What's your experience been like with Christians?

[Bhabha]

My experience... let's see. I don't go and try to shove my religion down people's throats. But apparently, because my focus is on Islam and Politics, and because I dress "Muslim", I am shoving my religion down people's throats... says my mother who thinks i will be a failure because i dress "muslim" and I should dress less like a Muslim so I can be accepted... LOL talk about "freedom and religion" yeah right

 

[fschmidt]

I've only met pretend christians, they don't take it seriously, they are cultural.

I know tho that they don't represent christianity tho. Idk tho.

Traditional Anabaptists are the only real Christians left. I like the Conservative Mennonites quite a lot.

The main difference between modern Christians and atheists is that modern Christians violate the third commandment and atheists don't.

 

[Pygoscelis]

Traditional Anabaptists are the only real Christians left. I like the Conservative Mennonites quite a lot.

The main difference between modern Christians and atheists is that modern Christians violate the third commandment and atheists don't.

Thou shalt not take the name of thy lord God in vain? Or are you thinking of something else as the third commandment?

As an atheist, I find it interesting to read about how Muslims and Christians regard each other because I am am outsider to both. I wonder if Christians in general are more tolerant of muslims or atheists. The first is pushing a different religious message and the second is disregarding religion outright. Which do they see as worse? Which do they feel more allied with and more common ground with?

I think the outright bigotry from Christians goes more against Muslims, but I think antagonism towards atheists is more widespread amongst Christians than antagonism towards Muslims.

Interfaith and nutual acceptance can happen with highly conservative Christians and Muslims, but I dont think that is so with either highly conservative set of religious folks in relation to atheists.

So I think you folks get the harshest hatred from them, but more of them are against us than you. In national polls we are less liked than you by them as a general group, but in extreme cases of hatred it goes against you (ie trump, edl etc).

Do you folks have the same impression? Opposite impression?

 

[Zafran]

EDL is your donald trump of the UK. Cancerous scumbags that's who.

EDL = English Defence League. It's a political party with 0 seats LOL

They are a protest group and not a political party. You might be thinking of the BNP or Britian first.

 

[Zafran]

Thou shalt not take the name of thy lord God in vain? Or are you thinking of something else as the third commandment?

As an atheist, I find it interesting to read about how Muslims and Christians regard each other because I am am outsider to both. I wonder if Christians in general are more tolerant of muslims or atheists. The first is pushing a different religious message and the second is disregarding religion outright. Which do they see as worse? Which do they feel more allied with and more common ground with?

I think the outright bigotry from Christians goes more against Muslims, but I think antagonism towards atheists is more widespread amongst Christians than antagonism towards Muslims.

Interfaith and nutual acceptance can happen with highly conservative Christians and Muslims, but I dont think that is so with either highly conservative set of religious folks in relation to atheists.

So I think you folks get the harshest hatred from them, but more of them are against us than you. In national polls we are less liked than you by them as a general group, but in extreme cases of hatred it goes against you (ie trump, edl etc).

Do you folks have the same impression? Opposite impression?

I think its very complicated in the UK. For example the hatred for Islam from..... lets say right wing "Christians" isnt religious but more ethnic/migration/ political issues.

The Atheists on the left are more accepting of non christian groups not because of religion but because of their views on migration and ethnicity/liberalism.

However if we look at faith schools, religion in public then the christian and the Muslim have a lot more in common then the Atheist.

The rise of Richard Dawnkins type of atheist compared to the old lefty/socialist Atheist have very different approaches to Islam and Christianity as well. The former being christian friendly and the latter more Muslim friendly.

Very complicated and the change of the political environment changes stances of different groups to each other.

 

[Samiun]

We are majority Muslim country, but I would say I get well with Christian/Catholics, my primary and high school school was a Catholic one. High school was more or less I guess though a few christias did start questioning about Islam when I was on my final year and we had this awful debate in class. But in general, its A Okay.

