HOME | DD
Jazzy-C-Oaks — Stamp-I'd Rather Be Hated
Published: 2011-08-26 17:18:25 +0000 UTC; Views: 15287; Favourites: 889; Downloads: 0
Redirect to original
Description
"I'd rather be hated by the world for loving God than be loved by the world and shunning God."My sixteenth stamp, made by customizing a stamp template via Adobe Photoshop. (Image used in stamp found over the internet.)
(Created on 8-26-2011.)
It is not uncommon for others to desire acceptance. Many fear rejection. But what good will it be to gain acceptance by compromising your faith? Love should never be at the cost of your faith in God/Jesus.
God's love is eternal. He already knew you even before you were born. He loved you so much that He sent His Son Jesus to rescue you from eternity in hell in which we deserve for our sins. He did that for you. Future eternity in Heaven with God will be worth so much more than anything we can gain in the world today. So is it worth it to deny your faith before others?
"What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26)
It is guaranteed that not everyone will be accepting of believers. It's not easy to deal with, especially to experience having friends and loved ones even reject you. But if you were ever put in a situation in which the world is against you, who would you choose to side with? The world or God? Where does your allegiance lie? When it all comes down to a great big shaking in our comfort zone, where will we turn to?
Code: :thumb255124364:Feel free to put this stamp on your page if you feel the same way.
______________________________
Plz Account:
Code: :iconstamp-hatedplz:
Plz Account made by *Yoshi-And-Fluttershy
Related content
Comments: 363
The religions were made up by various groups that they suited. That's like saying that "if Thor doesn't exist, then were does the Viking Pagan religion come from?"
As for your second pint, we are not sure about that, probably the Big Bang, but we're working on it.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
there like six religions about God :/
who made that big bang?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
These religions were formed by people wanting their own similar religion.
And nobody had to make the Big Bang, some things don't have to have someone making them.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
whats the REASON of it?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Does there need to be a reason? Can't we just accept the universe for what it is?
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Can't they do both? I didn't think love was limited....
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
It's the stamp that made it come down to a choice.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Well, yeah you are right. There is a choice, but in my small experience on this rotating planet of ours, I have found it is possible to do both.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Yes but the stamp creates a hypothetical position in which you can only have one or the other.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Hypothetical being the key word, also being your opinion on the rest of the aforementioned statement. It is the writer's choice and statement saying that they would rather be hated by the world and loved by God, than to be loved by the world and hated by God.
This is taken from the book of James 4:4. The first point alluding back to the prophet Hosea 3:1 Referring to how God constantly made covenants with his people (the Jews) and how they always broke them. James is pleading to the Christian's reading this that it is better not to be a "friend" to the world and an enemy to God.
I guess the hardest part is why he uses the term "world" but I believe he is not referring to you or I but rather the ideals of worldly things. Like Selfishness, Greed, Lust, etc. Anything that falls out of line with how Christians are supposed to act Eg Love, Peace, Grace, Humility, Self-Control, Honesty, Patience, Joy etc. I don't have to like you, but I do need to show you respect and civil online etiquette even though I do not believe the same way you do.
The bible isn't for non-believers, it's for those who do believe. Therefore, since I profess to be a Christian there is a code I must abide by (the bible), the same as if I professed to be a Buddhist I would have a code to live by too. The stamp above is just the artist's way of saying that she'd rather not go along with the worldly standards but follow those of her faith.
What sucks is that this particular scripture has been taken out of context by groups like Westborough Baptist Church and abused by them to justify their hate crimes toward people.
The bible, like many other religious scripts is just another victim of people who are looking to convince other people to join a cause, be it a crusade, jihad, racism, anti-semitism, and genocide.
Even before Christianity in the western world, people were killing people in the name of religion. Babylonians, Greeks, Egyptians, Norse...even here in America the tribes of the Native Americans would call upon their deities before war to aid them in battle. It seems to be the one thing that stirs passion within us, but even without religion we will make a religion out of something (but not call it that) like what happened in Nazi Germany, Cambodia, even Tibet with the 1959 Tibetan Uprising which was a Socialist attempt at killing religion forcing the Dalai Llama into exile.
