Lots of Democrats are Christian. Why All the Hate? [View all]

[qwlauren35]

I did a quick Google search. 42% of Democratic voters are Protestant and 23% are Catholic.

And yet, it is normal and acceptable to bash Christians and Christianity on DU.

I have read posts in which Christian beliefs are mocked, put down and ridiculed. Especially the theology around forgiveness of sins. Also creationism.

I have read posts which suggest that Christians are "the enemy". I have read posts that suggest that all Christians are hypocrites.

Recently, someone posted that being Christian on DU feels unsafe.

About forty years ago, I was a bloodthirsty Christian basher. I wanted people to know that there were other valid religions. Like the Buddhism I had chosen. I was convinced that all Christians were hypocrites. And then I met someone who changed my life. She was an evangelical Christian. She was the nicest person I had ever met. She didn't have a bone of hate in her body. Everything I threw at her was returned with warmth, love and kindness. She knew I was Buddhist. She accepted that I was Buddhist. It's quite possible that she hoped that by sharing her faith, I would reconsider. But she wasn't pushy in any way.

She changed my life because, knowing her, it was Impossible to say that all Christians are hypocrites. To say that all Christians are hypocrites is actually just as stereotypical as saying Mexicans are lazy or black people are criminals. I knew I had to stop. And I decided to open myself, my mind, my heart, to assuming that a Christian person is a good person until proven otherwise.

One of my cousins is an evangelical Christian. her sister is a lesbian and I think she struggles with it, but there is a lot of love between them. She asked me to try Christianity and I explained why it didn't fit me. And it's a pretty basic reason. I try to be a good person. But I am not a believer in the Son of God. In her faith, I will not see God when I die. (And if I did become a believer, that would have to include believing that over half of the people I know would suffer this fate, and that would break my spirit.) I know that she wants that for me because she loves me. Not because she's a nag or invasive. .Love drives her. This woman prays for my happiness on a regular basis. And her actions make me feel cared for. That is it's power. That is why I don't reject it, don't reject her. Why would I reject someone who loves me just because our faiths are different?

So, that is my story, and I tell it because I think of myself as an ally. I believe in saying Merry Christmas to people who believe in Christmas. I enjoy looking at Christmas lights because I think they are pretty, and I can walk past a manger scene without any opinion because somebody else likes it and I'm okay with that. It doesn't bother me when someone prays before a big game. I see it as no different than carrying a rabbit s foot or wearing lucky underwear. It has meaning to THAT person, and nothing is gained by taking it away.

All that to say: DU needs to be a safe space for Democrats who believe in Jesus Christ just as much as it is a safe place for people who don't.

Have some respect for people's different beliefs. It costs nothing.