I mean, they’re literally in the Bible. Acts 8— the Queen of Ethiopia’s treasurer is heading back home after worshipping in Jerusalem, and Phillip tells him about Jesus, having learned about him from the guys who walked around with Jesus for three years. Then Philip miraculously teleports elsewhere, and the eunuch goes back to Ethiopia with an impressive story.
Europeans didn’t get the Gospel until Lydia, in Acts 16—by some reckonings, eighteen years later. Maybe even longer.
I swear, if Christians actually read the Bible instead of trying to thump it, we’d get a lot more done.
Maybe. Or maybe we’d actually be loving and pleasant to be around and wouldn’t be the reason so many people are put off by religion in general. Either way, probably a win.
I’d have to disagree with you, in my experience. I don’t do much proselytization, but whenever I interact with atheistic or agnostic folks and the subject of my faith comes up, the push-back I get is almost invariably one of two things: either “my parents/my grandparents/a pastor in my town/some idiot I used to be friends with in high school/a really horrible church down the street are generally awful to people and claim that it’s because Jesus said so” (which is something that I’ve seen happen way too many times myself), or “megachurches and televangelists are con artists and grifters” (which is also true). Neither of which actually aligns with the reality of what Jesus teaches. People warp Christianity to make themselves feel better and more powerful, just like they do with any moral or philosophical framework, or any narrative that they’re drawn to.
I get what you’re saying, though. The people who are warping it are definitely super loud right now.
And fewer mega churches with private jets (sell your stuff and take care of the community for the money). But there would be more slave owners (Philemon). Gay people would still be under fire but probably to a lesser extent.
I mean, they’re literally in the Bible. Acts 8— the Queen of Ethiopia’s treasurer is heading back home after worshipping in Jerusalem, and Phillip tells him about Jesus, having learned about him from the guys who walked around with Jesus for three years. Then Philip miraculously teleports elsewhere, and the eunuch goes back to Ethiopia with an impressive story.
Europeans didn’t get the Gospel until Lydia, in Acts 16—by some reckonings, eighteen years later. Maybe even longer.
I swear, if Christians actually read the Bible instead of trying to thump it, we’d get a lot more done.
deleted by creator
If Christians actually read the (entire) bible there’d be a lot less Christians.
Maybe. Or maybe we’d actually be loving and pleasant to be around and wouldn’t be the reason so many people are put off by religion in general. Either way, probably a win.
Don’t blame yourself! It’s not Christians that put people off religion, it’s religion itself.
It’s both.
Maybe. But one seems much much more impact full than the other.
Despite people preferring to focus on the least impact full one most.
deleted by creator
I’d have to disagree with you, in my experience. I don’t do much proselytization, but whenever I interact with atheistic or agnostic folks and the subject of my faith comes up, the push-back I get is almost invariably one of two things: either “my parents/my grandparents/a pastor in my town/some idiot I used to be friends with in high school/a really horrible church down the street are generally awful to people and claim that it’s because Jesus said so” (which is something that I’ve seen happen way too many times myself), or “megachurches and televangelists are con artists and grifters” (which is also true). Neither of which actually aligns with the reality of what Jesus teaches. People warp Christianity to make themselves feel better and more powerful, just like they do with any moral or philosophical framework, or any narrative that they’re drawn to.
I get what you’re saying, though. The people who are warping it are definitely super loud right now.
Well, no. We can’t say for sure what jesus did or did not teach, the whole fucking thing is suspect because of that.
deleted by creator
And fewer mega churches with private jets (sell your stuff and take care of the community for the money). But there would be more slave owners (Philemon). Gay people would still be under fire but probably to a lesser extent.