Common Misconceptions About Christianity Today

It seems like the dominate belief in many areas of the world is to have no belief. Church membership is is at an all time low, and many churches are in danger of closing forever. People all over the world are tuning out Christianity due to preconceived notions that are usually wrong.

Christianity is Intolerant

It is thought that once you become a Christian, you have to leave all of your non-Christian friends behind and only hang out with fellow believers. Jesus never taught this. Jesus was of the Jewish faith, but he was frequently the guest of people that were shunned by the the leaders of the Jews. Many Christians today have friends who are Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Atheist, and so on. Jesus commanded Christians in Mark 12: 30-31 to: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." No where in those verses does it say only to love people who are only the same faith as yourself. There are churches out there who do not practice what they preach. If you have been turned off by one church, please do not give up. Christians are not perfect and there are those out there who need a little bit of help learning how to love their neighbor.

Perfectionism

Christians today, like Christians of the past are human, and no human, except for one, has ever been perfect. Being a Christian does not mean that you will never make mistakes, nor does it mean that you are out of the club if you do. There are several strong Christians who are alcoholics, addicted to drugs, you name it. Many people mistakenly look at a Christian who has messed up, label them a hypocrite, and then decide that they want nothing to do with the Christian faith. They totally miss the point. Christianity is all about forgiveness and having a loving savior who will always be there for us with open arms. When asked how many times one should forgive a brother who has sinned against him, Jesus said in Matthew 18:21 "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times." He didn't literally mean seventy-seven times, but that you should always forgive, just as he will always forgive you.

Church is boring

Many contemporary church services today resemble a rock concert with a sermon. It is not your grandmother's church, though most churches do offer what is known as a traditional service. If you are turned off of the church because you think you can get a more comfortable nap at home, think again. Just try a contemporary service. It is probably nothing like anything you have ever experienced before.

Only old people are Christians.

It may seem this way, but there is still a healthy population of young adults who are believers. Many people tend to stray away during the college and young adult years, but come back to church when they start to have families. There are also those who stay strong Christians during these years and do attend church, but have a hard time finding people their own age in the pews. A handful don't attend church physically at all, but rather online through webcasts or podcasts. If you ask around, you may find more young Christians today than you thought were there.

Churches only want to take your money.

It is true that churches need money to run and tithing (giving a portion of your income) is encouraged. People get the wrong idea about giving money to the church from the television preachers who beg for money every chance they get and the preachers of these programs live in lavish multi-million dollar mansions. Those are not accurate representations of what Christians are suppose to do. We give to the church because Christ gave to us. God does not need our money. It is merely a discipline thing. If you cannot tithe, God is not going to punish you. He wants you to give out of a grateful heart, and, if your heart is not in it, he does not want you to give just out of obligation.

You must give up things that make you happy.

God wants his people to be happy. He did not send his son to die to have a world full of miserable people. Walking closely with God gives a joy that is hard to explain in words. While just knowing him brings happiness, Christians are allowed to do other things that make them happy as well. You would not have to give up that glass of wine you love or the secular music that you listen to or those Harry Potter books you read. There are a few things that the Bible teaches us not to do like loving things more than him, drinking to the point of drunkenness, or committing adultery (which includes any sex outside of marriage), but God can help take away the desires of destructive behavior and he will forgive you if you slip up.

Christianity today, like it always has been, is about love. The love God had for us, and that he still has. Don't be put off by misconceptions or fear, but embrace a religion that will always embrace you back.