Do Christians Contribute Anything to the World?
By Andy Heath
Compassion, friendship, acceptance, hope, faith, and love. Christians claim to have a monopoly on all these good traits, but do they actually practice them most of the time? My answer is no.
My mother used to attend a church in another town, and I could not help but notice how much the members constantly talked about and criticized each other. One of them was upset if he didn't get a solo in the choir. Then there were the ones that got mad if the preacher said something they didn't agree with. Some people didn't like the sound system and felt it should be replaced, while others did not want to spend the money out of the church treasury.
Now you might ask, what is wrong with having disagreements like that? Any organization is going to have disagreements, and even have petty people, so why should a church be any different. You have a point. Organizations do frequently have disagreements. My concern about the Christian church is that it claims its members are above such pettiness, and they are not.
If I am gay (which I am) they will decry my actions as a sin. They say I need to see the light, come to Jesus, repent of my evil ways. However, if these same Christians gossip, cheat on their husbands and wives, complain, covet, steal, and are greedy and malevolent (which they frequently do and are), they don't take criticism for these sins very well. "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God," they respond. So you see, they have an answer for everything.
Christians do some good things though. Christians usually only complain and gripe when they're offended by something, as opposed to fundamentalist Muslims that feel like they have to blow up a building or two when they get offended. I know that's not politically correct, and maybe not even always true, but there is certainly an element of truth to it. Spiritual immaturity comes in all forms and is not only a Christian concept.
Another good thing Christians do that I don't hear of other religions doing quite as much is service work. When 9/11 happened, there were lots of Christians that went to New York to help. They also send their youth on mission trips to do good work for others, such as elders or the poor.
It's true that Christians do contribute some things to the world, but for the most part the majority of what they have to offer is lip service. If you're a Christian, I would advise you to do more good and less harm. If you are not a Christian, I would advise you to stay away from the religion.
