Six Myths About Christians

A few weeks ago I attended an event, it was a time for people from all over the diocese to come out and support our seminarians by sharing tacos, beer and good conversation.  I spoke to a couple of men that are on their way to becoming priests and we had such interesting talks- mainly about their experience moving from Vietnam to continue their studies in the United States.  I had so much fun socializing and spending time with some of my friends from church.  On my way home, I started reflecting on how much I enjoy my life…  Yesterday, I went to see a pianist perform at the Hollywood Grove with a really good Christian friend and again on the way home I was thinking gosh since I returned to the Catholic Church my life is pretty exciting.  Which then made me think about some erroneous thoughts I used to hold about the Catholic Church and Christians in general.  So, today I want to tackle six myths people believe about Christians.  

Christians are perfect- The opposite is actually the truth, Christians are flawed sinners redeemed by a loving, perfect God.  As an agnostic what repelled me about Christianity were Christians.  I hated hypocrites who went to Mass and spoke about God, but their lives showed no fruits- they were still mean, oppressive and immoral. Gandhi said that he would become a Christian when he met one, and sadly people go on having this view that Christians have mastered Christianity just by calling themselves followers of Christ.  The truth is Christianity is an ongoing journey and no one ever arrives (on this side of heaven with the exception of the saints) at mastering the spirituality.  That’s why it’s so important to place our eyes on God who is perfect and not on his imperfect followers.

Christians lead boring lives- As a college, party girl looking at other young adults who were on fire for God I thought, “These people must be really boring if they can’t drink, party and have millions of rules to follow.”  The reality is that the Christian lifestyle is the most fulfilling way of life I have found.  Sure we have a higher standard for living, but that’s because God has high expectations because He wants the best for us (love always wants the best for the beloved).  In leading a Christian life I have found that I have constant joy and peace, unlike my earlier years of partying where I only had fun at the party and the rest of the time I was miserable.  Jesus is the model par excellence of Christian life and he’s the most interesting person I have ever met, his life is anything but boring- he captivated large audiences and people sought him for conversation.  He shared wine with his friends, laughed and enjoyed life.  Through his example we are taught and encouraged to enjoy life too.  Contrary to common belief God wants us to be happy and Christianity teaches us how to be content in every situation.  A happy person who lives passionately is never boring.         

Christians aren’t allowed to think for themselves- This was another big repellant factor for me, I believed that following God meant leaving my brain at the door.  That in order to commit to Christianity I had to go through a brainwashing process that would vacate me from self and turn me into a stereotypical Christian follower.  Penny would die and in her place would be an ignorant copy.  Yet, apologetics played a huge part in my conversion and using my brain to make peace between science and religion really motivated my spiritual growth. 

Christians are all the same.  Again I believed that to be Christian meant to be like everyone else.  That I had to start wearing long skirts, baggy shirts and give up on all things that formed my identity; but, I soon realized that God didn’t want another Saint Francis of Assisi or Mother Teresa, He simply wanted the best version I can give Him of me (each day) because He values each of us separately.  To Him each of us have extraordinary value because we are irreplaceably unique.  He values our difference and that is so evident in just looking at creation and the variation of flowers, plants, trees, animals…    

Christians have a low view of women- The truth is that both men and women are precious to God and He loves us equally, but He did give us different roles in society.  The man is the head of the family, and the woman is his helpmate.  The big BUT that often gets missed in this description is that God is the head of man, so men are accountable to God.  God tells men that they must love their women like Christ loved the Church- that’s a huge responsibility.  If women examine the way that God loved His church only a dummy would not want to follow God’s will for the sexes!  While some people think that God makes women inferior and gives them to men as slaves – on close examination this is clearly not true.   

Christians are not allowed to enjoy sex ever/ sex is bad- God gave us sex as a gift to be enjoyed only in marriage between a man and a woman.  I think because God gives such clear directions and saves the act for only sacramental marriage people get the wrong idea.  They think that because it comes with restrictions that it must be bad.  Yet, the church says that sex is a really good thing, a holy thing that frees you to love completely.  Usually, when something has great value it must be protected and kept in a special place, that’s what God does. He values sex so much that He saves it for marriage and we must do the same.

I think that ignorance leads to a lot of misunderstandings and it’s important to learn about each other- this opens us up for dialogue and maybe even brings conversion.