here's a joke that i found both funny and accurately depicting the problem with organized christianity, baptists in particular (whom i consider to be the most fundamentalist christians).
"20 people die on bus ride to a church event. they all go up to heaven, and are given the royal tour. st. peter takes them into an elevator, and up they go, stopping at each floor.
the doors open at the second floor, and st. peter says, "here are all the catholics."
the doors shut, and up they go, stopping again at the third floor. "and here, this is where all the presbyterians stay."
up they go again, the fourth floor: "here's the non-denominational christians, they all stay here on the fourth."
as the doors close here, however, st. peter turns to the people in the elevator, and says, "for this next floor, i'm going to need you to all be quiet, and not say a word."
perplexed, everyone is silent as the elevator quietly climbs past floor five, and the doors open at six. "and on the sixth floor, we have the seventh-day adventists--"
"excuse me," asked a young woman in the back, "but why didn't we get to see who lived on the fifth floor?"
"oh," replied st. peter, "that's where the baptists live. we don't open the doors 'cause they like to think they're the only ones here.""
which is the heart of the problem, i think. too many christians, too many people have such an elitist attitude, thinking that they have it right, and that their way is
the only way. and yeah, that sounds hypocritical, i mean, here i am, giving my opinion, but i'm just calling it as i see it, myself included.
there were some christians on bruin walk the other day, and i was immediately interested, because i'm all for outreach programs, because i like to see, or hear about when people become christians. but it was horrible. one of the guys, with good intentions, no doubt, was holding up a sign that said, "you make me sick."
and then it proceeded to list a bunch of things that this mans church, possibly the bible, says are sins. i can't remember many specifics, but it had things like, "baby killers," "mormons," and "partiers." sometimes my dad does this, but i never really thought to talk to him about it, the last time i really thought about it was a few years ago. it's almost like intolerance... no, it is intolerance. and that's just retarded, for one who claims to be a "little Christ." christianity is all about forgiveness, and tolerance, compassion. so where did these guys on the main walk of campus get off, using the words, "you make me sick." there's no way Jesus, the figure these guys were trying to emulate, would hold a sign up like that. would talk like these guys were. ugh. it bothers me when other people ruin the reputation of the religion that i follow, because they have it so, so wrong. and thus, everyone, when they find out i'm a christian, will automatically categorize me as one of "them," those intolerant guys who just want to point fingers about sin. <sigh>
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