Tuesday letters: Christians ought to act like Christ

It always surprises me (though nothing really shocks me anymore) when someone like Chandler Vincent (“Christians are acting like ISIS,” April 8) decides that he has the moral, not to mention religious, high ground to pass judgment on all those whom he perceives as viewing the world differently than himself.

Every time someone writes with the sort of anger and hatred that he displays, it is Christ who is disappointed in him. He shows exactly the attitude that he accuses others of having.

Mr. Vincent’s Christ and the Christ I know would appear to be two different people. The one I know taught us not only to love one another, but also to acknowledge when we sin, and ask forgiveness.

God who created us, and his son, Jesus, whom he sent to us, have not changed. It is we who have changed, and people such as Mr. Vincent seem to believe that they need not act like Christians as long as they say the words “God” and “Christ.” He seems to believe that comparing his view of bad Christians to savage terrorists like ISIS would make the Christ he knows proud.

He never says exactly which Christians he’s talking about, but we can assume he means the ones who believe in the religious right not to participate in any events they see as contrary to their religious beliefs; he seems to assume that this choice stems from hate.

Don’t be absurd. Yes, Christ taught us to love everyone, but he also taught us that this love doesn’t necessarily include acceptance, as noted especially in his protest of the tax collectors. The only “stone throwers” I see here are Mr. Vincent and those who agree with him.

Cayce

This story was originally published May 4, 2015 at 7:30 PM with the headline "Tuesday letters: Christians ought to act like Christ."