G'Day All,
In spite of my promise of updates on the sleepover I just can't do it right now (which probably means I'll never get back to it but that's another story.........) I have a question to ask you and it won't get out of my head until I have.
I have long been mulling over this question , debating whether you would want to discuss it, wondering whether it's too serious, because after all I blog to relax.
What do you think a Christian should be like?
If the great aim of a Christian is to be the face of Christ, to be the human reflection of God, to be as much as possible the embodiment of love and goodness, what do you think that should look like?
Or maybe I should ask the question from the other direction: What would make you think that a person was not God's representative?
And finally, is it even possible to define the essence of goodness? Or is it one of those things one just recognises when you see it?
Special,
ReplyDeleteWow - I don't think it's too serious to ask this sort of question on a blog at all. I think it's a very interesting question, and one that I will attempt to answer. (There are no replies as yet, so I hope I'll still be the first when I've finished!)
If this question was posed to me a few years ago, I think my answer would have been different. A few years ago, I believed that all Christians wore very conservative clothes, maybe long dresses that covered lots of flesh for the ladies, and smart trousers, shirts and possibly ties for the men. They looked demure, innocent and very pious.
However, my ideas have changed. I have come to realise that all different kinds of people worship God and that they cannot be pigeon-holed into a 'type'. There could be the young Christian wearing a bikini on the beach, or a priest on his motorbike or maybe even a hippy Christian! I think the idea of how a Christian should dress has certainly changed over the last few years, and people aren't restricted as to how they should look so much. I suppose what I'm trying to say is that if you worship God, it doesn't matter what you look like or what you wear, it only matters how you devote yourself to God - I don't think he minds what people look like!
How's that for a start?!?!
love ya hun,
Peej xxx
hi pj
ReplyDeleteyep, youre still first.....
now to rephrase the question, or add to it
what kind of qualities are you looking for in a Christian/ person of faith?
xx
......what would show you a person's devotion to God?
ReplyDeleteA beautiful question my friend...
ReplyDeleteWhat would show a persons devotion to God...?
My answer: Big arms!
Now before you get visions of bodybuilding christians (And I know a few lol).... let me explain...
To me Jesus the Christ taught the way of all inclusive, radical, unmerited love.
His arms hold the world without exception.
Jesus' love knew no limits...
And yet sadly in our culture some Christians proudly talk about the limits on their love... I'll love you as long as you think my way... as long as you're not a muslim, an aborigine, a homosexual, etc etc
What should a Christian look like?
They should have arms wide enough to hold the world...without judging...without asking the world to become like them...
They should love like the great lover himself.
They should strive not to be Christian but to be Christlike.
My love to you, M
dont mind me, i'm just trying to get lots of comments :)
ReplyDeletethe pious image is one that i think some people still want to see, you know the whole respectable image thing, it seems that some people still expect that.
your comments about God not minding what people look like remind me of a young girl i saw on TV, she was disowned from her church because she modeled a bikini.
i could probably write a whole post on that!!
love ya peej
maithri,
ReplyDeletei cross posted, sorry.
yes, i was looking for a vision of Christlikeness, but trying to avoid that word. i know the church's language on this subject, know to look for the fruits of the spirit etc but i'm wondering what people generally expect to see.
for example, your mode of expression is poetic and beautiful, mine is less so. does your mode make it easier for people to see Christ in you?
thanks for your thoughts
k
hi kylie
ReplyDeleteHi Kylie,
ReplyDeleteAn interesting question. I'm not sure I know the answer to it.
Best wishes,
Skeeter
hi skeeter
ReplyDeletei'm asking your opinion, theres no right and wrong :)
cheers
hi bob
ReplyDeleteDear Kylie,
ReplyDeleteGreat question...
mmmm... Jesus, I have no authority to talk... God, God is love and compassion.. lives in everyones heart... that is what my pappa says.. God's presence is everywhere...
this is just my belief...
Have a good day.
♥ & ((hugs))
bindi
Special,
ReplyDeletehmmm, now to try and answer the re-phrased question....
*thinking*
*still thinking*
*even more thinking*
my brain hurts....
I think it's a very difficult question for me to answer, as I'm not religious in any way....
However, I still stick to my sort of original answer. I'm not sure there are any particular qualities that would define a Christian as opposed to a non-Christian. For example, I'm a non-Christian and if I say that one of the qualities I expect a Christian to have is to be forgiving, does that mean that I'm unforgiving? I think everybody, no matter which religion, religious or non-religious, has very similar qualities - we're all human after all, but in some of us, those qualities are a little hard to find and have to be really searched for! Obviously, there are exceptions, with truly evil, evil people.
I might be getting into trouble here, but I would like to say that Christian people are open-minded, but then there's this age-old debate about what is and what isn't stated in the Bible. I, of course know, that not every Christian feels the same about certain issues.....in fact, I don't really know what I'm getting into at all here....maybe I should stop!
Peej xxx
Afterthought -
ReplyDeletehaving said that humans have similar qualities, we must remember that every one of us is an individual....
Peej xxx
Hi Kylie--I'm enjoying this discussion very much, although as a Jew I'm not sure I can really comment--well, I will anyway. I love what Maithiri said--"inclusive, radical, unmerited love." This captures what I think about Jesus and about how a good Christian, and a good person of faith in general, should be.
ReplyDeleteMaybe too people who can make one feel the presence of Jesus are Christlike--like Bach--have you ever listened to the Saint Matthew Passion of Bach? If anything could convert me to Christianity, it's that piece of music...
hi peter,
ReplyDeletethe exact reason i was asking was because i want to know what a non-religious person wants to see in a person who claims to have faith.
there are lots of biblical guidelines but i guess i was wondering whether they would be quoted back to me.
i have to say that maithris comments on love are very pertinent and your idea of forgiveness is part of that.
thanks for getting involved in the question.....
i imagine it would be wonderful if we could all sit and talk about it.
love
k
hi leah,
ReplyDeleteafter i wrote that i thought of you and bindi. i'm sure you realise by now that maybe i should have asked for your idea of Godliness, rather than bring Jesus in to the picture.
it all springs from my musings on holiness, do you guys use that word?
i dont know much music by name although i suspect i would know the piece when i heard it....
something for my to do list, eh?
cheers
k
sweet bindi,
ReplyDeletelove and compassion is a great descripton. and i certainly believe God is everywhere, though sometimes it's hard to see Him.
i'm glad youre feeling better
love to you and the wee ones
k
On several occasions I've sat through the St Matthew Passion of Johan Bach and enjoyed it immensly if enjoy is an aposite description.
ReplyDeleteThe theme as sung by the choir on many occasions is known in some church hymnals as Passion Chorale.
The great work takes a hole out of 3 hours to perform.
Leah, always remember the first Christians were Jews.There are Jewish Christian cuhurches in the USA.
Jesus released believers from the stritures of the Pharisees and Saducees.
Jesus of Nazarethh was a carpenter.
What Christ was like was well put in a Reader's Digest article many years ago. It was "The Man Nobody Knows."
Strictures, churches Nazareth apposite.
ReplyDeleteThe above are fatigue induced typos!
Sooooooooorry.
Wow, this is tough. I think you see goodness all around, but it isn't always easy. I was at the park today and started to cry. I see a forest every day that no longer exists and my heart just breaks. I no longer see cats I loved and skunks who no longer exists and I feel as if my heart will absolutly break. Writing this hurts. I think life is hard and often unkind, but it goes on, doesn't it? Life goes on.
ReplyDeleteXO