So I say, let me live by grace, be civil and prepared that not everyone will agree with me. I can accept that their disagreement is not a call to war, but a call to turn the other cheek, to walk the extra mile, and give the extra time because that is what Christ would want me to do.
👍: 0 ⏩: 2
You have to remember that I am not Caesar looking down on the people. I am simply giving my thoughts on this stamp. And due to my lack of religion, I find myself closer to my friends and family, closer to the world. I do have a faith and moral code, my faith in humanity. I also have my faith in fairness and justice. Racism, homophobia, sexism and the death penalty fall out of line with my beliefs.
And I would rather have no God in my life. I really hope there is none. This is because I do not have to bend my knee to a master, but can be the equal of my everyone and the servant of none. But it is my beliefs that cause me to have respect for Jesus of Nazareth. It's as the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said: Jesus was the greatest socialist in history.
Also, you said that other people killed themselves in the name of religion. It is true that the Greeks, the Norse and the Native Americans could be very warlike. But it was not in the name of religion, and in many instances war broke out when Christianity came onto the scene. Pre Christianity, all of northern Europe was Norse Pagan, and Dane and Saxon lived peacefully. But then Christianity came along and the English hated the Vikings after that.
And lastly, to the point about the Dalai Lama, that horrible old man who steals the name from that noblest of ungulates, should never have been in power and it is a good thing that he is in exile. I'm not trying to be rude to you, I just really hate the Dalai Lama.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
With all respect, I'd like to see your sources on the "peacefulness" of the Norse, Dane, and Saxon people prior to Christianity coming into that area. As I recall Norse mythology is filled with very war orientated gods. The Vikings were known for their brutality. It was the Norse who used the "Blood Eagle" on their prisoner's of war. Also, you can not deny the pantheon of Greece, Persia, Mesopotamia, and Egypt and state that they did NOT use religion to go to war. There were whole temples dedicated to the gods and goddesses of war!! That would be ignorant and arrogance to the highest order. We have ancient texts which prove otherwise that the ancient people went to war in the name of those gods and goddesses and would hold elaborate ceremonies prior to going to war in honor of them.
Consider the ancient texts of the far east, there are far more accounts of war in areas where Christianity DID NOT exist for centuries such as Japan and ancient China, but religion had some role in it. Be it the gods of war from Japan, or the Martial Arts of ancient China. I'm sorry sir, but don't blame Christianity making the world worse than it already was. Comparatively speaking, Christianity is a new religion compared to the ancient ones.
Furthermore, I find it ironic that you align yourself with Caeser, who by historical accounts, called himself "God". It would appear to me that you DO have a god. That God is yourself. You do NOT see humanity as equals. For if we were all equal then you would not look down but look out. I find your attitude rather arrogant and condescending here, in that, you state that you "do not have to bend my knee to a master, but can be the equal of my everyone and the servant of none", this in itself contradicts your statements about faith in humanity. It is a very selfish and ego centered remark.
I am not judging you on your beliefs, but I do feel like you have a strong animosity toward my faith perhaps due to the influence of the biased view of Professor Dawkins. He has lost credibility to me, simply because of his narrow mindset due to his upbringing and his rather petty remark about "Mild Pedophilia".
Please see this blog written by an Atheist on the matter of Dawkins.
freethoughtblogs.com/lousycanu…
Even fellow atheists are not really impressed by him anymore.
Take a page from your fellows, and let us study more to understand each other better.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I did not say I aligned myself with Caesar, what I meant was that my opinion wasn't the only one that mattered (Even though he was an amazing person). And societies didn't make war in the name of their gods. Militaristic societies tended to have strong male gods of war, while farming societies had female fertility gods. Compare the gods of Minoan civilization to Dorian civilization. Cultures make up gods to suit their society, and that includes the ancient Israelite who made up a bloodthirsty and cruel god to suit their bloodthirsty and cruel ways. And you cannot equate the old Norse being bloodthirsty with their religion. They lived in the cold, rugged areas of Scandinavia and therefore grew to be rugged, tough people. They couldn't farm the land in such an environment, at least not all year round, so resorted to raiding and pillaging. Also, their gods were good and honour driven. You think Jesus sacrificed a lot by being nailed to a cross? Thor and Odin gave their lives at Raganork, in battle with a giant snake and a giant wolf respectively. Cultures invent gods to suit their society.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Actually I can equate the Norse with their religion as it is the one they established.
