I’ve given this a lot of thought and I’ve come to the conclusion that one of the reasons that the country is where it is today is because Christians have been taught a horrible misrepresentation of Christ. And the “Turn the other cheek” thing is at the heart of it all.
Maybe we could also blame it on Hollywood’s idea of Christians. Could be that years of Christians seeing themselves through the eyes of Hollywood has diluted the idea of what Christianity is. This is certainly possible. Just look at what a suppressor sounds like. In Hollywood land, you use one of those and you can be surrounded by a large group of people and nobody can hear a thing.
Now I don’t really have a problem with that in a movie because it’s a movie after all. Movies have a lot of things not based in reality. The problem is that there are people who don’t know any better and think that’s how they actually work.
Similarly, the way that they have portrayed Christians has always been wrong. Either they’re evil tyrants to be overthrown or they’re scared, confused people that need to be enlightened. And, similarly, this is how the world started to perceive Christians and how they started to perceive themselves.
This view, along with the misunderstanding of the turn the other cheek lesson has really been a detriment to Christianity and the country as a whole. Because of these two major factors, Christians have allowed their beliefs to be run over without much of a fight.
That is because there seems to be this idea that turn the other cheek is a lesson in being meek and to be willing to accept hardships. And while those are certainly things that Christianity teaches, that is not the lesson of that expression.
This expression is actually a lesson of defiance. That you need to be willing to stand up for your beliefs. Just like Christ did. He was not some meek hippy like a lot of people think. When He was challenged, He did not back down or change what He was teaching. He threw out the money lenders. He said “Go and sin no more” not “well, it’s no big deal”. For Him, sin was sin and truth was truth. And He had no problem telling you which was which. Christians, for the sake of humility, have lost this.
In a country founded on Judeo-Christian values, this lack of conviction has lead to the erosion of the ideals the country was founded on. A great example would be a right to life. The very idea of abortion is an affront to this very fundamental ideal. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness starts with life for a reason. You can not pursue anything when you’re dead.
Fortunately, it does look like a number of Christians are starting to realize this and are standing up for their beliefs. Not just Christians, but also those who believe in the principles the country was founded on. The culture is shifting.
So if you are Christian or even if you’re not, be proud of your beliefs. Stand up for them. And when those in the world slap you in the face and tell you you’re just some backwards thinking moron; clinging to your ancient mumbo-jumbo, show them your other cheek, and stand up for yourself.