Heartless complaining. I know. Bring on the pitch forks and angry mob.

I understand the need to worship freely in church, I really do. I don't want to squash anyone's desire to commune with the Lord, or their ability to do it. Really, I think a sincere expression of faith is a beautiful thing.

But when you're super showy or super loud...it's distracting.

Yes, I said it. Distracting. I'm not saying that everyone should be still and silent in church, not at all! Express, be genuine, whatever!

But when someone screams "amen" at least thrice during a sermon, week after week, every time anyone (normal preacher or guest preacher, or probably even a janitor) stands at the pulpit, I don't believe you anymore. Getting progressively louder doesn't demonstrate that your faith is greater than everyone else's, it shows you care more about getting noticed than genuinely connecting to what is going on. If you want to dance like you're having a seizure, if that's how you show your faith, don't sit in the front row where everyone can see you and is worried about your medical state and unable to have any kind of encounter with God themselves. Waving your arms through every song doesn't show how much you love God, it may show how much attention you're trying to garner. (Raising one's hands during worship, like everything else I'm complaining about, is not inherently bad--but overuse appears insincere. I've been moved to tears by the lyrics of a song in church before, but if I cried during every chorus, I'd be worried about my mental state and not so concerned with what God is doing to my heart.)

SERIOUSLY. Stop being selfish. Church is a community. Don't cause your brother to stumble, you know? Be genuine, but have some courtesy that there are other people around you. You screaming "amen" in their ear is probably going to keep them (and you) from hearing the next line of scripture or explanation from the preacher. You're likely missing the punch line of whatever you're "amen"-ing.

Be enthusiastic. Be sincere. Express to the Lord your heart. You don't have to prove the greatness of your faith to me or anyone else in the room by performing. A genuine faith is what will move mountains.  Faking it is just another reason why so many people are turned off by the current flavor of Christianity.

I went to college, studied philosophy, and came out a Christian?

Probably precisely the exact opposite effect that college has on most 18 or 19 years old, I managed to become a Christian. Again and again, I hear the story of somebody's kid who went off to college and got estranged from the faith they were raised with.

Atypical. That's me. Eh, I'm not impressed by myself, I'm impressed by God.

A self proclaimed atheist by the age of eight or so, I wanted to study law and thought philosophy was a great lead in to it. (I also studied economics, mostly for a more practical base.) My philosophy degree was concentrated in religious studies. I always liked religion, I wanted to believe something...but it all just seemed so...well, unbelievable. So, I wanted to study it, tear it down, learn the ins and outs--all the better to confirm the atheism I adhered so strongly to.

There's more to the story, but to get to the point, I met a friend on a change encounter on an airplane. He was a church kid (to which I immediately rolled my eyes a bit, thinking "oh great, a bible thumper. Ugh!") but I needed the friendship, so I figured I would just keep my mouth shut and not offend him.

It was not any words he said that talked me into Christianity. It was his heart. (Ohhh, the church buzz words, sorry, but it's the truth.) Tom was kind to me. He didn't have to be, especially after I pretty much offered to give him an alphabetized list of specific contradictions in his precious bible. (So much for not offending him. Oops.)

Tom took me to church, watched a few basketball games with me. He spoke softly and kindly with me when I attacked his faith. He prayed for me.

And in no disrespect to Tom, it was more kindness than a human was really capable of. It was God grabbing me by the shoulders and shaking, getting my attention in the only way I would respond to: He loved me through Tom.

Somehow along the way, philosophy turned into a case for God rather than against him. Descartes proved his own existence, but I was more impressed by the argument for God. Basically, he said that in his mind he could conceive of the idea of a perfect God and therefore one must exist, because one of the necessary qualities of such a God is such that he must exist. (Because, you know, if he didn't exist, He wouldn't be perfect.) It sounds like a dumb argument, but it's rather brilliant.

Kierkegaard claims logic has no place in faith and believed God's existence couldn't be proven by pure reason because reason is created by the finite understanding of man. We're not capable of understanding on a level that could comprehend God, therefore we cannot reason our way to Him.

Thomas Aquinas calls God "The First Cause." Something had to have started everything into motion, no?

David Hume takes the "design" approach. Basically the world turned out exactly such that life was sustainable here on Earth (who knows about anywhere else?) and that any tiny difference from the moment of the 'big bang' forward could have left Earth a desolate, lifeless planet. Because the conditions are ideal, Hume said it was likely that there must be some guiding force that brought it to such a condition.

I could go on and on, and there will likely be a part II and III and so on until I exhaust my philosophical back knowledge. Point is, God can use our ridiculous little minds and our cruel little hearts to reach other people. Sometimes logic can guide, but I sincerely believe that a kind heart is what draws people to God rather than any reasoning or arguing.

Truly Loving Others by Accepting Their Differences

Today, I believe that it is possible to be part of a religion without ridiculing or putting down other religions.

I was bothered Sunday at church when one of the elders prayed during the main service, basically explaining how he felt sorry for a man who claimed to returning to his roots as a Buddhist. Worse yet, the applause from the congregation as he said it.

*facepalm*

Why is it that people feel the need to put other people down to make themselves feel better? Insulting or degrading another person's religion is tasteless, and in many ways, worse than ridiculing personal traits. Beliefs that lay so dear to a person's heart, beliefs that define them...especially people who are sincere in their beliefs. There is no excuse for making someone feel like their beliefs are any less important than one's own.

I'm sure this man would not take kindly to similar remarks towards his particular brand of Christianity. Espousing that he "felt sorry" for a man who was raised strictly Buddhist and was finding a sense of solace in returning to it during a time of turmoil, speaks volumes to me of just how insecure we are about our faith.

As Christians, we're supposed to cheer on the "prodigal son," right? It's a great thing when someone returns to the ways of God after a time of turning away. But we're supposed to feel sorry for people who return to their own roots? What kind of example is that? How much less important is their religion?

I refuse to be the kind of Christian who belittles the religions of others. I spent years learning about most of the world's major religions at the same time I became a Christian myself. I really respect sincerity of belief, certainly more so than I respect anyone who feels they are so superior that they can practically laugh at the mere mention of differing beliefs.

So, if a man wants to return to his Buddhist roots, and it helps him, good for him. Finding out that Christians "feel sorry" for him does absolutely nothing to reveal the love of Christ to him. One day, this type of Christian will understand the damage they do to their cause by belittling the beliefs of others, and maybe, just maybe, things will change. Being accepting and tolerant of others is the best way of expressing a true, underlying, and all encompassing love for humanity. When people see genuine Christianity and the genuine love beneath it, they'll want it and they'll see it comes from God. But that' can't happen when they are too busy hating the people that are supposed to be loving them.