"Cultures make up gods to suit their society, and that includes the ancient Israelite who made up a bloodthirsty and cruel god to suit their bloodthirsty and cruel ways. And you cannot equate the old Norse being bloodthirsty with their religion. They lived in the cold, rugged areas of Scandinavia and therefore grew to be rugged, tough people. "
Odin, Tyr are examples of such gods and they ARE related to war.
Again you state the Norse resorted to raiding and pillaging... guess what, people died in those raids. Those that were captured were sacrificed. So to state prior that the relationship between England and the Vikings was peaceful prior to Christianity is wrong.
Even fertility gods demanded sacrifices, the most famous one being Baal of the Caananite pantheon. Then there are the blood sacrifices of the fertility gods of the Aztec and Maya Civilizations.
Finally, Ragnarok has not happened, it is about the end of the world. It is an epic poem, and is interpreted as such.
The crucifixion of Christ did happen. We have historical accounts from the Romans who recorded the death.
No, Jesus did not die in glory, he was publicly executed for heresy against the Judaic law and treason against the Roman Empire for being the "King" when it was the Emperor who was both "God" and "King".
I believe Jesus of Nazareth gave his life for something greater than glory, but since you don't believe that I'll leave it to you to figure it out. However, before you continue to engage with me about my own religion why don't you read up on it yourself from the source book itself first?
Also, if you further engage me, I will continue to dialogue with you as long as it remains civil. If I feel that you are patronizing me, or just being rude I will end it. The last thing you may want is to appear like is an egotistical, self-centered, ignorant, self-righteous bigot. As I know that will not help your credibility as an atheist.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
My pint is that they created those gods because they had a war like society. Just like the Israelites invented Yahweh because they were bloodthirsty savages. Before the Christianisation of the English they and the Vikings shared a religion, so their were no forced conversions and shit like that. And Germanic Paganism does no harm today, yet people suffer because of Christianity. Gay people are unable to marry in the US because of Christianity. Women are unable to have control over their own bodies because of Christianity. And then Christians have the gall to turn around and say they're being persecuted. The worst that happens to them is atheists tell them to shut up on the internet. And considering DA Christians are intolerant idiots, for the most part, they deserve to be told to shut the fuck up, for preaching against gay people.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Sir, you obviously have an issue with Christians despite the proof history has given to the contrary concerning human nature.
Your arguments are biased with no facts or sources to back them up. You are behaving just like the bigoted people you despise. I am done discussing this further with you, as I see rational thought and subjective logical arguments are pointless.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Go suck a bible.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Resorting to petty insults? You are not doing atheists any favors, and only making yourself appear like an ignorant, narrow minded, bigoted, bully.
Thank you!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Doing atheism any favours? We do not behave in that stupid zealous way that you religious idiots behave. You are quite possibly one of the stupidest people I have met in my life, clinging to the idea of worshiping a Jewish Zombie that never does anything and clearly doesn't exist. You are one of the stupidest people I've met, and I've met many a stupid person in my life.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Obviously I hit a nerve. I apologize that my belief is different from yours, but insulting me won't change it. I wish you all the best with your art and future.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Oh dude... Dalai LAMA... not... llama...
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
...and that's coming from a carnal human being. We do not listen to wisdom coming from humanity. We rely on someone much more sanitary and intelligent, and I'm not ashamed to admit that.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
What do you mean a "carnal" human being? Do you mean I'm obsessed with sex, or that I am a man of this world. If it's the first one, then it's strange you would point that out, but if it's the second then yes I am a man of this world, and proud of it. And you fail to listen to wisdom from humanity, which people like me have an open ear to. And one of the things, I've realised as an atheist, is that the god of Christianity is intolerant and breathtakingly cruel. And that is why I would rather listen and enjoy my time with my family and friends, than waste my the in church.
