The other day, I posted about the movie Fireproof, starring Kirk Cameron and a bunch of other people, apparently who were all volunteers from a church. I had some opinions about the movie, but I was very, very careful to make very, very clear that my problems with the movie were all in the production side. I thought the acting was pretty bad (as you might expect with a volunteer cast), the writing was very, very weak (stereotypical black women who say little else than "mmmmm hmmmmm"), and that the movie felt a bit too preachy.
Not 30 minutes after the post went up, I got this comment:
undoubtly you didnt watch fireproof for the reason it was intended. my guesse is you are either single or divorced. if i am wrong about that then you are obviously not in a God supported relationship and there will come a time in your relationship that maybe you should have payed a little more attention to the true meaning of the movie.
Now, here is what gets my feathers all ruffled: If you go to any church in America (or the world, for that matter) that preaches the Bible, and speak with their pastor, you will hear nothing but the tenets of forgiveness, tolerance, acceptance, loving thy neighbor, etc. If you watch the congregation before, during, or after the service, you will see that all of the churchgoers really do a great job of showing these beliefs off. They love, and pray, and smile, and love, and pray, on and on, which is wonderful. But, a great many of these people, as soon as they leave the church, become what this commenter became. I don't know if it was petty jealousy because I didn't like a "Christian-themed movie", or if this person really thought that Fireproof was the Citizen Kane of Kirk Cameron movies, but sending comments like that one really doesn't do wonders for advancing the cause of Christianity.
My specific beef with this is not aimed at the commenter. People are entitled to feel how they feel. Moreso, my problem with the overall tone of the response is that this is the kind of thing I see from "Christians" all the time. People who go to church every Sunday, and tithe, and pray, and carry their Bible everywhere they go, yet somehow can't seem to find somewhere to get rid of all of this venom that builds up inside of them, so they attempt to take it out on those that they perceive to be less holy than them. The Bible is a complex book, and even most theologians would agree with that statement. The human race has waged wars over the interpretation of the words in the Bible, which is a whole other topic for another day. But, the basic ideas of the Bible are pretty simple. Act like a Christian, everywhere you go. Oddly enough, the phrase, "What Would Jesus Do?" is a pretty good rule to live by, yet it seems that a fair portion of people who claim to live by this sentiment are the first to knock you down a peg if they think that you aren't living by that standard.
My pastor at Church (Celebration Fellowship in Fort Worth, by the way) had a wonderful analogy for Christianity. Christianity is like salt. Take away the salt from a meal, and it tastes bland and lifeless and most people wouldn't think it tastes very good at all. Add a little dash of salt, and the meal tastes better, depending on your tastes. But when someone puts too much salt on your meal, it ruins a perfectly good meal. This pretty much hit the nail on the head for me with how Christians should act. Sprinkle a little salt here and there to season up someone's life, but don't crack them over the skull with how Christian you are. I don't need it, and I don't want it.
For this commenter to assume that because I thought the acting in Fireproof was not great that I am divorced is just the kind of hypocrisy that I have come to expect from a lot of "Christians". There are a lot of good ones out there, but there are just as many with the "holier than thou" attitude that I could frankly do without forever, thank you very much.
7 comments:
On behalf of christianity,let me apologize to you.I myself am a christian and would never force or push my belief on you.Unfortunatley,like in any other group or gathering of people you will find those who choose a more agressive approach toward their cause.I would, however share the word with you if it was something that you would be interested in hearing,because I feel that everyone should have that opportunity,but it's certainly his/her choice to accept.Remember though,as a christian I do love and pray for you.You are correct in saying that some just seem to be more spiritual than others.(In their own mind)Just remember that God has a plan for you specifically,and he's the only one we need to impress.Just continue to be the person God ask of you,and if he's happy we'ze happy. Have a wonderful day,and may God bless you.
I appreciate the sentiment. I believe that most Christians really are good people. Unfortunately, Christianity tends to completely clash with human nature.
Humans naturally want to defend what they feel to be "theirs", and I know a lot of people who really liked that movie because it is "one of their own". There aren't that many Christian themed movies out there that reach a wide audience, and when one does and someone criticizes it, it is kind of like criticizing your child or something close. I don't blame people necessarily for being like that, because people are people and they can't help that.
Thank you for the offer to share the word of Christ. I am always looking to learn more and I love to have open discussions about religion, as long as one can stay open-minded. :)
Just for clarification, I consider myself to be a devout Christian. My father was a pastor of a Bible church for many, many years and continues to be an inspiration for me as a Christian.
Thanks for the response! I hope one day you can feel comfortable enough to not post anonymously! :)
Kudos to you, I watched the movie with my wife and we can both agree,the production was not polished. With that said, I feel the overall message was good. I do agree on the point that most so called christians are all to eager to run their mouths than to practice the teachings of casting stones. Your reply to the comment showed you have learned this lesson well, you defended your point without anger/hate driven words towards others.
Amen "brudda"! If a man has to tell you that he's great, then he's probably not so great. I'm not saying browbeating christians aren't christians, but allowing one's actions to speak for themselves without giving everyone a play by play of one's own greatness goes a long way.
Amen...some constantly self-proclaimed "Christians" are the meanest Pharisitic people on the planet.
Have to admit I was disappointed with your initial review, as I felt it had a great message, but recognized you were critiquing on cinematic merits.
Keystone [named after the beer?] Church in Keller is doing a series called "Losing My Religion" (like the R.E.M. song). It's all about becoming less legalistic, judging, Pharisees, i.e. "religious", and more about becoming more Christ-like.
I don't know that Christianity clashes with human nature - I'd prefer to believe that living the Christian life (following our manufacturer's instructions?) brings out the best in people. My perspective is that He wants the best for us, and His word can help us avoid pitfalls that would prevent our reaching our potential.
I would certainly hope it is not named after the beer, but wasn't it Ben Franklin who said that "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy"? :)
I wouldn't say that Christianity clashes with human nature, perhaps that was a bit misguided. I would probably revise my previous statement to say that religion in general clashes with human nature. We as humans are wired to lie, cheat and steal to provide for ourselves and those we love. Children have to be taught not to do those things, because they tend to come naturally to them, which is why it is important to teach those values at a young age. You can see human nature reflected in society very prominently, though. Thankfully God gave us a conscience to help squash those thoughts, otherwise the world would be a much different place! :)
Thanks for stopping by, and I always appreciate the comments!
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