5 Things Christians Do That Annoy Non-Christians (And Me)

    I've pretty much always been a Christian. My entire family is Christian, and I've gone to Christian schools all my life. Most of my friends were Christian until I got closer to high school. Honestly, I was never exposed to non-Christian music until at least 5th or 6th grade. In my family, we had this one Christian artist, a female singer, on a cassette tape, and we would listen to her over...and over...and over. I can't remember who she was, but I could probably still sing all of her songs by muscle memory alone. 

    
    My point is, I was sheltered. I never had my faith challenged.  But as the years went by, I was ever-so-slowly exposed to the "secular world" (read: everything not intended for Christians only). I made friends who swore all the time and talked about sex all the time. I made friends who said "Oh my God", and weren't lifting praises to God. 

    I watched movies were there were icky scenes that made me uncomfortable. I...experienced what everyone else does. Except I did it without moderation or adult supervision. And it wasn't a slow increase of more and more non-Christian things. No, it would be days or weeks at a time of secular culture, and then I would go back to church. I was constantly comparing the two lifestyles. 

   
    Anyway, long story short, there was a period in my life where I was consciously not a Christian. I can't tell you exactly when it began and ended, because it's been a long journey back, and I often times slip deep back down into doubts. That's alright though. I'm of the mindset that having doubts is a good thing. 

    Show me a person who doesn't constantly test their worldview and I'll show you a sheep. If you tell me you've never doubted that there's a God, I'll tell you you're a liar. To your face. Because if God was so apparent all the time, there would be no atheists. 

   
    Anyway, as someone who has seen both sides of the issue, I have some personal gripes. These are things that I have heard Christians say or thing I've seen Christians do that annoy atheists and give Christians a bad name. I know, because I was, albeit briefly, not a Christian. 
    
    I will probably focus on how atheists or agnostics (wishy-washy atheists) react to these, because I was atheist. Or agnostic, cause I was open to the idea of God, I just wanted evidence. Anyway, without further ado... 

My Top 5 Things Christians Do That Annoy Non-Christians (And Me)

Number 5: "I believe ______ because it's Biblical"

   In the words of Paul in his second letter to Timothy, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." The Bible is the inspired Word of God. 

    Everything, and I mean everything, in it is the inspired word of God. We can use it as a moral guide. If something goes against what God says is right in the Bible, we know it is bad bad evil bad. 
    
    OR it's a ten dollar paper weight. To two-thirds of the world, the Bible is nothing more than a really long, confusing, silly, nasty, trippy book of fairy tales. If you're a Muslim, than it is mostly kinda right for the first few chunks, and then it gets blasphemous pretty fast. Same if you're a Jew. If you're Buddhist or Hindu or some other religion it might be a strange book from a foreign religion. 

    You probably like that Jesus guy cause he was really wise and had lots of good ideas, but in no way would you believe anything in it. If you're an atheist, it's probably pretty offensive to you. For one, it isn't very tolerant. It's also filled with a bunch of nonsense, like talking snakes and zombies and demigods and the end of the world. And then there's the fact that Christians will try to use it to tell you what to do. That's no good!
    
    Are you getting the picture yet? There are thousands, if not millions of Christians who believe what's in the Bible because it's in the Bible, and someone, probably their parents or pastor, told them the Bible is real. But if you take an objective look at the Bible and it's teachings, without any of these things...
-A basic understanding of the history surrounding the events    
-An understanding that some core concepts are lost in translation
-An open mind
-A real, personal experience with God
then you're gonna have a hard time believing any of it. 
    
    Why do I believe what is in the Bible? Because I know that it is the most accurately translated collection of ancient documents in existence. Because I know that the death and resurrection of Jesus are incredibly believable historical events. Because many of the New Testament characters are confirmed historical figures. Because many Old Testament prophecies, ones that are confirmed to have been written hundreds of years before Jesus, match up with the historical events surrounding the events of Jesus' life. Because Luke (the writer of the Gospel of Luke and of Acts of the Apostles) is thought of as one of the greatest and most reliable ancient historians by historians world wide. 

