Everyone who’s not a Christian have some sort of opinion in their minds about what they think Christianity is – most of which are not so accurate. I’ve had countless conversations with non-believers on this topic and the more I talk with them, the more I realize how much of a false idea they have about Christianity. So in this article, I’m going to talk about some misconceptions people commonly have about Christianity.
- Christianity is Bondage
Many people believe that when you become a Christian, you become enslaved to a church and you don’t have a mind of your own anymore. Your actions and decisions are now based on what the church asks you to do. This isn’t the case.
When you become a Christian, you hand over your life to Jesus and not to a church. You still very much have a mind of your own and can still take decisions for yourself. You basically just hand over control of the ship to Jesus but you still have the power to decide where the ship goes.
2. It’s boring to be a Christian. No more ‘fun’
No, it definitely isn’t! Some people are scared to give their lives to Christ and even some Christians are scared to commit totally to him because they think that when that happens, life will become very boring and there will be no room to have any fun. It’s going to be endless prayer meetings and church programs. This is a great misconception. Christians do have fun. Sin and fun shouldn’t be interchanged.
3. Pastors/Preachers/Spiritual leaders are perfect
These days preachers/televangelists and other spiritual leaders have been put on an invincible scale. Many people think that because of the grace of God on them and because they are in the spotlight, they are super humans and are perfect. That’s why if any of these people make a mistake and it goes public, everyone treats them with so much scorn like they are not simple human beings who are prone to sin too. These men/women of God are as human as every other Christian and shouldn’t be regarded as invincible or as mini-gods.
4. The bible suppresses women
Many people (especially feminist), believe that according to the bible a woman is controlled by man, has no mind of her own and can’t take any leadership roles. They probably haven’t read about great women in the bible such as Deborah who was a judge (leader) of the nation of Israel and who led them into war (see Judges 4), Esther, the woman who played a prominent role in saving her nation from a genocide, Ruth, the woman who was a hard worker and made a living for herself and her mother in-law, and the many women in the new testament who accompanied Jesus and also those who played prominent roles in the early church with Paul and the apostles (see Acts 18:26, Romans 16:1-3, 2Timothy 1:5). Women are definitely not suppressed in the bible. On the contrary, they have a very vital role play.
5. Once you become a Christian, all your problems go away
Once you become a Christian all your problems don’t go away contrary to popular belief. They just become easier to bear because you now have someone who carries them for you. Someone on whom you can cast all you cares and troubles. The bible clearly states that in this world, we would have many troubles (John 16:33).
6. Christianity is just another religion
Christianity is not just a religion. It’s a relationship – a relationship between man and God through Jesus Christ. It isn’t about serving a God you have no idea about, but it is about having a relationship with not just a God, but a friend, father, love, brother and much more. You can communicate with him as you would communicate with any other person.
7. Christians are immune to sin
Once you become a Christian, everyone expects you to be perfect. There’s no room for errors, no mistakes are allowed. If a Christian sins (especially a committed one), jaws drop and everyone is in dismay. Like how can it possibly be? This is a wrong idea about Christianity. Christians are still human and will probably still sin. Even though as Christians, we strive for perfection, we would only be perfect when Jesus comes again.
What about you? Are there any common misconceptions you’ve heard about Christianity? Let me know in the comments section below.
Apiseh Ngesang