Railing against Christianity: same arguments, different coat of paint

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The reading for today was from Acts 21:26-32. It was a little too long to put here but I do encourage you to go read it. The basic summary of it is that many of the Jews were believing in Christ as the promised Messiah (yes those words mean the same thing but follow me here). Now there were still a few who were upset by this, claiming that the disciples were preaching a false doctrine even though there was no cause for this. We see earlier that Apollos was refuting everything(Acts 18:28) using the scriptures as a defense that was being brought up to say that Christ wasn't the one the Jews were waiting for.

 Because of this, in the passage for today, we see that there are blatant lies being brought against them, similarly to how they brought them against Christ. See what St. John Chrysostom says about this predicament: "Mark their habitual conduct, how turbulent we find it everywhere, how men who with or without reason make a clamor in public over...the things that most trouble them (Homily XLVI on Acts XLVI)."

It goes without saying that in the 1800 years distance between the time of this writing and today, society hasn't changed much in this regard. People still make a clamor in public over the things that most trouble them. I always find it fascinating that people are quick to say #notallmuslims and also take the vocal minority of American evangelicalism, a group that is less than 20% of the total amount of Christians in the world as the "norm." Or how people label it as a "white" religion, even though throughout the religion's entire history most of its members have not been white, that it was not until the rise Islam in the Middle East and North Africa, that "brown" Christianity(Christ belongs to all men regardless of race) was almost annihilated via country by country religious genocide.

Beloved, ignore the claims brought against us and our faith. Refute if you wish and if you have knowledge. But more so, love. St. Porphyrios says, "Do not wage your Christian struggle with sermons and arguments, but with true love." The church has endured far worse than mean words. Do not be disheartened but you see.