I pride myself on being a Christian. That doesn’t by far mean I’m perfect. I still occasionally look over at my friend’s paper during a test; use some very colorful words that would put many sailors to shame; and many other things I’m not proud of. No one is perfect, and I don’t try to pretend that every Christian is. In fact, many of us are very hypocritical and think they’re better than people of other religions.
Personally, I have many friends who are Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, or maybe another religion that I haven’t had a chance to talk to them about. Some of my closest friends are atheist or agnostic. I really don’t care, but that doesn’t mean I don’t broadcast my religion. I want people to know I’m Christian.
You can tell who the Muslims are in your school by the hijab they wear on their head, but how do you tell who’s a Christian? Sure, some wear crosses, but those are sometimes hard to see over clothing, especially during the colder months when everyone wears sweatshirts and jackets.
Me, I try to let people know I’m a Christian by what I say and do.
The other day for example, a friend of a friend had a sore throat and wasn’t feeling well. Instead of saying, “I’m sorry,” or “I hope you feel better,” I said, “I’ll pray for you.” I knew she was an atheist. So, as soon as those words came out of my mouth, she gave me this incredulous look, as if she was in shock that I had said that, but I didn’t take my words back, and that night, I prayed for her along with everyone else on my mental prayer list.
I do other things too. I’m not going to ramble on about a list of good deeds and make me feel as if I’m preaching a holier than thou attitude or that only Christians can do good things, because that’s not true, and I don’t want people to think that. I’m just trying to tell of the things I do to show my faith while not shoving it down someone’s throat.
My friend Milagros struggles with money. She had a book that was overdue at our school library and was constantly freaking out about it, knowing she wouldn’t be allowed to graduate unless she paid it off. So, I gave her enough money to pay for it and was adamant when I said she didn’t need to pay me back.
Inviting people to church has become a habit for me as well. I dragged my best friend Hailey there, and now she comes with us every week. I gave her one of our Bibles, and she has read quite a few books in it. We have gotten into a multitude of discussions about it as well. Now, I –with the help of the mom I wouldn’t be able to do anything without– have convinced my old babysitter to take her granddaughters to church with us.
To prevent me from going on and on and to wrap this up, I ask people of other religions not to look down on Christians. Yes, some of us are hypocritical and even attack other religions vehemently, but the vast majority of us do not. It’s the same in other religions as well. Some are radical, but most aren’t. I believe people of other religions are NOT the enemy. They are people just like I am, and though I would like them to be Christian I am not going to attack their religion. If you are a Christian and reading this, I hope that you do similarly. Don’t flaunt your good deeds or try to force someone to believe what we do. That will more than likely push them away.
We are all human. The majority of us believe in some form of deity. Most religions hold similar morals. Do that which is good is the most basic one. Even those who are atheist or agnostic believe that. So, don’t hate, don’t discriminate. Be friends with those people. There’s nothing wrong with that.