“If Christianity is all about love and forgiveness, then why aren’t Christians nicer people?”
It’s a fair question, even if it’s not always asked fairly.
CS Lewis has a good answer to that. He says of course sometimes an atheist will be kinder than a Christian. That doesn’t prove anything. The real test is if the Christian is nicer than they would otherwise be. And if the atheist grew kinder upon conversion.
I agree with all that.
But let me answer the question with a question:
How much Christianity are we talking about here?
A lot of exercise makes someone stronger. A little, though, leaves them weaker. It leaves them tired, strained and sore. Until you get used to the lactic acid, it only hurts you.
Learning a lot of philosophy makes you smarter. But a little philosophy makes you overconfident about ideas you don’t fully understand.
A lot of money makes you financially liberated. A little extra in your pocket can leave you poor, as suddenly you think you can afford more than you actually can.
Hours of discipline make you productive, while a few minutes can give you the excuse to slack off extra hard.
A high dose of some toxic metals is relatively fine, as it activates your body’s detox systems. A smaller dose can sneak in – enough to harm you without triggering a response.
Not everything is linear – that is, doubling the amount gives double the result.
In fact, few things are.
Christianity is like that. A little can make you smug, conceited, arrogant and judgemental.
A lot of Christianity, though?
That teaches you just how lowly and beloved we all are.
It’s a potent combination. Who would dare look down on his fellow man, knowing how weak, sinful and hounded by demons he is? Who would dare look down on his fellow man, knowing how much God loves that man?
Christians can – nay, must – fight against evil behaviour.
But it’s hard to judge someone when your God died for them, too.
Of course, that’s easy to say.
Not so easy to do.
I don’t have all the answers – but I do know you’ll let go of a lot of your judgements with this.
Your Story Isn’t About You is a powerful guide in humility. That’s not why I wrote it – I wrote it to show folks how they can improve their relationships. It accidentally has tremendous spiritual benefits as a side effect, though.
That’s true of all great works.
See what I mean when you read, reread and apply it here: