Why do so many Christians not follow the words of Jesus?

[Danmark]

One of the members here who calls himself a Christian started a thread about atheists not being logical, defying reason and commonsense. He did not support his claims, despite his efforts.

In a similar vein, I post the question here, "Why do so many Christians not follow the words of Jesus?" Specifically, why is Matthew 6:19-24 so routinely ignored by Christians?

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
. . . .
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."

I've always thought this passage wise and profound in its exhortation to seek spiritual things, good will, kindness and love, rather than the pursuit of money. Yet, in practice, this is just about the last thing we see from those 'Christians' in the public eye.

Exhibits:




Evangelicals overwhelmingly supported this man for President of the United States.

[Peds nurse]

[Replying to post 1 by Danmark]

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
. . . .
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."

I've always thought this passage wise and profound in its exhortation to seek spiritual things, good will, kindness and love, rather than the pursuit of money. Yet, in practice, this is just about the last thing we see from those 'Christians' in the public eye.

Hello, Danmark!!

It is a very wise verse, and one of my favorites. I love your complete honesty and fair assessment of the Christian population. I have to say, that I am guilty of times of loving possessions more than God. I think that it is something that will trip every Christian up from time to time.

Money or gain isn't evil, for in the Bible, God himself blessed his people with abundance. What is a problem, is when we pursue those things instead of the above attributes you listed. When our physical worth is valued more than our spiritual gain, there is a tilt in our motives. We no longer seek the will of God, and to love others not only through our finances, but in our hearts, from which all things flow.

I don't think it is done intentionally, but rather gradually. I know I don't wake up in the morning making a conscious decision to pursue financial gain. Rather, I think, it is done in such a way that we don't even really notice at first. We skip our time with God and rush about our day trying to land the next deal. Soon, over time, our Bible's are dust collectors on the shelf, and although we believe we are unchanged, our hearts speak otherwise.

[Realworldjack]

This is quite comical! In other words, if Christians support a Christian candidate, based on his Christian character, they are criticized for attempting to force their Christian beliefs upon others! However, if they go outside of this, and support whoever they believe to be the best candidate, without concerning themselves with "Christian character", they are criticized for not sticking with their Christian convictions?! How, and can, Christians ever satisfy those who are opposed to Christianity, as far as who they vote for?

How about voting for a secular person who is also of good character? There is a huge middle ground between voting for a theocrat and voting for an unscrupulous person you know.

Well let me ask you this. Who is it, that the Christian should have voted for? Not just in the general elections, but in the primaries as well? Which candidate, as far as you are concerned, would have been the most, "Christ like?" When it comes to the race between, Clinton, and Trump, which one of these is more "Christ like?"

Clinton; and before her, Sanders. Was it not completely obvious?

What Christ like qualities does Mrs. Clinton posses in your opinion?

Compassionate and kindness, helping the most needy.

How about voting for a secular person who is also of good character?

First, the only person I thought may have good character, would have been, Carson. Now, you may disagree, and believe that Clinton, and Sanders, were of good character, which is fine, and is the reason we are all allowed to vote. However, I did not vote for Carson for a number of reasons, with the foremost most reason being, he did not have a shot. Therefore, with only two candidates with a chance to oust those of the "establishment" I took the better odds.

Next, "good character" is not all it takes to be a good President! As an example, Jimmy Carter! Carter was a great, and fine man, with outstanding character, but proved to be a terrible President!

[DanieltheDragon]

This is quite comical! In other words, if Christians support a Christian candidate, based on his Christian character, they are criticized for attempting to force their Christian beliefs upon others! However, if they go outside of this, and support whoever they believe to be the best candidate, without concerning themselves with "Christian character", they are criticized for not sticking with their Christian convictions?! How, and can, Christians ever satisfy those who are opposed to Christianity, as far as who they vote for?

How about voting for a secular person who is also of good character? There is a huge middle ground between voting for a theocrat and voting for an unscrupulous person you know.

Well let me ask you this. Who is it, that the Christian should have voted for? Not just in the general elections, but in the primaries as well? Which candidate, as far as you are concerned, would have been the most, "Christ like?" When it comes to the race between, Clinton, and Trump, which one of these is more "Christ like?"

Clinton; and before her, Sanders. Was it not completely obvious?

