The problem people have with Christians is the inherent sense of condescension.
The “we’re right, you’re wrong” air that surrounds your speech.
Offend means to upset, annoy or displease. You can be offended and still be tolerant.
Stating that one is offended by what you say does not mean they are intolerant.
So let’s put the shoe on the other foot. If someone was sharing their faith with you and they told you:
Our belief is that any faith that does not claim Jesus as Savior is not real faith.
our belief is that our way is the only way.
Our belief is that Jesus is the ONLY way to the Father. If He is not accepted, then God is not accessible.
Do you not see how that is offensive? You are saying that their beliefs are not real.
When we are sharing their faith (something we are told to do and feel compelled to do), we are not judging you.
I assume you use the word Judging in the sense of condemnation. To judge means to form an opinion or conclusion about something. So you are judging when you say that your faith is the only way. If you mean condemnation, telling someone that God is not accessible to them if they do not believe is judging.
Tolerance means to “allow the existence, occurrence, or practice of (something that one does not necessarily like or agree with) without interference” Your faith tells you that “our way is the only way” . Sharing your faith is intolerant in it’s nature. It is interfering with the beliefs of others by telling them that their beliefs are wrong.
Let’s look at tolerance in another way. You have an acquaintance that you hang out with. They are always commenting on how they dress better than you. Their car is better. Their house is better. Your job is going to lead you no where.
So I ask, would you become friends with this acquaintance? Would you ever hang out with them again? Would you even associate with them any more?
So, we can know for certainty that you don't have what we have because Jesus is our Lord.
So we know that many Christians state that non-christians have no morals. That non-christians are deceiving themselves if they think they are at peace. Because only true peace comes from Jesus. This is offensive speak.
I'm far from arrogant because I believe that I am a sinner and I needed a Savior.
Just because you are self-deprecating doesn’t mean you are not being arrogant.
If you truly knew what we did, you would be just like us.
This is an inherently arrogant and condescending statement.
...why not give my Savior a chance?
How do you know they haven’t? In America, (Europe, Canada, Mexico) Christianity is the dominant religion. Which means that most know about the faith. A great majority of atheist (if not a majority) are ex-christians. I’d say a lot of the people on these boards are ex-christians. These aren’t people who haven’t given your Savior a chance. They’ve given it a chance and it didn’t work for them.
Yes, we are accepting your beliefs for what they are. This is double speak. The word “accepting” in your sentence is negated by the phrase “for what they are”
Accept means “to believe or come to recognize as valid or correct.” Do you recognize that Islam is valid or correct? Buddhism, Paganism, Etc....
If God inspired the work, then nothing He didn't want in there is going to be in there.
How do you know that he did? What gives you the right to say that this book has nothing that God wouldn't want in there?
Some also have a problem with contradictory nature of your speech
We don't decide what we like in the Bible and what we don't. We also don't have some set of rigid rules we have to follow either.
But you do. I won’t go into the old testament because that’s too easy; and you can shrug it off as thing you don’t have to follow because Jesus came. Even though he said , “Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments (the law) and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
Unless you believe that slavery is OK, or that women should not teach men; then you do decide what you like and what you don’t like.
I'm not going to judge its content.
Lastly, I think people have a problem with that phrase. The idea that you believe something that you have not judged. Sounding like you have put no real thought into your beliefs. That you just picked up the book and decided everything in it was right without investigating it.
