When I hear people that are disappointed in their faith, I feel sad for them. It always seems like outside factors affect their ability to appreciate their religion for what it is supposed to be.
I read this article about how much perceived judgement and hate force most people, especially young people, away from Christianity.
"When asked by The Barna Group what words or phrases best describe Christianity, the top response among Americans ages 16-29 was “antihomosexual.” For a staggering 91 percent of non-Christians, this was the first word that came to their mind when asked about the Christian faith. The same was true for 80 percent of young churchgoers. (The next most common negative images? : “judgmental,” “hypocritical,” and “too involved in politics.”) "
I know that there are people out there that are mean and judgmental. But I hope that folks keep in mind that there are others that strive not to be. My approach is a far more liberal interpretation than the conservative one mentioned in this article- but you know what they say about opinions, everyone has one. Just for kicks, if anyone is interested, here's another article from the gay christian perspective.
Jesus hung out with (and LOVED!) prostitutes, criminals, tax collectors - all the folks that were shunned by normal society. Who do you hang out with?
