3 Things that Christians Misunderstand

And when I say Christians, I mean people in general. The only reason I used the word ‘Christians’ was to signify that these ‘things’ I’m talking about are Christian ideas. Now, even if you consider yourself an Atheist, if you were born and raised in the West, you are most likely under the influence of these ideas. Whether you are conscious of it or not, these misunderstanding determine the way you interpret events, see the world and act in it. It is better to be made aware of these, for as soon as you are, they lose the power they have on you.

Sin

We all know this one. It is the constant feeling of having done something wrong. It is the anxiety of always questioning if you’ve made the right decision. Of course, let’s not forget the traditional interpretation of this word, which means transgression of law, i.e. not doing what it is written in the Bible, or doing what the Bible tells you not to do.

Moreover, in around 2nd century AD, some ‘genius’ dude came up with the doctrine of original sin. This is the idea the all of us are born sinful, lacking and are in need of salvation. This cancerous idea spread like mad and I think we are all suffering from it. Maybe you’re not waiting for salvation, but success, or a promotion…

To sin, however, the actual meaning of this verb is to ‘miss the mark’, or to misunderstand. So when Jesus called people out for being sinners, he meant that they misunderstood something; that they simply didn’t get it. The antidote for sin is — i’m sure you’ve heard this word before — repentance, which means to ‘change course’, that is, correct your trajectory or change direction. That’s it. Catch yourself when you’re making yourself miserable for what you’ve done and stop it :).

Hell

The fear of hell is one of the greatest motivators, but it can also be an utterly petrifying factor for some people. It may not be the Bible hell that you are fearful of but it may be failure, bankruptcy, public shaming, death… Hell is the worst and most terrifying place that we can imagine, where the ever-burning flames consumes everything thrown in them. This fear can make one incapable of acting without endless deliberation of whether one is doing the right thing. Will it be the thing that would lead to success, or the thing that would lead to a disastrous downfall from which one may never recover.

The hell that Jesus was talking about, however, was Gehenna. And what Gehenna was, was a valley that served as the garbage pit outside the walls of Jerusalem in those days; literally the landfill of Jerusalem was called Gehenna. That’s where we get the word hell from. Now, when Jesus warns people that all will be thrown into Gehenna (hell), and if they don’t repent they’ll also be thrown into Gehenna, it simply means that these people were holding on to garbage. The things that people cherished most would eventually and surely end up in the landfill. Living your life in pursuit of worthless crap is an utter waste of time and energy. Get it? Waste! And where does waste go? In the landfill!

Heaven

Oh… and… heaven! Oh, Heaven! The place where everything is perfect; the place where no problems exist; the place where your happiness is through the roof and will stay that way forever. Oh, heaven! The place that doesn’t exist! (There is more to be said about the heaven that DOES exist, but that will probably be another article.)

The idea that there will come a point where all the troubles are going to disappear is so deeply ingrained in us that we are fooled to strive for it ceaselessly. Somewhere in the back of our minds we believe such a place exists. I mean, don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing damnable in working to improve your situation or even the state of the world. I think these are noble attempts. However, to overwork yourself, to completely disregard your health, or other people’s wellbeing in the hope that you will eventually solve all your problems and have everything your heart could ever desire, is quite a pity, to say the least.

A place where no troubles exist and everything is perfect is a place that doesn’t exist because there would be nothing to contrast this place with. In other words, there has to be a hell. Moreover, not only does a hell have to exist, but you also have to know it. And if you know it, then that means you’re not in heaven.

Let me explain what I mean. You cannot write with a white pen on white paper. Just like you cannot write with black pen on a black paper. In the same way you cannot have happiness without an undercurrent of sadness, and you can’t have sadness without an undercurrent of happiness. So decide, you can either have no experience, or you can choose to experience all.