Real Christians exist, they just rarely make the news

I don’t consider myself a Christian, just a person who tries to be considerate of others.

However, I find it hard to be considerate of those who claim to be Christian but ignore much of the generosity preached by Jesus.

What is a real Christian?  One who

Doesn’t throw the first stone,
Doesn’t pray in public to be seen by man,
Forgives others as he or she wants to be forgiven,
Helps someone not like him or her.

If there are any Christians in Congress as defined in the Bible, they rarely make the news.

See also "Quote of the day: Misuse of the Bible".

A modern parable of the Good Samaritan

 man was robbed, beaten, and left for dead late one evening in a downtown.

A conservative drove by in his SUV, rolled down the window, and shouted, "Pull yourself up by your bootstraps!"

A liberal drove by in his Prius, rolled down the window, and shouted, "The government will by soon to help you."

A homeless man walked by and asked, "Can I help?"  The beaten man could barely whisper, "Please!"  The homeless man, seeing all the cuts and bruises, said, "I'll be right back!"

He went to a public restroom to get some paper towels.  The restroom only had hand dryers.  The homeless man tried a second and then a third public restroom.  The third had paper towels.  He grabbed a couple dozen, moistened half of them, and ran back to the beaten man.

The homeless man used the wet paper towels to wipe away the blood and to soothe the bruises.  He used the rest of the paper towels to dry the man up.

The homeless man tried to help the beaten man up, but the man couldn't stand.  The homeless man knelt down, put the beaten man's arms around his neck, and stood up.  He carried the beaten man on his back nearly a mile to the nearest hospital.

The homeless man deposited the beaten man at the emergency room, explained what he had found, what he did, and walked out the door.

One nurse asked another who the man was who brought the beaten man in.  The other replied, "I don't know, but the beaten man is City Councilor Tightwad.  He voted last year to cut the city's shelter, police, and fire budgets in half."

Ku Klux Klan = Al Qaeda?

Too many people think Islam is a violent religion because of the actions of a few.  But one could think the same of Christianity.  Does the Ku Klux Klan or Torquemada represent Christianity?

The Ku Klux Klan terrorized "uppity niggers" for a long list of imagined crimes and terrorized whites from opposing the Ku Klux Klan.  The Klan used the cross as its symbol and even corrupted it by burning crosses in the yards of those who opposed them.  They purported to be defending Christianity, but it wasn't the religion of Jesus.

Al Qaeda and the Taliban terrorize all those who don't agree with them for a long list of imagined crimes.  They have used the Koran as their symbol, but ignore all those parts that don't fit their rigid view.

The Grand Inquisitor Torquemada tortured many people on real or imagined threats to Catholicism.  Jews, Muslims, and Protestants were tortured to get them to confess to not following the "true belief".  Torquemada worked with the blessing of King Phillip of Spain; religious orthodoxy was a means to quell dissent with his policies.

The Iranian government tortures many on real or imagined threats to Islam or its national security.  But isn't it behaving like King Phillip?  Religious orthodoxy is a means to quell dissent with its policies.

There are far too many historical cases of "bad apples" of any major religion; it makes it very easy to argue that any religion is violent.

What doesn't make the news is the multitude of people of all religious faiths who follow the example of the Good Samaritan, offering help to those in need regardless of differences.  On the one hand we have Afghans offering tea to American soldiers who broke down their doors; on the other hand we have Americans sending money to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees for Pakistani flood victims.