👍: 0 ⏩: 2
Listen to this intellectual. The absolute weight of her argument is so effective. I reply with an argument to counter hers, and she relies with such intellect. "Leave me alone, atheist fucker." Even William Shakespeare would weep at the genius of that statement. And then, there's the fact that she blocked me, without letting me say my piece. I don't think this means that she was trying to avoid my argument, I think it means she was thinking "I want that to be the last thing said in this. Nothing else could possibly counter it."
(In case you didn't realize that was all sarcastic.)
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Leave me alone, atheist fucker. Stay out of my life.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I completely understand why you'd say this.
Have a blessed day 
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
You are a coward for flagging my comment as spam when it was a legitimate response. Is that how you handle it every time someone disagrees with you and you don't have a decent answer for it? What on earth do you do when someone questions your faith? Hide?
You can flag whatever you want as spam, but it won't change the fact that your attitude sucks and is pathetically self-centered. You SHOULD care that you're making people hate Christianity, but patting yourself on the back for being a Good Christian™ is apparently more important to you than the souls you're damning. You're saved, though, so I guess that's all that matters to you. I'm sure Jesus is VERY proud of you.
Christians like you seriously disgust me because of how thoroughly you miss the point.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
No offense, but who are you to judge me based on this stamp? Only God knows my heart and only God may judge me. Do you think Jesus would say it's okay to go about calling people a coward and saying that their attitude is awful when you don't even know who they are or what they do or why they made something like this stamp? Do you think that's the kind of attitude that Jesus would want from His followers? That is not how Jesus taught His followers to approach each other.
I'm not here to pick a fight with you or judge you or label you anything based on what little I know about you. Only God knows your heart and your intentions, and only He may judge you. And I have nothing against you. But Jesus also says to first look at yourself and take a look at your own attitude before you point any fingers at others. Perhaps instead of making those kinds of accusations, we could learn to ask more questions and approach each other more courteously. If you are a fellow believer, then we should be able to express our concerns in a more loving and respectful manner, not by labeling anyone a coward and judging them like that. Jesus says we are to love each other and have an attitude of love and peace. How strong is a church that quarrels amongst itself?
If you would like to talk about it, I'd be more than welcome to if we can be more kind and respectful to each other with our concerns.
👍: 0 ⏩: 2
"But Jesus also says to first look at yourself and take a look at your own attitude before you point any fingers at others."
funny fact is, that being said in Islam itself!
our Prophet Mohammed -peace be upon him- said it himself. don't ask yourself about your goods and bads. ask your friend what's your goods and bads. (in Arabic أنت مرآة أخيك)
there's another saying (if my memory serve me) but I can't say it since I can be proven wrong
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
The "coward" remark:
From my own experience in the last 8 1/2 years I've been on dA, there's a choice to simply "hide comment" if it's something you don't want to be public. The result is "Comment Hidden". Falsely marking a disagreeing comment as spam usually means that the other numerous "Flagged as Spam" comments on the deviation are the same thing: disagreement that the OP wants to hide without showcasing the fact that they hid a legit comment. That communicates as the OP preferring to pretend the dissenting comment didn't happen rather than defend the statement/belief they posted. That isn't exactly brave.
I see it all the time around here on religious stamps in particular where the deviant makes a proclamation about something they believe but either disable comments or mark dissenting comments as spam in order to avoid defending it. It isn't exactly brave to make statements of beliefs but avoid defending them.
I'm not claiming to be a perfect Christian nor do I ever. I'm just very, very tired of the mindset I see in this stamp and the comments from those who agree proclaiming how much they don't care if they make people angry and hate them (thus the "I'd rather be hated by the world for loving God") even though in reality the world is hating the religion, not the person. Far too many Christians don't seem to care if they turn other people off of Christianity when the opposite should be true.
