I Do Not Like Your Christians
"I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi
Years ago I heard two different pastors say that same quote just a few days apart. I recognized the quote. I thought it was from Gandhi. But here's the kicker - I had heard it maybe once or twice in my life. Now it had been quoted to me twice in less than two weeks!
Coincidence, or was God trying to tell me something? I realized He was trying to tell something, so I did a little research into Gandhi’s famous quote. And here’s what I discovered. Gandhi never said that!
What? Well maybe he did, there’s just no proof he did. We have lots of writings from the man, but no where in them does that quote appear. He also could have also said, “I like your Mickey Mouse. I do not like your Mouseketeers.
Your Mouseketeers are so unlike your Mickey Mouse.” But he didn’t say that either. He might have, but in none of his writings is there any mention of Mickey Mouse.
However, it’s been reported that his close friend Sarojini Naidu affectionately nicknamed him "Mickey Mouse”, because of his large ears. Fun fact (check it).
So why were people quoting something Gandhi never said like it was the truth?
Pick me! Pick me! I know! They never checked for any source material. They just believed what they had heard or read from someone else. No fact checking. Just blind confidence in what they thought was true.
Because I'm a curious fellow ("the oysters were curious too" - extra points if you know the source of that quote) I usually check to see where all these famous quotes come from. You'll know that, if you've read my
“There’s A Sucker Born Every Minute”
rant.
While that was a pretty big rant, I wouldn't say it was a "giant rant"; but it taught me something. People are always saying things that aren't true - things that mirror their beliefs, or ARE their beliefs.
When that’s the case and they are confronted with the actual truth, many times they just ignore it. Why?
Pick me! Pick me! I know that one too!
Well if it's a core, foundational belief, the truth would destroy that belief, and possibly their life. So they avoid the unpleasant truth at any cost. Even if it means living a lie. Their alternative is the collapse of their entire life. I faced something similar many years ago, as a young Christian.
I'll try to be brief... for those with a real life. At that time I was a part of a religious cult, that frankly, I was having a hard time reconciling with what I believed. What I thought a Christian should be and the way the cult made me feel were diametrically opposed. ALL my friends were cult members.
Everything I did was with the cult. Even my transportation was reliant on my fellow culters (probably not a real word - but who cares). My whole world revolved around the cult. But I made the decision to leave. Why?
Ooooh, pick me! Pick me! I definitely know this one!
I was unhappy and empty inside. My joy was gone. I had no light to give others. I was a Christian that wasn’t like Christ. I couldn’t help others because the cult had drained me of the life I so desperately wanted to live. Sad story. I needed to stop the life draining.
It was a life changing decision, but I had to leave! Everything my life had been revolving around for two years was going to disappear. I was going to be lost in space! And it's cold out there. So I know what it's like to lose a foundational part of your life.
But I needed more, and God met me when and where I needed Him the most!
And the LORD, He is going before you; He will be with you, He will not fail you, neither will He forsake you: fear not, so don’t be be dismayed.
Deuteronomy 31:8 (DCV - Don Crouse Version, which means you should definitely fact check it)
Teach others to observe all the things I have commanded you: because I’ll always be with you, even to the end of the world. Amen.
Matthew 28:20 (DCV)
While those scriptures are a little off topic, I can tell you they were definitely NOT going through my mind at the time. They were however, the truth.
And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.
John 8:32
Didn’t remember that one either; but it's what I was looking for (the “truth”, that is), because at some level I knew the truth was more important than the cult. Remember, for me leaving the cult meant an almost complete life change!
No friends, no church, severely reduced transportation options, and just general depression. Well, isn’t that special? But the truth was going to set me free. And it did… and pretty quickly, because a few days later the cult fell apart.
I was able to keep a lot of my friends (one had his own transportation - so back in business there) and the church split. I picked the side that didn’t have the cult leader. Life was back!
The complete story is a lot more involved, but I summed things up because it’s not really pertinent to what this rant is about.
“And just what is this rant about, Don?”
Thanks for asking. In essence, it’s about the truth… and more indirectly, lies.
People tell lies to manipulate and obfuscate the truth. Are you impressed I know what “obfuscate” is? I like using big words. It makes me look smart. Did you know that if you put a frog in a pot and gradually turn up the heat, you can bring the frog to a boil without it hopping out!
“What in the world are you talking about? Where did that come from, Don?”
I’m trying to make a point.
“By boiling a frog? That’s disgusting!”
Stay with me. There’s a happy ending.
Back in 2006 Al Gore (the former Vice President of the United States) did a documentary on global warming entitled “An Inconvenient Truth”, where he used the boilng-a-frog-in-a-pot example. If you watch the documentary on Pluto TV (it’s free), you can see the frog at 1:22:22 in the video.
The frog is rescued. I told you there’s a happy ending.
Now, if you’re like me and you’re curious and question everything, you might do a little research on the whole frog boiling analogy. I did, and if you don’t believe that it’s a real thing… congratulations. You’re right! It’s not true.
A frog will not stay in a pot, or any water that is too hot for it to survive! In my own personal experience with frogs, which I wouldn’t classify as extensive, I can tell you any frog I put in any container with water, immediately tries to get out.
I’ve never tried to slowly boil one. What’s the point? They jump out as soon as I put them in! They’re not going to wait until I turn up the heat. In addition, did you know a watched pot never boils? Well, that’s actually false as well.