    I believe the Bible because I know, based off philosophical, logical, and scientific arguments and evidence that the most likely answer to whether or not God exists is resoundingly yes, and based off of the evidence already listed along with hundreds of more examples, the God of Christianity is the most likely one to exist of all proposed deities. Because I have had many personal experiences where the Bible has guided me in ways that any outside source could not have. 
     
    Notice how in none of those examples I said that I believe the Bible because the Bible told me to, or my parents told me to, or my pastor told me to. My parents and pastor and teachers and friends had all told me to read and believe my Bible, but that wasn't good enough for me! If you want any non-Christian to take you seriously, you have to know why you believe what you do, otherwise you are nothing more than a parrot. 


Number 4: "Oh, something really bad happened? I'll pray for you! Gotta go!" :) :) :) <3 <3 <3 
    
    I'll but this simply: From the perspective of a non-believer, prayer is a waste of time. It really is. It's asking an imaginary friend for help. When someone says, "I'll pray for you" it sounds like, "I can see that this is upsetting to you, but I don't care enough to put any actual effort into helping in any way, so I will use my fallback excuse to get out of being any use whatsoever." 

   
    When a Christian tells another Christian that they will keep them in their prayers, it is an incredibly comforting thing to hear. They can rest assured that someone else is lifting them up in a petition to their heavenly father for whatever it is that is best for them. And even if they don't get what they asked for, they know that it was not a wasted breath, because God works for the good of those who love Him, even if they cannot see it at the time. 
    
    When a Christian tells a non-Christian that, "No, I'm not currently sending any money to help solve the clean water crisis in Africa, but thank you for bringing that back to my attention! I will try to remember to pray for that.", they will probably be angry about that. 
    
    Let's face it, prayer usually has no immediately tangible outcome. I can confidently say "usually", because even though I know people who are used to their prayers being answered in one way or another, a lot of people will pray for things, like for God to save a loved one, or for world peace, and boom. Nothing. 
    
    As a Christian I know this is because I don't know better than God. God has plans for all of us, and his plans are for the ultimate good. He has an infinite, timeless view of reality, so he can see things we cannot, and knows what will work for our ultimate good, i.e. our salvation. So when I lift up a problem to God in prayer, I know some good will come of it, even if I never see it happen, or the outcome isn't the one I want.
    
    What the non-Christian must understand is that Christians who pray for things mean well. They really are helping. Please don't get angry at someone who says they will pray for something. You may find it pointless, but they aren't doing nothing like you may think. 

    Many Christians have very devoted prayer lives, and spend hours every day in communication with God. It is easy for us to forget that not everyone believes in the power of prayer. I will, however, side with you non-believers when you get angry about...

Number 3: Showy prayers, and/or flaunting "spirituality"

    Matthew 6:6-8 "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." 

    
    Don't be annoying with your prayers. Please. Don't be this guy: "Lord father daddy Jesus, I bless your name today, Lord God. I exalt you unto the heavens, God. I worship you, Father, every second of my life, God Jesus. I beg of you, send your spirit of blessing down to us in this time of fellowship, Holy Father. Let this food, Father, be a nourishment to not just our bodies, Holy Spirit, but to our souls, Lord Jesus. Father God, let these assorted fruit snacks remind us...of you fruits of the spirit, God! And let these Uncrustables (Trademark) , fill our stomachs with a feeling of fulfillment..."

    
    Look, I get it, you're an eloquent person, and you love God. In fact, you love God sooooo much that you can't wait for everyone to see how much you love Him! Because when you love a person here on earth you always speak to them like that...right?

