photo credit: me and the sysop

Christians give Jesus a bad name.

I have written about this at length in the past.  Christians can be some of the rudest, hateful people one can ever encounter.  For instance, how they behave in packs at restaurants.  How they think modern medicine is all a bunch of who do and The Word is the only road to recovery.  How they think Jesus can be turned into a redneck marketing scheme.  My latest beef? People with Jesus Fish on their cars.

Why do people who have Jesus Fish on their cars think that gives them a license to be a total asshole on the road?  Tell me it hasn’t happened to you.  Someone cuts you off. Someone slams on their brakes in front of you.  Someone leans out the window with their middle finger waving at you.  And, what’s that on the back of their car? A Jesus Fish!

Yesterday, The Boyfriend and I were on our way into the Wal-Mart to deposit my paycheck at the bank.  As we’re walking the parking lot from our car to the entrance, some car with a Jesus Fish and a J103 sticker starts backing out of its spot, not looking for people who might be walking by.  We were startled so we kind of jumped, and when we did, the woman driving the car saw us.  Instead of waiting for us to pass, she put her foot on the gas and literally tried to hit us!  Then, just as we jumped out of the way, she rolled down her window and shouted, “just so you know, you did NOT have the right-of-way!”

Um, lady. Pedestrians pretty much ALWAYS have the right-of-way.  You run over someone in a Wal-Mart parking lot, you’re probably going to jail. And Jesus won’t bail you out.

The thing most Christians seem to think (at least around here) is that because they go to church every Sunday, they’re protected, and therefore have license to act however they want.  Washed by the blood of the Lamb once, and I can lie, cheat, steal, and kill! There’ll still be a place for me in Heaven, hot dog!

And really.  This has nothing to do with Jesus, Christianity, or religion in general.  This has to do with people not realizing their actions have consequences.  And if you’re going to wear your faith on your sleeve, you should know that that makes you an instant representative for what you’re selling.  The same way if a man with an O’Reilly Auto Parts store shirt tried to run me over, I would immediately go to Auto Zone and buy something.  People are watching you.  Your actions are what will be the greatest witness to other people, and it could mean as much as someone accepting Jesus or someone renouncing Him.  So, if I were a Jesus Fish-toting zealot, I don’t think I’d want that on my conscience.  But I’m not a zealot, so what can I really say? Oh yeah, that I never do actually treat strangers with disrespect.  What has someone you’ve never met ever done to you, anyway?  Being rude takes too much energy, anyway; and people aren’t attractive when they frown.  Sorry for the rant, but in all honesty: when it comes to the end of your life, do you want to be known as the person who did what she could to make someone feel better about themselves, or do you want to be known as the curmudgeonly asshole who gave Jesus a bad name?

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