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With all the stories out there about hypocrisy and dishonesty coming from Christians, this made me feel really good - a local story that made the national news!

In Henderson County, TX, a nativity scene was placed on the courthouse lawn (along with other, non-religious decorations to make it Constitutionally kosher), and a group of Texas atheists showed up to protest.  Prominent among them was a well-known San Antonio atheist, who apparently was quite vocal and obnoxious.

Not long after Christmas, he was diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease.  Without a corneal transplant, he would lose his vision.  Sandy Creek Baptist Church, right there in Henderson County where this guy had led the protests, took up a collection of $800 to help pay for his surgery and save his sight.

THAT is what it is supposed to be all about: "Love your enemies, do good to those who persecute you."  Matthew 5:44

Yes, bad stories  about Christians and 'victim'  storties  about  Muslims, our  'free' press  at work.

Wait...if the majority of the United States is made up of Christians, aren't the odds good that just about every story of heroism, sacrifice, compassion and altruism is about a Christian "getting it right?"

No, The  majority  of news  is from Journalists and Media  that are a  majority of Anti-Christian and generally  Anti-Religious people, so most stories  are  negative.

This is more than just helping someone in need. This is helping an actual enemy - a local guy who publicly attacks what they stand for, and from their point of view might even be ruining their community. These Christians could understandably have very strong and personal reasons to dislike the guy, but they helped him just the same, even when their kindness might have helped him to go right on stirring up trouble. No doubt there are others who call themselves Christians, who saw his medical problem as some kind of divine punishment, and possibly even appreciated the upside for them that it might get him out of their hair for a while.

Christianity is a surprisingly difficult thing to really get right. Even people who try their best to be tolerant and compassionate and generous can mess it up in one way or another. And some of the most vocally, narrowly "Christian" people manage to get it completely wrong.

Great story,Indy! Despite this guy's words and actions the church showed him what a real Christian acts like. :smile:

I read http://barnhardt.biz/ sometime because she has astute financial observations but she is too harsh with her christian beliefs and statements. Not just muslims either. She's offended by PROTESTANTS I mean hello.

Good to see that some of them actually practice what they preach.

Which, Muslims or Christians?

Christians. In the original post, there was no mention of muslims.

Just another case of bias seen by those biased against. Here is a story that Indy felt like sharing that he liked, but that doesn't stop a debate about how persecuted Christians are. Why are Christians so obssessed with martyrdom? If one takes the time to look at the issue objectively, as neither an atheist or a Christian, it appears to me that Christians are just another group of slighted people in a culture filled to the eyeballs with "victimized" people.

I'm not pointing at Christians in specifice, I'm just tired of people complaining about being victimized in general. I don't see the Christians' claim of persecution as anything special.

But it all comes down to perspective I suppose.

 

I think perspective is  mainly channeled by what is highlighted in the culture at any given time. Christians, like Jews, faced severe persecution early on, I mean Christ himself was crucified. Unlike, say, a  later  major belief  like Islam, where it was conquering early on and their prophet, Mohamad, was more  warrior than one advancing mercy and turning the other cheek.  Christians, later, after facing centuries of persecution, became more aggressive  and persecuted Jews and went after Muslims, reasserting claims to land. Islam, like the Judiac/Christian ethic that preceded it, are all based  on one God, as  Abraham and Avruhom, same guy different names, in all three major faiths, and two smaller faiths, with the same core beliefs, encompassing %90 of all faiths on earth. It's the future that the whole fight is about and whose interpretation should hold sway. The whole of religious  persecution/wars and violence  is a  one long, thousands of years, family fight.

And a fight I have little interest in aside from it's historical value. I agree with your historical perspective in this post.

There are many "groups" in the U.S. Religious groups, ethnic groups, cultural groups, political groups, etc. Every single one of them have at some point or another claimed to be victimized, maligned, unfairly portrayed, etc. In that respect, I don't consider Christians in any way unique. All I care about is equal treatment under the law. If that is happening, then everything else is fair game. I might care a little bit about a group I am a part of being maligned because of an emotional commitment on my part, but ultimately I couldn't care less about what groups feel they are being badly portrayed in various media.

Take the Jim Crow laws. In that case you had an ethnic group that didn't even have the luxury of a belief that they were standing up for. Here was a group persecuted and excluded under the law simply because of their color. And this is an example that exists fairly recently and within our immediate political and social context. Something that when you try and compare the persecution of Christians via bad portrayals in the media it sort of seems trivial.

Ultimately if one group is being favored over another under the law, it goes against the intent and spirit of our Constitution, and I have a problem with it. Once it spills out beyond that, I lose interest (other than for social commentary) and tend to get annoyed by claims of victimization and persecution. Muslims get hurt by possibly unfair portrayals of them as automatic terrorists, but it's not my fault if they can't escape the association caused by some pretty horrific acts committed by some of their brethren. Likewise, Christians get hurt by possibly unfair portrayals of them as condemnational and extremist, but it's not my fault if they can't escape the association cause by the likes of the Westboro Baptist Church. If I feel sufficiently moved by an individual's story of persecution or misfortune to the point of having sympathy, then that's my business. If I don't, then that's my business too.

now, are you sure that they are actually remorseful or just tired of this guy's b***hin that they decided to raise the $800 just to shut him up? if it's the latter, then  :bouncegiggle:

I think the story is genuine and I think it's a nice story. I was simply making a point about claims of persecution and victimization, in my own marginalizing, alienating fashion.

$800 isn't a lot of money. 

For a small town church, in tough economic times, it might be quite a lot. 
Remember the story of the widow's mite from Luke's gospel?

Man looks at the amount of the check; God looks at the amount left in checking!

Either way, they still raised a significant chunk (even if it isn't huge) for someone who had campaigned against things they believe in.  Still nice.

As far as the victimhood complex goes...  I must admit it does get old, from all sides.  But, I do find it even more tiresome when the group in question is the majority of a country and controls the government and most of its infrastructure.  It's not to say there aren't times when they have a point, but sometimes I feel perspective is lacking. 

You can say the same thing at times about men's rights groups and white right's groups, I think.  They often have a point, but their overall attitude and social position can undermine it.