What Christ like qualities does Mrs. Clinton posses in your opinion?

Compassionate and kindness, helping the most needy.

How about voting for a secular person who is also of good character?

First, the only person I thought may have good character, would have been, Carson. Now, you may disagree, and believe that Clinton, and Sanders, were of good character, which is fine, and is the reason we are all allowed to vote. However, I did not vote for Carson for a number of reasons, with the foremost most reason being, he did not have a shot. Therefore, with only two candidates with a chance to oust those of the "establishment" I took the better odds.

Next, "good character" is not all it takes to be a good President! As an example, Jimmy Carter! Carter was a great, and fine man, with outstanding character, but proved to be a terrible President!

Literally any other candidate had better character than Trump. I still don't understand what makes people think he is qualified to be a good president. His character is less than questionable, his business accumen has a reputation for being one of the worst(he would have made more in his life time if he literally did nothing with his inheritance), he has no government experience, his written and verbal communication level is tested at around the 4th grade level, he has displayed a glaring deficet in knowledge related to topics Presidents deal with.

It is truly baffling.

[DanieltheDragon]

[Replying to post 17 by Realworldjack]

I think the hypocrisy remarks come about the fact that many of those who voted for trump are the same ones who accused Obama of being a Muslim yet claim that Trump is a good Christian.

Secondly if your going to vote for someone that doesn't hold Christian values why do it on someone with such a bad track record in management and leadership? It's as if his messaging on inciting hate was the main reason to vote for him.....

[Danmark]

For me, both Obama and Sanders stand out as people who embody good character and Christian virtues. They are both humble and believe in helping others. Hillary Clinton seems to be more of an ego driven, self seeker, but one who has at least some concern for the advancement of others, especially women. Her dishonesty, however is legendary and seems to be a central part of her character.

Trump is the most dishonest and vile candidate (and now president) in the history of American politics. He's confessed to being a serial sexual offender and misogynist. He even lies more than H. Clinton by a factor of at least 3 to one. He's an obvious racist and narcissist who cares for nothing so much as himself.

Yet evangelicals overwhelmingly voted for him. His election discredits both evangelicals and the GOP. For me, today, most of Christianity in the U. S. stands for a cultural-political movement than for a true religion. The Jesus I grew up knowing from the Gospels bears no relationship to the public Christianity I see in politics today.

[Elijah John]

It's as if his messaging on inciting hate was the main reason to vote for him.....

I think that is really unfair Daniel.

Yes, Trump's business record is debatable and a mixed bag. And in spite of his personal flaws, there are a lot of good reasons for conservative and traditional people to support him.

Reasons that have nothing to do with "hate".

-Those who love babies (born or yet to be born) don't "hate" women. Trump is pro-life.
-Those who want strong borders, don't "hate" immigrants. Trump is for strong borders and legal immigration.
-Those who want a strong military don't "hate" foreigners. Trump is for a strong defense.
-Those who support the Pipeline, don't "hate" the enviroment. Trump supports the country's economic development.
-Those who believe in national sovereignty don't "hate" other countries. Trump wants to put America's interests first, as any American president should.
-Those who believe in law and order, and support the police, don't "hate" black people. Trump is for law and order.
-Those who are sick and tired of the Left smearing people, calling them names, and college kids shouting down people who don't agree with them, are not "haters". Trump is not PC.

Also, to answer the question which candidate would be more Christ-like, I think yes, one could make the case that Bernie, (a Jewish man ironically) seems more Christ-like.

And many of the good Republican candidates, (Kasich, Fiorena, Rubio etc). Unfortunately they didn't win, Trump did.

But compared to Hillary, it was no contest for me. Because of many of Trump's positions listed above, my choice was clear. I think Trump will be better for our country, in spite of his flaws.

For most of us, Trump is the voice of common sense, not hatred.

[WinePusher]

His character is less than questionable, his business accumen has a reputation for being one of the worst(he would have made more in his life time if he literally did nothing with his inheritance),

It's one thing to not like Trump, but it's another thing to continually spout off nonsensical, unsubstantiated claims. I'd ask you to support your claim Daniel, but again, we both know you have nothing to back it up.

Trump is estimated to be worth around 3 billion. If Trump had just "done nothing with his (1 million dollar) inheritance" then inflation would have slowly eroded it over the years and he'd actually have less money today. So I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you misspoke.