I've spent most of my life since childhood having to deal with the repercussions of OTHER Christians having that attitude. I catch hatred and venom from non-believers all the time because of the damage that has been done to them in the past by the "I don't care who I piss off!!" crowd. I've gotten sick and tired of being labeled an arrogant Bible thumper because of that "I don't care who I piss off!!" crowd, and I've gotten really sick and tired of seeing how many people that "I don't care who I piss off!!" crowd has hurt permanently.
So yeah, when I'm brushed off about it I am going to get frustrated and blunt because so many kids who have that attitude act like brick walls. I do believe that you would, too. Most people don't take kindly to being brushed off concerning a subject they care about.
I'm not inclined to be Mary Poppins about it when people are continually telling me how much they hate Christianity because they think it's full of horrible arrogant people. Why do they think Christianity is full of horrible arrogant people? Because so many have the attitude showcased in this stamp.
"That is not how Jesus taught His followers to approach each other."
And I was brushed off and ignored after bringing up a valid problem with the mindset of this stamp and the resulting damage that is done to non-believers.
Jesus told His followers that they needed to lead other people to salvation through witnessing, too. The aforementioned mindset of "okay with being hated by the world" is the exact opposite of that.
Christians wouldn't catch so much hate from "the world" if they'd exhibit even the slightest concern about the fact that the world hates them. As I originally said in my comment you falsely flagged as spam, it's perfectly possible to openly be a Christian without making the people around you hate you. Most of the time when that attitude is received it's because the person has insisted on shoving their beliefs in other peoples' faces regardless of whether or not they want to hear about it. Christianity is the primary religion with that in-your-face-whether-you-want-it-or-not attitude, and that is part of why we catch hate. Our relationship with God is a personal one, so I don't understand why so many broadcast it all over the place constantly to the point of making non-believers sick of hearing it.
"How strong is a church that quarrels amongst itself?"
Part of the problem with how today's church is viewed is the fact that nobody within that church is speaking loudly enough to be heard over the masses. If more Christians were willing to speak up about issues like how many non-believers are being chased off by the Christians who don't seem to care what outsiders think, those same non-believers would benefit from the course-correction.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thank you very much for taking the time to clarify and explain what you were coming from with all this. I was unaware of your intentions at the time. The comment you left read more like rude and pointless bashing. Those kinds of comments are inappropriate and resemble bullying, and, as for many comments that read that way, it is better to avoid confronting it head-on at the expectations of those who are just simply looking for a fight. Those kinds of situations happen all too well and don't solve anything because the sender isn't looking to have a mutual and mature conversation, let alone show any respect to the one they disagree with. Also, everyone has a right to ignore such spiteful comments, as it indicates that the sender is not willing to show enough respect to the artist despite disagreeing. Your intentions were not very clear to me. So I apologize for the misunderstanding on my behalf.
Again, thank you for clarifying. Your interpretation of the message on the stamp is not the one that I had intended when I created that stamp. Our interpretations of said message are entirely different, and so you had also misunderstood my intentions as having an attitude of "I don't care who I anger" when I didn't mean that at all. We have both made the mistake of misunderstanding each other's intentions.
I apologize for the confusion. I had thought that I made the message clear by explaining it in the author-description section. Whenever I do receive those kinds of comments, a lot of the time it's because the sender doesn't bother to read the description. Your misconception of the message seemed very much like it was just as evident that you were making the same mistake.
Also, I'm not sure if you knew that the stamp is animated and that the entire message is not just "I'd rather be hated by the world for loving God". It's "I'd rather be hated by the world for loving God than be loved by the world and shunning God." And yes, that second part does make a big difference.
For your convenience, I will paste the author-description here in bold:
"I'd rather be hated by the world for loving God than be loved by the world and shunning God."
"It is not uncommon for others to desire acceptance. Many fear rejection. But what good will it be to gain acceptance by compromising your faith? Love should never be at the cost of your faith in God/Jesus.
