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A few years back when I first started this Christianity thing, I found myself caught in a trap: I listened to the advice of my newly found Christian friends and cleaned up my friends list on MySpace. I visited each of my friend’s pages, and for those whose pages contained profanity, sexy pics of women, drinking pictures, etc, I promptly removed them from my friends list.
“I have to represent Christ,” I proudly thought to myself. “If somebody visits my page and sees me linked to these worldly non-Christians, he/she may question whether or not I’m really a Christian!”
It made perfect sense.
Looking back, that was probably one of the most ignorant decisions I’ve ever made. I use the word ‘ignorant’ because I truly didn’t know any better. If I made the same mistake today I’d use the word ’stupid.’
If only I had known then what I know now:
- What kind of crappy, hateful, arrogant message I am sending by removing myself from those peoples’ lives.
- Jesus spent more time with the non-believers than he did the believers.
- I should take the advice of God before I take the advice of another Christian
- It’s possible to burn the bridge to the ground when you do #1. Some people will have an eternal bad taste in their mouths for Christians.
- Who freakin’ cares if somebody doesn’t think I’m a good Christian. I don’t live according to their standards
- If you visit my MySpace or Facebook page and pass judgment on me because I have non-Christian, beer-drinking, drug-smoking, sex-craving, curse-word-using, friends added to my friends list, you can have at it, buddy. I promise I won’t lose any sleep over it
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I wonder who would have been left in your friends list if you’d removed everyone mean and judgmental?
I suppose that’s harder to identify from a profile than who uses profanity or drinks alcohol.
Why not just say my name? *stamps foot* :d
I want to stay on your friends list!! And some of my friends pics may not be acceptable to some Christians who really don’t get it, but they are my friends and family and I love them!!! Keeping you on my list! :d
1. The answer is a big one. I applaud you for coming to the realization despite the peer pressure you felt to the contrary.
2. That part of the story is definitely forgotten.
3. Don’t know what to say about that one.
4. I have definitely been left on the otherside of that burned bridge a few times. And yes it is MUCH harder to build that bridge a second time.
5. I think you do care what others think and I’m glad you realize you shouldn’t. We all care to some extent about what others think of us. We just need to learn how to put that “caring” in its proper perspective.
6. I should sign-up for those sites, if anything to make sure my reputation as Skeptigator isn’t tainted by someone else. Plus the ability to share my debauchery with the world.
great post
Helen…
Touché. Fantastic point. It’s so easy to be judgmental…
Thanks Bill.
I think all of us has gone through that. I know I did. I think that I felt so guilty about cutting those people out of my life that I had to go back an tell everyone that I was sorry. That I went alittle “christian crazy” (as I like to put it) on my life. I think that great thing is to be able to sit and look back and go “wow, that was stupid”. I like being on this side of things.
I think that some of us were taught the Christian fundamentals in seperate ourselves, and there weren’t any borders to it…so just like my stand on the elections..secure the borders! LOL Only a Christians borders should be wide open..everyone should think we are approachable and not condeming. Yes i would say that the fundamentalistss have put way too much restriction on a freeing thing.