If Trump had just parked the million bucks in the S&P 500, which has on average returned about 10% to investors over the past 40 years, he'd have 45,259,255.57 which is less than 3 billion.

So to cut it short, you're wrong.

his written and verbal communication level is tested at around the 4th grade level, he has displayed a glaring deficet in knowledge related to topics Presidents deal with.

The irony though.

For me, both Obama and Sanders stand out as people who embody good character and Christian virtues. They are both humble and believe in helping others.

Just curious Danmark, do you do any research before you post your political opinions on this site?

Did you know that Bernie Sanders gave about 4% of his income to charity in one tax year? Were you one of those people who were complaining about Trump giving "only" 1 million dollars to hurricane relief? And yet you think Sanders is charitable and "helps others?" Are liberals able to be consistent at all?

Btw, you're probably right about Sanders believing in helping others. It's one thing to believe and it's another thing to actually do. Sanders is a typical liberal and isn't charitable himself, but believes in taking money away from people who are more charitable than he is.

Oh, did you know that conservatives are more charitable than liberals? You really should read the social science research on this subject matter Dan, that way your posts won't contain so many falsehoods.

Trump is the most dishonest and vile candidate (and now president) in the history of American politics. He's confessed to being a serial sexual offender and misogynist. He even lies more than H. Clinton by a factor of at least 3 to one. He's an obvious racist and narcissist who cares for nothing so much as himself.

Can't argue with ya there.

Yet evangelicals overwhelmingly voted for him. His election discredits both evangelicals and the GOP. For me, today, most of Christianity in the U. S. stands for a cultural-political movement than for a true religion. The Jesus I grew up knowing from the Gospels bears no relationship to the public Christianity I see in politics today.

First of all, Trump won because of liberals! Modern liberalism has become such a repugnant and disgusting point of view! Even your atheistic icons like Hitchens, Harris and Dawkins agree that liberalism is a cesspool of morally confused, obscene beliefs.

Second of all, Jesus' main message was of love of God and love of neighbor. Certainly, not all Christians adhere to this message. But Christians are more charitable than atheists. For real! Before you post just try to do some basic research on this matter. Christians also organize and engage in massive community outreach and relief projects in America and around the world, which is entirely consistent with what Jesus taught.

Now, the majority of Christians definitely don't tend to agree with your misinformed, high school level economic beliefs.

[Danmark]

[Replying to post 26 by WinePusher]

I 'liked' the post. It clearly tells so much about you. Since I know you've read many of my posts, you are well aware of the research I document in most of them. Among other things, Trump has laid himself so bare in his bizarre 'tweets,' psychiatrists and those who have worked with him on books recognize his pathological dishonesty, narcissism, and other mental health issues which manifest themselves in many ways, including threats to obliterate an entire country with over 25 million people with nuclear weapons, calling an admittedly nutty fellow leader little 'rocket' man. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Korea
Anything in that post you think needs documentation? It's all available from reliable sources.

[Danmark]

[Replying to post 17 by Realworldjack]

I think the hypocrisy remarks come about the fact that many of those who voted for trump are the same ones who accused Obama of being a Muslim yet claim that Trump is a good Christian.

Secondly if your going to vote for someone that doesn't hold Christian values why do it on someone with such a bad track record in management and leadership? It's as if his messaging on inciting hate was the main reason to vote for him.....

If trump is a 'good Christian,' we can shut down this website. The debate is over, and Christianity is a vile religion that praises horrible, crazy people.

[Danmark]

[Replying to post 21 by Realworldjack]

Carson had a competency problem. Looking at objective sources that track lies, Sanders was the only one of the lot (as I recall) who had almost no 'lies' recorded, tho' I mainly looked at Trump (who out lied HRC at least 3 to 1... or was it 9 to 1? ). http://www.politifact.com/personalities ... ants-fire/

http://www.politifact.com/personalities/bernie-s/

Carson's isn't bad, tho' he got 0 'true' statements
http://www.politifact.com/personalities/ben-carson/

Hillary does not have the 'integrity reflex' and Trump is pathological.

You heard it here from Daniel Marx, JD, MD, and Managing Director, Southside Mental, Bedlam, England.