God's love is eternal. He already knew you even before you were born. He loved you so much that He sent His Son Jesus to rescue you from eternity in hell in which we deserve for our sins. He did that for you. Future eternity in Heaven with God will be worth so much more than anything we can gain in the world today. So is it worth it to deny your faith before others?
"What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26)
It is guaranteed that not everyone will be accepting of believers. It's not easy to deal with, especially to experience having friends and loved ones even reject you. But if you were ever put in a situation in which the world is against you, who would you choose to side with? The world or God? Where does your allegiance lie? When it all comes down to a great big shaking in our comfort zone, where will we turn to?"
As explained in the description, the message on the stamp was about how Christians shouldn't focus on gaining the acceptance of the world at the cost of their godly virtues. It's about choosing not to compromise your Christianity even if others don't agree/approve of it. This is especially true when it comes to things like what the world thinks is okay and what God declares is sin. What's popular isn't always right, and what's right isn't always popular. What is legal and acceptable to the world isn't always okay in God's law.
If someone ever pressures a Christian into doing something that is un-biblical, then the Christian has to accept that God is first and he/she must obey Him, even if that someone rejects the Christian. I have even seen instances when problems arose just because a non-believer is offended over someone being a Christian and whose virtues the non-believer disagreed with. It's even happened to me too.
This stamp was made in 2011. At the time I wasn't aware that anyone could interpret the stamp in a negative "light" like the way you did. Many of those who approved of the stamp had read the description and understood the message perfectly.
Thank you for reminding me that how we communicate and present the message we intend to share is an incredibly big deal, though it's not always so easy to spot a potential misunderstanding. Perhaps this is a lesson for the both of us.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
You know, even when I am not a Christian, I see no reason to slam on all of you. Sure, I don't agree with it, but it doesn't mean that I would insult all of you. To me, that is wrong, and so, I just wanted to say that I respect you all.
a friendly user.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thank you... Because if the world had such wisdom as you have in this comment we would be better off.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
No, thank you, for the kind comment.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Absolutely. Stand up for Him, even if you stand alone.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Some friends call me bigoted, closed minded, ignorant, and stubborn. No matter how hard the wind blows, it cannot move the mountain. My Mountain is God.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
People don't call Christians all of that unless they're doing something to warrant it. I've been a Christian for 20 years and have yet to be called any of those things, but I never try to shove doctrine down peoples' throats regardless of their willingness to listen, either.
That's a reason why I have such a beef with this stamp. We SHOULD care that we are making people hate us because we're not actually making them hate US. We're making them hate CHRISTIANITY. That only chases them away forever, and their souls are eternally lost. Do none of you CARE that you're damning people so long as you feel good about being a Good Christian™? Does patting yourself on the back make you feel THAT good?
The fact that so many Christians are PROUD of this attitude blows my mind! That is "missing the point" to the umpteenth degree. Jesus isn't proud of that!
👍: 0 ⏩: 4
Nah, people slam Christians even when they are nice.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Everything depends on context. When Jesus was here on earth, He was speaking truth and nothing but the truth. He wasn't watering stuff down to not offend someone. He shared what it takes to enter heaven and many, many people ended up not following Him. Yes, there is a right way and wrong way to go about things. We need God living inside of us, the Holy Spirit. We need discernment and be led by God. Sometimes people refuse Christianity because they see hate or hypocrisy and other times they just don't want to surrender their will to Jesus. Not everyone will be in God's kingdom because not everyone wants to give up their free will. Even though I was in the dark and now I'm in God's light and I know how happy people would be with Jesus because I am so happy, we each have a choice to make. I know there are haters everywhere but a lot of times people refuse Christianity because they don't want to surrender to Jesus and they feel they don't need a savior. That's why we need to pray above everything else and have God living within us. Sorry for the long post.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
You are wise in that statement.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
THAT IS GOOOD POINT I LOVE GOD TO
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Sometimes I just want to hear.... your not wrong.
and 90% of my life...
i'm not going to hear that. Sometimes it feels like you have to be as strong as a million to be a Christian.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
<= Prev | | Next =>