Oh! I learned a few things from them like don't say God's name in vain. We used to use OMG and someone would say "Don't say God's name in vain!". So I said the same thing when my mum said it :hiding:

 

[fschmidt]

Thou shalt not take the name of thy lord God in vain? Or are you thinking of something else as the third commandment?

Yes but since "in vain" isn't used much in modern English, a better translation today is "You shall not misuse the name of Yehovah, your god". The actual Hebrew seems to mean not to use God's name for "emptiness", meaning for nothing. And this is exactly what modern Christianity does.

Note that I am not Muslim, so I, like you, am an outsider. Tolerance today is at an all-time low because people don't seem to understand the concept. The concept isn't accepting what you disagree with. Rather it is tolerating what you disagree with without having to accept it as part of your life. Muhammad, to his credit, understood this. Modern atheists and modern Christians do not understand this.

 

[Pygoscelis]

I would say that is so of modern muslims as well, but not universal to any of those groups.

 

[Pygoscelis]

I think its very complicated in the UK. For example the hatred for Islam from..... lets say right wing "Christians" isnt religious but more ethnic/migration/ political issues.

The Atheists on the left are more accepting of non christian groups not because of religion but because of their views on migration and ethnicity/liberalism.

However if we look at faith schools, religion in public then the christian and the Muslim have a lot more in common then the Atheist.

The rise of Richard Dawnkins type of atheist compared to the old lefty/socialist Atheist have very different approaches to Islam and Christianity as well. The former being christian friendly and the latter more Muslim friendly.

Very complicated and the change of the political environment changes stances of different groups to each other.

Thank you for this insight. I find this fascinating and you have a perspective on it that is fresh to me.

 

[drac16]

I think that christians are good people, generally speaking. I'm a regular user on a christian site called Catholic Answers, so I interact with christians all the time. They tend to think that the Qur'an was the result of Satan [or other demonic figures] influencing prophet Muhammad [peace be upon him]. They seem to think the same thing about Joseph Smith, who was the main prophet of Mormonism (after all, both Muhammad and Joseph Smith claimed to have seen an angel). I don't think christians make an effort to understand Islam from Islamic sources-- they typically get their arguments from people like Robert Spencer, Sam Shamoun or David Wood. That's unfortunate. I wish they would make an effort to learn about Islam as it is understood by muslims; just like how they would want me to learn from christian sources, as opposed to basing my understanding of Christianity from people like Richard Dawkins or the late Christopher Hitchens.

Christians seem to be pro-life, which is pretty cool because I am too. I've never been part of an interfaith activity. Hypothetically, I would be OK with a protest outside of an abortion clinic. If a church got together and decided to go protest, I would have no problem joining them. We may be pro-life for different reasons, but we are allies. I am of you and you are of me.

 

[ardianto]

Greeting LaSorcia.

Although I live in Muslim majority country I am very familiar with interaction with Christian people. Some people in my maternal family are Christian, I studied in Catholic elementary school, I have many Christian friends.

My view on Christian people?. Honestly, I cannot generalize with, Christians are like this, Christians are like that, because like other people, Christian people have various character and various personality. And like other religious people, Christian people have various level of piousness and various level of tolerance. I have ever met few intolerant Christians. But I also have ever met many kind-hearted Christians who tolerant toward people from other religions.

Should mosque and church build interfaith relationship?. Of course. But actually we can build interfaith relationship in personal level with our neighbors, our colleagues, our friends. Building good interfaith relationship is not difficult. The key is understand and respect the difference. I believe that Islam is the only right religion. You believe that Christianity is the only right religion. But since we are able to understand and respect our difference, we can interact peacefully, like in this thread.

 

[eesa the kiwi]

Mainly negative. Tell you to do one thing while they practice the other. Commit heinous crimes throughout the week then go to church on Sunday and sing about how they believe they are saved

Christians are shayateen who act like they think they are angels.
And I'd say I would have had more exposure to them than most here as I was raised one. Too much hypocrisy in the church but I guess when stealing a cracker is considered as much of a sin as murder according to church teachings we shouldn't expect any better.

