Stigma of Christianity

preface:

I have this slightly addictive little add on to my browser (I use Firefox, but I don't think it's required) called "StumbleUpon." Once you install the bar and choose your topics of interest, just click a button and randomly stumble around the internet to new sites in your topic list. Sites are included by other "StumbleUpon" members who recommend it. It's a neat little tool that can easily consume a lot of my time. Check it out.

Anyway, I was "stumbling" through the internet the other day and fell on this site:

It of course is a parody site used to make fun of us wholesome Christians and includes a satirical list of museum exhibits of those people groups that are obviously destined for eternal darkness. People like Homosexuals, Mary Worshipers, Kennedys, Democrats, and Abortionists (rooms one thru five in the museum). I'll admit, I did chuckle a bit. However, it got me thinking.

The museum here, as it turns out, is merely one of several sub-sites that jeer at Christians from this single web address alone. There are also many other outlets of media out there doing the same thing. This of course is disappointing to me as Christian, but it's even more disappointing that their attacks are based on a belief that we are a people full of hate and fear. The most disturbing part, however, is the realization that I believe they may have at least partial cause for making these claims.

My good friend Mike has a nice blog entry on Islam where he witnessed at least a little fear and a touch of reproach from congregants when discussing Muslims. I grew up being taught as an evangelical Christian that Catholics were idolators. Our current political climate, especially here in the bible belt, leads us to believe that Democrats are baby-killing communists and true Christians vote Republican.

Have we really taught ourselves to act in these malign discriminations while hiding behind the phrase hate the sin, love the sinner? Or, are we being misrepresented by the world who has skewed our efforts at righteous separation from worldly sin into "hate speech"?

Or...and this is what I dread....are we a house divided? Are there those in the name of Christianity who are spreading the very hate we are being accused of and thus smearing the name of Christ and all of his followers?

So, back to the little museum: maybe all Feminists and other Lesbians(room seven) are going straight to hell. Maybe I should take that stand and prophetically proclaim this to the masses. Maybe sites like these of Ms. Betty Bowers America's Best Christian (whose true creator/organization I have yet to identify) are part of what we should expect when we're told that there will come persecution.

I know Christ told us in John 15:19:

If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

I ask myself, however, are we wasting our energy getting hated for the wrong reasons?

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