People who refer to themselves as Christians and then don't act like Christians really frustrate me. This could be said of anyone who is of any faith, but the group I see this behavior demonstrated most is those who label themselves "Christian."
The parking lot after church is an example of a lack of Christianity in action. There are always too many cars trying to leave at the same time, so it would seem logical to act with Christian love and allow people to get into the exit line, right? Nope. It's every person for him/herself as all try to leave church. Were they simply not listening during the service? Do they understand respecting one another? Why does it have to be a race to exit the church parking lot?
How about, on a larger scale, pastors of churches who spread misinformation or simply ridicule other Christian groups? How many times have I heard Latter Day Saints ridiculed or misinformation about Catholics as 'worshippers of Mary and statues'? How many times do people in other faiths ridicule Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists or Jews? How is this behavior Christian? Even certain faiths, derived from the early Catholic church-which was derived from Judaism-ridicule Catholics, telling them they aren't Christians? Seriously?
Rather than mocking or disliking what they don't understand, why don't people take the time to find out more about different faiths. For example, they could find out what Jews, Muslims, and Catholics have in common, or they could understand that not all members of the LDS church practice polygamy. Maybe folks who consider themselves "Christian" could open their minds and hearts to simply understand other faiths. I'm not saying that they need to embrace other faiths or convert, just understand. This understanding would go a long way in terms of diffusing the tension between different religious groups. It would also help if said-Christians wouldn't mock other religions. Just because a particular faith isn't one person's path doesn't mean it isn't another person's path. Why judge? What purpose does judging serve?
It seems easy to say, doesn't it, education is the key to end discrimination, but there has to be a desire to know. Until the desire is present, religious discrimination, religious misinformation will persist.
