Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site reed.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!mhuxn!mhuxr!ulysses!allegra!oliveb!hplabs!tektronix!reed!purtell From: purtell@reed.UUCP (Lady Godiva) Newsgroups: net.religion.christian Subject: Re: Assumed evil in non-christians and assumed good in christians Message-ID: <1738@reed.UUCP> Date: Sun, 28-Jul-85 16:27:07 EDT Article-I.D.: reed.1738 Posted: Sun Jul 28 16:27:07 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 31-Jul-85 02:38:23 EDT References: <20@ssc-vax.UUCP> <247@ihnet.UUCP> <1275@uwmacc.UUCP> <1707@reed.UUCP> <303@aero.ARPA> Reply-To: purtell@reed.UUCP (Lady Godiva) Distribution: net Organization: Reed College, Portland, Oregon Lines: 67 In article <303@aero.ARPA> homeier@aero.UUCP (Peter Homeier (MISD)) writes: > >Elizabeth, I feel that this is something that you are really struggling with, >and finding hard to reconcile. It sounds that you believe and expect that >Christians will be more kind and accepting, more nice, than non-Christians, >but your recent experiences with your musician friends has seemed to >contradict this by demonstrating just as much love as you were shown by >your Christian friends. I'd like to contribute some thoughts that may >help to resolve this dilemma. Well, actually, it's not something that I'm really strugling with, just something that I was thinking about and thought would make for good discussion here. I do not necessarily expect Christians to be more kind and accepting, etc. of me than non-Christians, although I do expect that in general (isn't loving other people what it's all about?) and I often don't find it to be the case. I know too many Christians who are prejudiced, resentful, and revengeful. >For no matter how beautiful our works >may look on the outside, God sees the heart, the hidden motives, the secret >desires and intentions, and they are crooked. That's true - but it also says that you can tell a someone by the fruits of their labor. If you have evil hidden motives then I think that eventually they will show themselves. And obviously not everyone who does good things has hidden motives. >In addition, Christians are called to a higher walk of love than even what >you have received from your musician friends. For they expressed love to you >who loved them also; but could they love those who hated them? Actually some of them were pretty forgiving and tolerant to a couple of people who really gave them a hard time. I will give you that point though - one thing that Christians at least should have that non-believers don't is the ability from God to love those who don't love you. >Finally, I would like to gently suggest that your friends may be so uniformly >empty and unhappy simply because they do not have the Lord of Life living in >their hearts. It is His love that satisfies, not material possessions or >even artistic achievement. But each of us has a special God-shaped hole in >our heart, that only His dear love can fill. Until we come to God through >Christ, that emptiness remains. But that was because He formed us to have >relationship with Him. He designed us to know Himself as our friend, >protector, and lover. It is in that deep, intimate, personal relationship >with the living Lord that our deepest longings for acceptance and love are >finally realized. I hope that you will daily discover more of His love >flowing into your heart, through trusting in His wonderful Son, Jesus. I've heard this before. And I agree with it. In fact, that was what was in my mind when I posted this article, but when you meet other non-believers who are complaining about their jobs, financial problems, etc. it's easy to excuse their unhappiness with these explanations. When you get so close to people who obviously don't have these problems you realise just how important it is to know God, even if you never have to ask him for anything material, just to be happy. If it isn't obviously by my last posting, and my posting in net.singles, I care very deeply for these people. They are in my prayers and in my mind often. I would appreciate it if anyone on the net would occasionally think of them in prayer as well. cheers - elizabeth g. purtell (Lady Godiva)