    OF COURSE NOT! They'd think you're a lunatic! And a lot of people will think you're a lunatic, or at the very least full of yourself, if you pray like that all the time! It's a 20 minute lunch break, not the ordaining of a pastor! There needn't be any elaborate ceremony when you pray. In fact, Jesus condemns those who pray for to long in public, comparing them to the pagans. 

    
    There are no heavenly bonus points for those who pray "better" than others. It just makes you look like an ass. Yes, I just swore. *gasp!* Which leads me to my next point...

    
Number 2: Judging people based off of how they speak

    Ephesians 4:29 "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." This is the verse many Christians use to condemn swearing. Curses and swears are certainly corrupting. They are often times vulgar and unnecessary, and people tend to find them offensive.
     
    Here's what the Christian needs to remember when a non-believer swears in front of them: The only worth any word has is that which we apply to it ourselves. Just because we think of one word as repulsive doesn't mean that anyone else will. 

    My sister has an aversion to the word "moist". I don't see anything wrong with moist. Moist is a good word to describe something that is a little wetter than damp, but not so wet that it is soaked. It's just...moist.

    
    Similarly, to many of my friends, "damn" is just a word. It is actually a very multifaceted word. It's uses as an adjective or as an exclamation are numerous, and they increase depending on vocal inflection. They say it all the time, with no intention of offending anyone. It's simply a stronger way to say "dang" or "darn". 

    
    Christians are called to speak in a manner pleasing to God, meaning no talking bad of people, no slandering or gossip, and no coarse of rude language. This means that if the culture has decided a word is rude to say in public, than the Christian should not say it. 

    However, there is no list of words sanctioned by God or condemned by God. We have to use our own judgement, because some words fade in and out of distastefulness. Basically, try not to be mean with your words. 

    
     If someone is making you uncomfortable with their language, it's alright to ask them to stop. They should understand. However, if someone is swearing around you just to annoy you,well...get over it. They aren't actually hurting you in any way. Be the bigger person. 

    But please, don't rub it in their face. Remember, they probably are making fun of you because they think you're over reacting. It's just a word! If you want to win favor with someone, don't insult the way they live their life. 

Number 1: Having absolutely no idea what they are talking about!

    This one kind of goes back to number five. Remember all those reasons why I put my faith in the Bible? You can find those relatively easily. There are hundreds of books out there that will provide you with information about why Christianity is believable. 

    It's called Christian apologetics, and it's a very interesting subject. I am well aware that there are millions of Christians who are not even kind of versed in this kind of thing, and they have much stronger faiths than I do. However, if you are a Christian living in America today, with access to the Internet and with a pastor who is a phone call or text away from answering any questions you might have, not being able to defend your faith is unacceptable. 

    I was once talking with a fellow teenage believer, a brother in Christ, about evolution. I was talking about how it was improbable, to the point of being impossible, for a living cell to come from nonliving matter, and how the probability of that cell becoming anything other than dead was far greater, and how Irreducible Complexity makes it impossible for even the tiniest organism to evolve efficiently. 

    My friend nodded and said, "Yeah, I don't know about that, but I still think evolution is stupid. Why do they even teach it in schools? It's just a theory!" He then went on to talk about how inaccurate carbon-dating was, and how there was evidence of a worldwide flood, and what's up with people coming from monkeys? If that were true, then wouldn't we still see it happening today? 

CHECKMATE ATHEISTS!

    I wanted to ask him how much of that he found out from actual research, and how much he overheard in his church basement during a potluck from some fifty something church buddies who fancy themselves scientific philosophers? He didn't offer one source, reason for believing it, or back up any claim with another one. He just jumped from one point to another, spouting examples of things that supported his world view. Some of them weren't even related to evolution. 

    
    Even if you don't have access to any books on the subject, there is the Internet. And the great thing about the Internet is that wherever there are open forums and/or comment sections, there will be angry atheists trying to smash your religion. A lot of them will be trolls, or nonsensical rage posts, attacking your character and implying they slept with your mother. 

