"I Hate Christianity"

I've spent some time perusing atheist and anti-Christian boards, because sometimes that's the easiest way to see where we've failed as a Church.  And to be honest, it doesn't take long to see where we've failed.  Over and over, time and time again, I watch "Christians" attack athiests for their beliefs.  Here are just a few things I've seen so-called Christians say when atheists express their disdain for us:

"I believe in free speech, but this is too far!  How dare you blaspheme my god!" [yes, it was a lowercase "g"].

"Hollywood has a Satanic agenda to brainwash our kids!  As Christians, we have to say enough!" [I'm assuming this person meant "we have to say 'enough is enough'"].

And my personal favorite:

"REPENT OR BURNWHICHIS WAHT U DSERVVE!!" [Love the spelling on that one . . . real classy].

So when I hear atheists say that Christians are morons, I can see why they would say that.  When they call Christians judgmental, I can see why they would say that.  When they call Christians hypocritical, I can see why they would say that.

What we as Christians seem to be doing is holding sinners to a higher standard than we hold ourselves.  We worship the idol of money, and criticize them for not worshiping anything.  We ask them to tone down the sexuality on television, but we keep our lusts and emotional adulteries in the back of our minds, just within easy reach.  We expect them not to blaspheme a God in Whom they don't even believe.  Well, from their perspective, they're not blaspheming - you can't insult something you don't think is there.

The justification we use, of course, is that they attack us all the time.  And that's true.  Full-out persecution of the Church still goes on in much of the world - and I mean executions of Christians.  There are people out there on message boards who quite literally want all Christians wiped off the face of the planet.  I read that, though, and rather than get angry at them, I just get sad.  I get sad because it means they've been mistreated by the Church at some point in time.  I get sad because it means they've never had an example of an actual disciple of Christ - all they've ever known are nominal Christians.  I get sad because they themselves have been attacked by people who should be filled with compassion.

Why has this happened?  How have we become so un-Christlike?  I think it happens because we forget who the enemy is.  Our enemy is not the atheist who lives next door.  Our enemy is not the sinner at our job.  Our enemy is not Hollywood.  Our enemy is Satan, and - pay attention! - we are not supposed to fight him.  Satan loses in the end, and we have nothing to do with it.  Christ defeated sin and death . . . and He will defeat Satan.

Our job is a rescue operation, not an offensive.  Our job is to show the POW's the way out, not shoot them in the head.  And while - sadly - many of them have developed a "spiritual Stockholm's syndrome" and refuse to be rescued, our job is still not to attack.  Our job is to point to Christ, rather than morals; the Cross, rather than the Law.

People will attack us - Christ made that very clear.  But maybe we should stop giving them extra reasons.