Do Christians hold themselves to a higher standard? (Jesus, Kingdom)

[Aqualung]

Originally Posted by Ormiston

I wrote this cause my boss just walked in here and got all ticked off about a TV show she was watching. She said the woman was really rude and claimed to be a Christian. "Nothing makes me more angry than when someone claiming to be a Christian acts like that." she said. I said, "What about when normal () people act like that?". "Well, it makes me angrier when they claim to be a Christian." Hard for me to believe...

It makes me angrier. Just by saying you are a christian, you are acknoledging to the world what your standards. Everybody knows what christian standards are, basically. However, if you are a professed atheist, nobody can just say what your basic principles are. For example, everybody who calls themselves a chrisian should think pre-marital sex is a big . But people who aren't christians won't necessarily think that way. Therefore, if I look at a christian sleeping around, I can say, "That's not a very good thing to do, because that person is going against what he says he is. He is a hyporcrit." But if I see someone else sleeping around, all I can say is, "That person is not behaving in a way that I personally would behave, but he's probably not being a hypocrite about it." You see, the main reason is the contrast between what you profess to be and what you actually are.

[Ormiston]

Originally Posted by Aqualung

It makes me angrier. Just by saying you are a christian, you are acknoledging to the world what your standards. Everybody knows what christian standards are, basically. However, if you are a professed atheist, nobody can just say what your basic principles are. For example, everybody who calls themselves a chrisian should think pre-marital sex is a big . But people who aren't christians won't necessarily think that way. Therefore, if I look at a christian sleeping around, I can say, "That's not a very good thing to do, because that person is going against what he says he is. He is a hyporcrit." But if I see someone else sleeping around, all I can say is, "That person is not behaving in a way that I personally would behave, but he's probably not being a hypocrite about it." You see, the main reason is the contrast between what you profess to be and what you actually are.

Good point. Pre-marital sex is a very specific example though. How about something simple like being rude or being selfish? Is it any different to you for a Christian to have poor manners? I, for one, tend to forgive people for their faults immediately. If I don't like them, I stay clear of them.

[Aqualung]

Originally Posted by Ormiston

Good point. Pre-marital sex is a very specific example though. How about something simple like being rude or being selfish? Is it any different to you for a Christian to have poor manners? I, for one, tend to forgive people for their faults immediately. If I don't like them, I stay clear of them.

No, rudeness and selfishness would be a rediculous thing to get mad at. Everybody has stupid little faults like that, and I would wager that probably 90% of the human race, whether christian or not, thinks that rudeness and selfishness are things to avoid (even if they're not that good at it ).

[michel]

Originally Posted by Ormiston

Good point. Pre-marital sex is a very specific example though. How about something simple like being rude or being selfish? Is it any different to you for a Christian to have poor manners? I, for one, tend to forgive people for their faults immediately. If I don't like them, I stay clear of them.

being rude or selfish, IMO, is not different for a Christian than for any moral atheist - besides being rude or selfish I would have though came under the heading of 'Manners' - whereas pre-marital sex comes under the heading of 'Religious rules'.

[Ormiston]

Originally Posted by michel

being rude or selfish, IMO, is not different for a Christian than for any moral atheist - besides being rude or selfish I would have though came under the heading of 'Manners' - whereas pre-marital sex comes under the heading of 'Religious rules'.

So, back to the question: Are Christian standards "Higher" than anyone elses?

[Victor]

Originally Posted by Ormiston

So, back to the question: Are Christian standards "Higher" than anyone elses?

What do you mean by "Higher"?

~Victor

[Faint]

Originally Posted by blueman

Who exhibited the standards of God more perfect than Christ? Nobody before Him or after. Christ was the living Son of God. Nobody else could make that claim or have a higher standard than that.

I'm gonna have to go with Hugh Hefner. His accomplishments are pretty god-like (maybe even more than Jesus, since I don't remember reading that Jesus was able to survive into old age, let alone be consistently surrounded by throngs of beautiful, young women)--I'd say my standards are on par with him.

Hugh Hefner, mid 1970s. Saint of hedonism.
Send your debutante daughters to Beverly Hills.

[Ormiston]

Originally Posted by Victor

What do you mean by "Higher"?

~Victor

Let's say, more righteous, more correct, a superior list of forbidden activities.

[Aqualung]

Originally Posted by Ormiston

So, back to the question: Are Christian standards "Higher" than anyone elses?

I don't know that they are higher. But then again, it depends what standards. Most people would have similar standards for selfishness. On the other hand, a christian's standards for pre-marital sex are probably higher. But still, "higher" is, in this case, extremely subjective. I only think they are "higher" because I'm looking at it through "christian-coloured" glasses. "higher" is just too subjective of a word to know.

[michel]

Originally Posted by Aqualung

I don't know that they are higher. But then again, it depends what standards. Most people would have similar standards for selfishness. On the other hand, a christian's standards for pre-marital sex are probably higher. But still, "higher" is, in this case, extremely subjective. I only think they are "higher" because I'm looking at it through "christian-coloured" glasses. "higher" is just too subjective of a word to know.

Quite right.