Why Do We Wear Our Feelings On Our Shoulders?

By Anthony W Brooks

How many times am I called a child of Satan? A devil worshipper? It's crazy how much my belief system effects how people see me... It's sad really. But what about if I wasn't a Calvinist? I probably wouldn't get that kind of treatment... As a non Calvinistic individual, I believed in many Augustinian concepts... Due to my brief Catholic Catechesis, I had Augustinian leaning beliefs such as predestination of a few and possible salvation of the rest.
The rest of my non-Calvinist life, I was IFB/KJV only. I had a fun upbringing. But the day I decided to transition over to conservative Calvinism, all Hell was released against me.

I skipped my cage-stage. I didn't discuss my views or argue them untill I was comfortable with the argumentation that was required to do so. Most of my discussions were reserved for the people who were teaching me my new belief system. But when I started to discuss these beliefs with non-Calvinists, we had a problem. Some of them were calling me cultist and a child of Satan. I was considered the worst plague on Christianity. Why? How was my belief system that personal?

It wasn't untill I had my articles critiqued by someone else that I started to understand the frustration that was on the other side. Religion is a personal and engulfing experience. What you believe is emotionally defining of who you are. When someone else critiques this personal part of who you are, it can be personal and angry.

Some advice for the angry:

1. If you don't think you can hold your tongue in a respectable manner, then don't publicize your beliefs... Ephesians 4:15 says to speak the truth in love. Whatever that truth is to you, shut up if you are going to be "to the man" in your responses.

2. Do you want to know why debates 500 years ago weren't scandalous? Even the famous debate between Luther and Eck was respectful enough... It's because they don't where their feelings for the world to see. Luther knew he was right and Eck knew he was too. Neither had anything to prove.

3. We are made in the Imago Dei. The image of God is within all men. That image deserves respect. Disrespecting another individual is not respecting them in the place where God wishes to use them.

Soli Deo Gloria!