    I know, it's a dangerous world out there. But a lot of the time, there will be a comment from a knowledgeable, polite, and self-confident atheist. This person - not the troll trying to start a flame war - is the example of most atheists. They are as sure of they're beliefs as your are of yours. They just have a different perspective.

    
    You don't have to address this person directly. You need not try and have a theological, philosophical, or scientific debate using only 500 word responses. That would be futile. Instead, read what they have to say, and see if it challenges you. 

    If a person can rock your spiritual grounding in a comment on YouTube, or in a video that is less than 5 minutes, then you need to take a step back and examine your beliefs. Also, take this as a sign that you should not, under any circumstances, challenge an atheist to a debate. They are generally well read folks, and would love nothing more than to convert you to their religion.

***

    Well, there you have it. My top 5 things that Christians do that annoy non-Christians, as well as myself. A lot of people would say something like, "I hope I didn't offend anyone with this! These are just my opinions, and I'm sure I'm wrong to a lot of people." Nope. I hope people are offended. If they are, that means they will probably think about it, and take it to heart. At the very least, they will most likely respond to me to give me their opinions. That's what life is about: Learning how to better the Kingdom of God by bettering ourselves.

You Are Not The Hero?

    All of my life I attended Christian grade schools and high schools. At my last high school there was an event every year called Vision for Life. It was a program where students lived out their faith as men and women. One day the girls would stay back at school and listen to speakers while the guys went out into the community and did service projects. The next day they would switch, and the guys would listen to speakers while the girls went out and worked. It was a great couple of days, and most everyone looked forward to it.

    
    Vision for Life my senior year, a pastor who had led chapels at our school before came and spoke. I’d always loved listening to him talk. He was very energetic and although he was no comedian, he had his funny moments as well. That day was different. He was preaching on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. 

    He talked about how the reason people think their prayers are not fulfilled isn’t because God decided not to give, but it’s because they don’t know how to ask. I thought, ok, that’s a little weird. This is starting to sound like Prosperity Gospel to me. God doesn’t just give everything we ask for if we ask the right way. It wasn’t sitting right with me, but I listened anyway.
    
    He went on in this fashion for some time, and all the while I became more and more uncomfortable. Then he went and said something else that really hit me: “You are not a hero. You are cannot be the hero, you cannot be a hero. There is only one hero!” And he pointed upwards.
    
    This probably would not have stuck out for me had I not already been dissecting everything he had been saying. All my life I've heard things like, “You can’t do good works on your own. Only Jesus can help you do good things.”, and, “Always give glory to God, because he is the one that gave you those talents.” 

    Technically , this is true. In John 15:5, Jesus says, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
    
    Wait, so if Jesus is the one true hero, then we should not give anyone credit for what they do, no matter how awesomely heroic they truly are? Maybe I’m reading into what he said too much, but if you take that statement to it’s logical conclusion, then you have a very thankless and gratificationless (I’m making that a word) world. Why not acknowledge people when they do heroic things?
    
    This reminds me of a post I saw somewhere in the bowels of the internet. It was a picture of Jesus guiding a doctors hand during a surgery. It was captioned, “If he succeeds, Jesus gets all the credit. If he fails, he’s to blame.” Seriously? I think Jesus would want us to give credit where credit is due. 

    I firmly believe that God guides us through our lives, and helps us in time of need, but we still make the decisions. God isn't a grand puppet master  making some people hero’s and others not. That time you went and broke up a fight? God may be prompting you to do so, but he didn't make you do it. That was a heroic thing you did there.
    
    In conclusion, Christians should realize that although we believe in a higher power, He doesn't force heroism on anyone. YOU choose to be the hero when you step up, take responsibility of a situation, and then do what needs to be done. Especially when no one else can. A wise man once said, “With great power comes great responsibility.” We have been given the power of the Holy Spirit, however that manifests itself in you. So don’t waste it.

Be the hero God intends you to be