Aren't we supposed to be fishers of men?

I was inspired to write this hub after reading a hub by my friend, Ananta65. http://hubpages.com/hub/Letter-to-God

I also happened to read a hub by T.keeley.

http://hubpages.com/hub/Why-Christians-get-bad-wraps

I post these hubs with only one simple request. Read these with respect to the authors and their words, and read these with an open mind in regards to your religious or non-religious beliefs.

Mark 1:17 says "And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.", but where exactly have we as Christians gone wrong? God wants us to be shining examples of what it truly means to be Christ-like as we go about the business of winning souls for him, but at what cost? Between the many accounts of false prophets and the audacity of many self-righteous Christians who demand respect for what they have to say, but will damn to hell anyone who disagrees with their beliefs and doctrine, it's amazing that there aren't more atheists in the world.

By my own experiences and my own beliefs, I am a God fearing and God serving Christian. What this means is that there was a time in my life where I doubted the existence of God like many others have. I looked at the world around me, and the events that took place in my life and like many have questioned, "If you are real God, why won't you do something about this world?!". It was only through my own journey that I came to my present belief, and it's that same journey of self-discovery and self-awareness that leads anyone to the beliefs that they have. It does not matter whether you are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, atheist or otherwise, forcing your beliefs on a person will not convert them, but it is a great way to make an enemy.

Mohandas Gandhi is revered in India as the "Father of the Nation" and Mother Teresa was beatified by Pope John Paul II. Martin Luther King, Jr. organized a 1963 equal rights march on Washington, D.C. that drew 200,000 people. The common thread that all of these people share is that not only did they teach and practice social change through nonviolence, but they taught and practiced this to the thousands that followed them. Then, I take a look at David Koresh who managed to have more than a hundred followers listen to his message, and I notice the similarities in false prophets, con artists, and those selling pyramid schemes. None of these people had to yell their views to gain followers or respect yet people were faithful to them.

I choose to live my life like one of my favorite bible verses, Romans 12:2 which says, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." I've been in the wrong, and I've done wrong. I have no one to blame but myself during the times I could have done the right thing, but chose to do wrong instead. This is our gift of free will. I fight hard every day to do the right thing because the wrong thing is so easy and sounds like so much fun to do, but I know the value of good living. I live in this world, and I have a love and respect for everyone else that lives here, but it is my right to choose my own path and stay on the side of good judgment while others would choose to err. I also believe that because of my beliefs, it is my obligation to not only set an example I'd want others to follow, but also to respect others for the paths that they have chosen. There will always be those around me whose actions I don't condone, but it is also not my place to condemn.

The point of everything I have said is that free will is what sets everything into motion. Every person has the choice of hurting or helping others just like everyone has a choice of who they intend to serve. The important thing to remember is that if you are a Christian, you aren't meant to lambast another person who does not share your belief system in an effort to "save" a non-believer, and if you are an atheist, it is not your right to enthusiastically degenerate another's religion as you attempt to use logic to explain away the fallacies of faith. I happily share my beliefs with others as I work hard to not only set a good example of what a Christian is, but also an example of what it means to have love and respect for others even if our beliefs differ.