In my classroom, all the gentlemen stand up when a lady/girl enters. In the past several days, I have had all my students pen short essays on why they think I do that and their own reaction to our custom. Additionally, I asked them if they think there is a correlation between politeness and being a Christian. Here are some answers, all used by permission. Some are from eighth graders and some sophomores. Boys are in blue and girls are in pink.
If
Jesus tells us to love our brothers or neighbors, then I think that has to do
with being polite, too. Respecting your parents may be contradictory to this
because you have to obey them when they say be polite or else you’re not keeping
commandments.
-Matt Hopkins
Most
all of the Christians I know are polite. I’m a Christian and one of the first
things I learned was the Golden Rule; treat others the way you want to be
treated. The Golden Rule ties into politeness. If people are polite to you, you
should be polite back to them.
-Sydney Valentine
I
don’t think you can be an impolite Christian and make it to heaven- not because
of being impolite but the qualities that come with it. Also, being impolite can
ruin the fruits of the spirit- love, joy, peace, and patience.
-Justin Curtis
As
a Christian, I think it is important to be polite, even though you don’t have to
be polite to be a Christian. Jesus shows kindness and compassion with all the
other polite ways. As Christians we should be polite to strangers as well as our
brothers and sisters so our light of Christ may be shown.
-Taylor Scott
I
don’t think that there is a direct correlation between being polite and being
Christians. In my experiences, I have met many mannerly and polite non-Christians
that actually act better than some of the people I know that are considered
Christians. Also, I think that not being mannerly and polite is a detriment to
one if they call themselves a Christian. According to the Bible, we are supposed
to love our neighbor as ourself; how are we supposed to spread the Word if we
are impolite?
-Clayton Smith
Just
because you’re a Christian doesn’t mean you’re polite and just because you’re
polite doesn’t mean you’re a Christian. Someone can act like a Christian and may
be very polite but not even know who God is. Someone can also be a Christian
and not be the nicest person.
-Brittany Boudreaux
I
think in order to be a Christian you must be polite. I think there is no way to
not be polite while doing Christian duties. Take Jesus for example. When Jesus led people, the implication is that he was polite. Christians are supposed to treat everyone like family and love
everyone. Therefore you must be polite in order to show love, I don’t think
there is a way to show love without being polite. (Being polite shows
love.)
-Taylor Courtney
There
isn’t a relation between manners and Christianity. There are impolite Christians
and polite atheists. A polite person will have a better chance on getting
further in the world, but it has no relation with religion.
-Nick Leeson
I
think you need to be mannerly if you are a true Christian. If you are a true
Christian, you are trying to be as close as possible to the Word. We are supposed to follow
in Jesus’ footsteps. If we are being rude, we are not loving each other and if we
are not loving each other, we are not following in Jesus’footsteps.
-Brady Sosebee
Applicable quote of the day, # 1:
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