 

[ardianto]

Tell you to do one thing while they practice the other. Commit heinous crimes throughout the week then go to church on Sunday and sing about how they believe they are saved

Hypocrite people like that exist in every religion, not only in Christianity. I have seen many Muslims with behavior that similar as those Christians.

Everyone is different, everyone has his own character and personality. So we cannot generalize all Christians are like that, all Hindus are like that, all Buddhists are like that, just because some of them behave like that.

 

[eesa the kiwi]

Hypocrite people like that exist in every religion, not only in Christianity. I have seen many Muslims with behavior that similar as those Christians.

Everyone is different, everyone has his own character and personality. So we cannot generalize all Christians are like that, all Hindus are like that, all Buddhists are like that, just because some of them behave like that.

She asked for experiences. I gave mine. I wasn't going to sugar coat it because a let's all sing kum baya together response was wanted

 

[sister herb]

As I am living in the Christian majority society, I meet them of course daily. My family, friends (well, mostly) and workmates are Christians (one is Muslim but we aren´t in same shift often). In the most of cases there isn´t any problems at all. Sometimes I have met some Christians whose try to impose their faith but not only to me but to everybody. In my society such thing is normally viewed in strictly negative as people feel that religion and faith is everyone´s personal matter, not the public matter. Some Christians have came to critize Muslims in general and whine why they don´t follow their religion as they (of their minds) should. Then I usually have asked do every Christians follow at least the Ten Commandments in their lives and if so, why here is still murders, adultery, robberies etc. so much.

Basicly most of my contacts to the Christians have been positive but as you know, people are all different.

About interfaith meetings, my Islamic community has arranged few already. Members from different religion communities have gather together and discussed about some theme like the racism in the society. Later we have drunk some coffee, eat sweets and chat together. Nice, relaxing and surely it has increased understanding between different religion groups.

 

[BeTheChange]

Hi LaSorcia,

I don't think i've met any practising Christians...

A lot of 'westerners' that i meet are very secular and are not interested in religion...

 

[ardianto]

Different than in the West, majority of Christians in Indonesia are practicing Christians, not secular. Few of my Christian (Protestant) relatives are church caretaker.

But, frankly, from what I have noticed, the percentage of practicing Christian in Indonesia is higher among Catholic than among Protestant. I don't know what's the cause of this.

 

[noraina]

I have found myself that Catholics tend to be more serious about their faith then other Christians. This is a general observation, perhaps because Catholicism is more conservative than other denominations?

btw, @Pygoscelis I agree that conservative Muslims and Christians can relate to one anther on more common ground as compared to atheists - unfortunately I would find it more difficult to relate to an atheist in matters of religion. At least with Christians we have something to relate to one another - a faith and belief in God and certain guidelines - even though they do differ fundamentally.

Having said that, criticism and attacks against Islam are more aggressive both because of the current state of world affairs and because, for some Christians or people of faith, Islam has always been more 'threatening' than atheism, perhaps in terms of its doctrines and the primary importance and influence Islam has in our life as Muslims.

 

[Serinity]

Tolerance is tolerating what you do not accept or like.

we can't go out and insult other religions, that'll just generate enmity and stuff, and is counterproductive.

if we all were intolerant, we'd argue every night till the day of Judgment.

There is some degree of tolerance, but there is a limit.

For example I'd never obey a christian / kafir in disobedience to Allah SWT, or have such tolerance as to compromise my deen, and perhaps even losing it.

There are 2 extremes: being completely tolerant, and completely intolerant.

One has to have it balanced.

 

[EgyptPrincess]

They are a protest group and not a political party. You might be thinking of the BNP or Britian first.

Ah yes, thank you for the correction. I always get these bigoted entities mixed up. Britain First is the party I was thinking that has 0 seats in parliament.