As a Christian, this is what I learned today about loving evil wrongdoers in our lives

[jennifer_bloom]

I was just listening to a podcast and the man said: If I hold my hand in front of my face, and ask you what you see, what do you say? If you are wise, you will say "I see the face behind the hand and not just the hand I hold in front of the face."

Then then the man says, "If I hold five fingers in front of the camera and ask you how many fingers do I have, what do you say?" "You would say, I have 10 fingers. Just because you do not see the other hand and it's five fingers does not mean that the five fingers you do not see in the eye of the camera do not exist."

This is an excellent guide to loving others. To see the face behind the hand is to see the intention and heart behind the actions that might counter the intentions of the face. In the same way a parent or friend or romantic partner might cause harm to somebody while trying to help them by being too controlling or giving faulty advice but when you look at the face behind the hand, you pity them because you know that despite their mistakes, their motives are good.

In the same way, when you look at 5 fingers and know the person has 10 fingers, you realize that person has experiences and struggles and problems that shape their behaviour and you shouldn't assess people based on your immediate interaction with them because there are parts of their life that you do not see. I used to have an anxiety issue and I was furious when a friend asked me if I was sure God wanted me to calm down because I thought he was trying to interfere with my belief in God. Then this friend told me that a close family member of his had been suffering from a traumatic disease for over a decade and that is why he questioned God's desire to heal me. Now his faulty beliefs were forgivable because I had a deeper understanding of his perspective and how he came to the conclusions that he did.

In conclusion: when actions are flawed, look at the heart. When the heart is flawed look at the background. When the background is hidden, remember that God alone knows the full truth and your knowledge is finite. This is how you love annoying social contacts who creates problems for you that you are stuck talking too or being around.

[Cammy137]

If only all Christian's lived by those rules then perhaps people would have a very different view of the religion!

[Alfadhirhaiti]

That isn’t a Christian thing that is a spiritual one and this whole post is what spiritually is, something I struggle with today I reasoned to those the way they responded to me and give them what they give me.

To love all is just plain "love and light" which may seem like a good moral but I find it fake, everyone who preaches this stuff only does it on the surface and more than likey are absive maybe because the last person that did and said all this stuff used to beat me up behind closed doors or maybe it is a fact. Am not going to shy away from telling someone to fuck off in fact I will say it palinly. I have no time nor energy for putting on fakes smiles and laughing while planning who they will fuck me over, so I instead of saying "I love you anyway" I will ignore them and carry on what happens is between them and their Gods and vase verser.

[BesrkirAstrid]

When you look for hidden meanings then you see the world around and it's people (living and the dead) and when seeks truth it's shows you the way, why pity another? pity is a useless it only makes you look self righteous. Why get upset over someone questioning your believes? my path has been demonised (wrongfully) by yours and i don't hate nor pity your faith and god each to their own, I found my peace in the gods.
"To these gods you cannot pray, for these gods will grant your wish but they will make you suffer for it however a promise once given will never be broken" these words sound harsh but finding strength to move ever forward is a skill not many have.

[Phoenix98]

One of the hallmarks of christian is loving and helping others even those that despise you and would want to kill you.

It's not always an easy thing, ignore the naysayers.

It is good to look at the heart but also don't ignore the actions either.

[MarketData]

But the guy might only have 4 fingers on the other hand. So your whole thesis (as I understand it) is a misconception. Also, your assumption that everyone is motivated by good intentions is inaccurate. A psychopath could be motivated by sensation-seeking and self-interest.

[TrixiePooch]

God had the Israelites slay His enemies as well as Somom and Gomorrah. He destroyed man in the Flood for being evil. God Himself says do not love evil and what will happen to evil people. Rev 21:8

[Bluedream13]

this is the bullshit side of christianity, no offense. Judge by action. As good as a person is inside, it doesn't matter if they always act bad. You have to judge based on the action.

[ciaojujuu]

That's so difficult to do, especially when you've been patient with them for so long. Now I just walk away.

[HungLikeAHorsefly]

Okay, I gotta ask... you needed a podcast to learn this?

[jennifer_bloom]

Yes. My parents didn't teach me too many positive things were they were raising me and I never had enough friends to teach me these kinds of things. I have friends now but not when I was growing up.

[HungLikeAHorsefly]

In that case, then good on you for being open to things like this.

[FaceGlitter]

please tell me the name of the podcast! :( i am a christian and i need more Jesus in my life

[AlphaMaleTruth]

Excellent post, I find this patience among men but zero women. Women are fragile today and flee if a man wears a certain color T-shirt

[jdool]

And remember that God is mercifull. We are not looking to others to judge them but bring them closer to a mercifull God and Savior.

[Cammy137]

Merciful? Is that a joke?

[AdorableLilo]

@Cammy137 'Merciful' as in 'even tho you have a dark background and has been in bad conditions which led to your wrong actions you'll still burn in hell' type of way?

[jdool]

@AdorableLilo That is not the God I believe in. He wants to forgive and have you live with Him. He is not a God full of hate who want to destroy people.

