This May Shock You: 5 widely accepted myths about Christianity busted
By EEW Magazine Online Editors // Christianity
At a time when religious skepticism is growing and more people are abandoning the faith, guard your heart and mind against false revelation.
The only way to accomplish this is by following the instructions of 2 Timothy 2:15 and being diligent in your study of God’s word. God will give you insight and illuminate your understanding if you do two things: ask Him and set aside study time.
If you have ever found yourself in the pitfall of Christian myths, your situation is not unique. Think about how many untruths we believe without questioning them.
Here are few examples: if you swallow gum, it stays in your stomach for seven years; dogs can only see in black and white; we only use ten percent of our brain; cracking your knuckles gives you arthritis; or putting your purse on the floor creates bad luck for your finances.
That last one might be the silliest one, but you get the idea.
These are just some common myths that have been accepted as truth, often because large groups of people have believed them for a long time and passed them down through generations.
There are lots of myths folks embrace about Christianity, too, but they may be shocked to find that these beliefs contain no truth whatsoever.
Here is EEW Magazine’s brief list of Christian myths busted, in no specific order.
Myth #1: Some sins are worse than others.
Millions believe that there are major sins and minor ones, as if wrongdoing can be categorized or measured on a sliding scale from big to small. That’s not true! All sin is viewed the same way in God’s eyes.
A lot of conservatives point out abortion, divorce, or murder as being among the worst sins, but they say nothing about gluttony, lying on their taxes, fornication, racism, greed, or xenophobia.
We all fall short of God’s standards daily. Every person needs God’s grace, and thankfully, it is available to each of us. No one has room to judge.
Myth #2 The God of the Old Testament is a God of wrath, and the God of the New Testament is a God of love.
There is no evidence or support for this theory in Scripture. God showed grace and poured out His wrath in both the Old Testament and New Testament.
In Genesis 32, Israel sinned against God, and the punishment according to the law was death. But God had mercy on them after Moses interceded on their behalf. In Acts 5—which takes place after Jesus died, rose, and ascended back to Heaven—God killed Ananias and Sapphira for lying.
No matter where you go in Scripture, you will find a balance between judgment and mercy, as both are equal attributes of the divine nature of God.
Myth #3 The Bible is against women in leadership.
Wrong. Scripture embraces, liberates, and celebrates strong, women leaders.
Some examples are Deborah, a Judge and Prophetess; Lydia, an entrepreneur and leader; the women at Jesus’ tomb, the first evangelists; and Huldah, a Prophetess and leader. There are many more scriptural models of women in leadership.
However, we cannot ignore some letters that have been attributed to the Apostle Paul that say women should keep quiet. But these views are expressed in the context of what was appropriate in that time and culture and do not reflect the superiority of one gender over another.
While certain roles excluded women in Scripture, it is undeniable that the influence, gifts, and resources of women were (and are) the backbone of the local church and Body of Christ in general.
Myth #4 Scripture contains error.
Nope. The word of God is infallible and inerrant. However, there have been inaccuracies found in translations of Scripture.
To be clear, ancient manuscripts contain accurate, eyewitness accounts of what happened in Bible days. The divinely inspired writers left a record for us which has been translated into multiple languages, most notably English. But the rich meaning of the untranslated texts in their original languages of Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic has not always been captured perfectly by translators.
But don’t confuse the fallibility of human translators with the fallibility of the Bible.
Myth #5 Scripture can only be understood by Bible scholars and intellectuals.
This is one of the biggest myths out there, and it keeps average folks from believing they can learn about the Bible and understand God’s ways. But 1 Corinthians 2:14 teaches us that the human mind is unable to conceive and accept the things of God. It takes the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth of the gospel—whether you are educated or uneducated.
The spirit of God is not delivered to us through fancy colleges and prestigious degrees but by faith in Christ.
Therefore, anyone who believes and communes with God, can receive revelation about Scripture through the Holy Spirit’s leading. Pastors and Bible teachers are sent from God to help us along the way, but there are no substitutions for personal study and direct communication with God.
Now that those myths are busted, how can you avoid being tripped up and fooled by others?
Easy! By studying Scripture faithfully. Run references. Understand that there is no such thing as new interpretation or divine revelation that is unsupported by what already exists in God’s word.
Most importantly, God never contradicts His word, and Jesus said that the Holy Spirit, the revealer of truth, always points back to Him (John 15:26).
So then, if the gospel doesn’t point to Jesus, it isn’t the gospel.
