Hypocrisy

     Being in a new environment where I seem to be in the minority with my beliefs has made me consider more critically just how hypocritical our society is. It seems in this day and age that, as a whole, our society frowns on and, more strongly, persecutes those who display intolerance of others, particularly through the use of stereotype. However, the general consensus appears to be that it is okay, even sometimes necessary, to stereotype and persecute Christians, as though they are responsible for the negative history surrounding them and will never be absolved of the crimes against humanity committed by their ancestors.
     It is not okay for a Christian to express their ideas about salvation because it could offend atheists and people of other religious persuasions; however, it is perfectly acceptable for a group of atheists to rag on Christians to their faces, diminishing their beliefs and calling their ideas "ignorant" and "idiotic" because "science is obviously the ultimate truth." How is this any different than a Christian stating they think an atheist is "going to hell" because they "don't believe in God"? How is this any different than a Christian saying that God's word is the ultimate truth? If you'd argue that it's different because atheists are right and Christians are wrong, then already you're feeding into the idea that it's okay for us to determine what is right and wrong and force that on each other. Since one of the most common "beefs" atheists have against Christians is that we go around telling people what is right and wrong (do I even need to point out what a stereotype this is?), I cannot understand why they think it's okay to essentially do the same thing back. Have you ever heard of an atheist being so negative about the Islamic religion? No, because it's not P.C. But somehow it's okay to do this to Christians.
     Our society values tolerance--tolerance of other religions, other lifestyles, other ethnicities, other backgrounds, etc. But it seems like this only applies to everyone except Christians. I feel that, on the whole, my beliefs are not tolerated by the community outside of my religion. When a Buddhist or Jew or Muslim says something like this, people are up in arms, pointing fingers and preaching tolerance. But somehow society thinks Christians deserve to feel this way because we're all lumped together with the Westboro Baptists and those extremists who stand on street corners with signs claiming God hates women and gay people. You're not allowed to assume all Muslims are terrorists--that's stereotyping--but you are allowed to assume all Christians are intolerant, radical, and delusional. No wonder some Christians preach their beliefs more than the idea of tolerance. Tolerance isn't being shown to them. Would you be so keen on tolerating people you disagree with if those people weren't tolerating you? Hm.
   During my first few weeks in the program, a group of us began having a conversation about the gay marriage debate. None of the Christians at the table voiced anti-gay marriage views. However, the atheists in the group managed to call Christians ignorant and even said something to the effect of "we've got science, fuckers" as a way of putting their beliefs above ours. I wish I would have asked them if they would ever say something like that to a group of Buddhists or Jews or Muslims. It immediately alienated everyone at the table with a different belief than theirs, which is really sad because we have to spend the next 2-3 years in the same program knowing there is an undercurrent of hatred directed at us. It may shock them to learn that I have close friends who consider themselves atheists or agnostic but still are respectful of my beliefs. It may shock them to learn that they aren't the only ones who have friends affected by the gay marriage debate. My best friend of 11 years is. You don't have to vote against gay marriage to be a Christian. Everyone deserves to feel comfortable expressing their beliefs without fear of hateful judgment.


   For the record, I do believe in tolerance, because I believe God is the ultimate judge of other people. I see tolerance as a huge aspect of the Christian faith and am saddened when those who misinterpret the Christian message are the ones who end up representing the church to outsiders. Many times Christians will bludgeon people over the head with ideas of fire and brimstone, and I think that's the wrong message to send. But I find a lot of what people say about my religion to be incredibly offensive, and I'm annoyed that it doesn't seem to matter that what they say is offending me. I'm done subscribing to the hypocrisy of this society, and the next time I'm in a situation where I feel persecuted or offended, I'm going to say so despite how uncomfortable that might make someone feel.