[AdorableLilo]

But he does make his people, his children some people refer it as, burn in hell, doesn't he?

[jdool]

@AdorableLilo Only when you do not live with Him there will be a moment that he will give you want you want a life where he does not bother you. If you seek Him he will le himself be found and you may live forever in His love.

[Cammy137]

@jdool So you don't believe in the type of God that drowns an entire planet because of the sins of man? Personally, you'd think an all-powerful and "merciful" God would take pity on the animals at least. What about all the children of Egypt who happened to just be born into the wrong family? What about the children he sent bears to maul or the armies he helped create to conquer lands? What about the slaves he allowed people to beat? I don't even mean that he sat back and allowed it to happen. I mean that he literally told Moses that people could beat slave provided the slave recovered in a few days and didn't die!

[jdool]

@Cammy137 Yes, I do believe that really happened. But to understand these events it is crucial to know the context. God wanted men to be happy and to live forever in harmoby with Him. Mankind chose it's own path although they were warned by God. In the old testament God gave men the chance to come back to Him. He gave his promises, He gave warnings and when they regretted their missteps he forgave them. In the end it was clear that mankind could not solve the issue so God gave his son. That way He could live with people again if they believe in His son. If He would have forsaken mankind it was His right to do so but instead he loved the world so much that he gave his only begotten son so that everyone who believes in Him has eternal life with Him.

[Cammy137]

Right but that doesn't address anything that I just mentioned. Can a God truly be merciful if he kills children and drowns billions of animals for the sins of others?

[AdorableLilo]

But God can do anything imaginable from what i know. He can create anything and decided to make things function the way they do. So for example some guy that grew up as an orphan, got beaten and abused until adulthood and lived his life on the Streets from then on which led him to robbery. You can say it was his own decisions and what not but God, i assume, can see the future and yet watched it all happen. Despite the horrible he got raised which led to his later behavior he has to burn in hell. So basically God fucked him over from the start. I really don't understand where is whole 'merciful' thing is coming from

[jdool]

I think it is a matter of perspecitve. It is his right to destroy everything because it is His creation and we are the ones to blame. But instead he gave a way out. Many of the killings in the old testament are after a lot of warnings and patience from the side of Gdo.
Unfortunately I do not have an anwer to all cases since he is God and I am just his servant but hat is how I see it.
I do not know what God can do or cannot do in a persons life and how that works out. I myself am born with a visual handicap and it made me more depenend on Him and made my realtion with him stronger while others in suffering get further away from Him. That is not mine to judge but I trust God even though I do not understand everyting that happens

[Cammy137]

Whether he created them or not doesn't automatically make his actions merciful. Animals didn't do anything wrong and yet they had to try desperately to reach higher ground as the waters rose higher and higher, until they were forced to swim until eventually their muscles gave up and they drowned... God is supposed to be ALL-POWERFUL. He used plagues later in the bible so there's absolutely no reason he has to drown animals.

[jdool]

I am not sure if it is that simple as he is powerfull. He is also wsie, righteous and merciful. If there was an easy anwer why would he let his son suffer for us if there would have been an easier solution. I think looking at the whole of Gods character is better then just one element of it.

[Cammy137]

But why would he let all those animals suffer? We're talking BILLIONS, maybe even trillion! Please explain how that could possibly be merciful!

[jdool]

I think we are to blame for that. To be merciful to us the animals had to suffer.

[Cammy137]

That isn't merciful though! Regardless of who may have been to blame, that is still causing the suffering of billions of creatures. No part of that is merciful.

[jdool]

I ghink the suffering of animals is judged differently then the suffering of animals in Biblical perspective.

[Cammy137]

Why? Why do animals within the Bible suffer differently. They all drowned!

[jdool]

It is not about the suffering but the position animals have. Animals and plants have been created but men was created and got the spirit from God. His love is projected to men who are created in his image. And men were created to praise God. Men are supposed to take care of animals and plants but are also allowed to use them. So in there an animal dying is perceived completely different than a person dying, the same applies to suffering.

[Cammy137]

Even if we accept that as the truth, animals still suffer. Have you ever seen an animal in pain? Have you seen an animal when it's scared or even terrified? Imagine that but with billions (if not more animals). There is no reason at all that animals had to die in that manner and a God who was merciful would still be merciful to animals.

[BeHappy1985]

I didn't even read past the title but I'm gonna say this is some stupid shit you wrote here.

[lucidmemoirs]

Sounds naïve. Like the words of someone who has never encountered true evil. :/

[Parkwayvwhitechapel]

How can you be a christian on this site, with all the dick size questions and sexualquestions

[MarketData]

That's legit the dumbest thing I ever heard. No offence.

[Anonymous]

I think the nation is learning. They seem to love trump.

[DeeDeeDeVour]

Cool! Thanks!

[marilynmansonssextoy]

This is a load of bullshit tbh

[Anonymous]

Thanks

[MisterSir]

thank you