhists or pagan. I much prefer to talk faith with them than with these religious people. They are much closer to God - I mean, Love.