Humans do not always act as Jesus would

I would like to thank you for printing Zachary Armstrong's letter on Wednesday, April 7. Zachary's letter illustrated how so many people who are a part of this university community (and to some extent, our modern American society) view the whole idea of Christianity. Sadly enough, as a Christian, I must admit that Zachary's claims are correct to a point. However, his foundational evidence leads to a confused idea that I see so often at this university.

One underlying theme of the letter involved labeling God as a hypocrite. Yet every one of the examples which Zachary included involved the fallacies and inconsistencies of man, not God. We need go no further. The simple truth (and one of the basic elements of the Christian faith) is that we, as humans, are imperfect. Because of our human nature, we are incapable of living perfect lives. We lie, cheat, steal, judge others, and are judged by others. As a Christian, I believe that, despite my human nature, I should live by certain rules which God has given me. Of course I will give in from time to time, and of course, someone may be watching when I fall. Am I a hypocrite? Absolutely. Am I responsible for my behavior? You bet. But why blame God or Christianity? It's just my fault, and no one else's.

The truth is that Christians have shortcomings, just like everyone else. Christians judge, mock, ridicule, and do all sorts of things they're not supposed to. But please remember, it's not their Christian nature that provokes them, it's their imperfect, human nature. The only person who has ever lived a perfect life is Jesus Christ, whom Christians believe to be the Son of God.

Zachary's claims to the faults of Christians are completely valid. It is always a good idea, though, to understand with at least moderate depth the doctrine and beliefs of a religion before judging the religion itself rather than its followers. I'm so thankful to be at this university, and proud to be a part of it. It is unfortunate that there are people who poorly represent an organization to which they belong, and even more unfortunate that we judge each other so quickly and close-mindedly. As a Christian, it is my responsibility to represent myself in a way that is pleasing to God. Please forgive me, because I fear that eventually I will fall short once again. God loves all of us anyway, regardless of what we believe. And He truly wants the best for us. Isn't that incredible?

Andy Folkening
Engineering mathematics senior