Whenever the topic of religion is brought up an immediate tension usually settles on the discussion. There are a lot of opposing, so it’s hard to decide whether you should tip-toe around the point to avoid stepping on toes or just barrel on through and hope for the best.

On one hand, you probably won’t offend someone with the first method, but you also won’t get your point across. With the latter option, though, it is difficult to balance between a healthy debate and bashing.

Sometimes Christians are given a bad name, because people remember extreme, caustic cases. There are some people out there who do rudely shove their opinions at others and condemn them for their actions. This is not how it should be, though, nor is it how true Christians should act.

In the Bible, it says in Matthew 7:1-2, “Judge not, that you not be judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.”

I, myself, am a Christian and as Christians we are called to be witnesses of the Word. That doesn’t mean that if someone is living differently than our convictions that we are allowed to chastise them and try to force them to convert.

One of my favorite verses in the Bible that I think spells out the approach we should take to religion is in Matthew 7, verses 3-5, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

None of us will ever be able to completely fix our problems; it’s impossible this side of Heaven. For those who want to learn about the faith, however, we can go on the journey together.