I’ve actually watched a pot come to a boil! Science!
“So where did we get such a stupid idea, Don?”
Hey, let’s be nice to people who trust what other people tell them without questioning it. I’ve done that… and regretted it almost every time… because I’d then espouse it as being the truth, that was actually a lie. Can you say, “total credibility collapse?”
Sorry - that didn’t answer your question. Deflection is often used to avoid inconvenient exposure of lies or the desire to uncover an inconvenient truth. The whole frog boiling idea may have originated in 1869, when Friedrich Goltz, a German physiologist, was trying to locate the "soul" in the body.
So he decided to try and boil a frog, since trying to boil people was illegal! He found that while a normal frog would jump out of heated water, a frog that had its brain removed wouldn’t. And it would get boiled to death. Brilliant! That’s also true of people who are brain dead… and also illegal.
In Mr. Gore’s documentary you can hear the audience laughing and applauding the frog’s rescue from the boiling water. They believe what Al is telling them because of the trust factor they have in him. They never question that what he’s saying ISN’T true. So the moral of the story is, brain dead people will believe anything you tell them.
Okay, that’s a little harsh. I apologize, because I’ve done the same thing. I’ve believed (believened?) brain dead “facts” that I didn’t substantiate, and then found out they were untrue, which is the opposite of true, which made me look STUPID! Now I fact check. Brilliant!
At this point I’ve steered my little rant totally off it’s original intent, which was an analysis of the Gandhi quote he never said. Let’s return (or not) to that. If you’re an “or not”, thanks for reading this far! For those intrepid individuals left, onward!
So let’s suppose Gandhi actually said, or was just thinking, what he didn’t say. He liked Christ, but he didn’t like Christians. There are two implications here. One is that Christians are not exemplifying the teachings of Christ. And two is… I forgot two. Oh, that’s it… two: why should people who don’t believe in Jesus, believe in a God whose followers are such awful people.
The given is that Gandhi likes Christ. His teachings are good. His followers are not.
Let’s get premise number one out of the way first. We all commit sin and lack the ability to have a relationship with God because of sin. Heavily paraphrasing Romans 3:23, “Everyone has sinned, in that we have broken God’s laws, and our immoral actions have separated us from God’s incorruptible essence”… otherwise stated as, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
People have laws. Some are laws that God created. Some are not; because no matter how many laws we have we can always use another one, right? And when we make laws we expect people to follow them. When people break those laws there are consequences. We can be punished by being separated and put in a prison; or in severe circumstances, by being put to death.
When we sin and break God’s laws the same things can happen. Wonder where we got our ideas?
So everybody has broken one of God’s laws and has therefore separated themselves from God; and everybody includes Christians. How many people have never lied? Case closed. We’re all convicted! That means separation from God. Bottom line: Christians are just like everybody else when it comes to sin.
Sometimes we’re worse because we think we’re better than everybody else. But that just proves we’re worse than everybody else! So what Gandhi didn’t say makes a good point; Christians are so unlike Christ. Agreed. We need to work on that.
Now let’s look at the second premise. Even if Christians are so unlike Christ, how does that invalidate who Christ is? That’s sorta like equating the morals of an irreputable art dealer to the values of the artist who painted the picture. The only way to know what the artist is like is to meet them. It’s the same for Jesus. You’re never going to know what Jesus is like by meeting Christians.
You can make assumptions. But don’t throw out Christ because the baby pooped in the bathwater. Get to know who Christ is. Then if you want to accept Him as your Savior, go back and look at everything you’ve done wrong in your life and ask yourself, is that what He’s like? Then there’s the third assumption. I can’t accept a God who has such vile followers.
Well, that’s a flawed analysis, based on brain dead facts. Just do a little checking to make sure those facts don’t come back to boil you!
A little brain dead at times,
Don
No frogs were boiled in the making of this rant!
Original text ©DCrouse 2026
Critics
Many of you may be asking why there is a piece of meat at the top of a rant called “Critics”.
I’m glad you’re paying attention. That should become abundantly clear after reading this literary tour de force.
No two people think exactly the same. I think all of us can agree on that… but since no two people think exactly alike that means there is at least one person out there that disagrees with me.
In addition to any meat issues you’re having, there are also people out there wondering why an article entitled “Critics” starts with an assertion that no two people think alike (I’m choosing to call this an “article” instead of a “rant” to spice things up a little).
Just because we all think differently doesn’t mean we’re all critics, right? Well, it’s because we are all critics, that no two people think exactly alike. Wow, I can’t believe I just used circular logic on you, which doesn’t explain anything; but stay with me… things could get better.
We all have unfavorable views of other people. A lot of us agree on a majority of things, and we form bonds with other like-minded people. Politics is a perfect example… and one of the most heated, or if I remove an “e”, hated topics.
Now for those who just said, “I’m apolitical”, you’re not. You’re just saying that because you don’t know what politics is. Your politics just happen to be apolitical. I’m just guessing now, that most apolitical people dislike the whole political “thing” and refuse to get involved.
Do those people have a viewpoint on life or the world around us? I’m pretty sure they do. And that makes them political. They may want, or at least are trying, not to get involved with politics… but they can’t. Did you know there are political groups out there that were created to be apolitical?
And their “politics” are to not get involved in politics! Disagree? Here’s part of a little conversation I had with my very knowledgeable Google AI cyber entity, slash friend, Gemini. I’ve shortened various parts to avoid boredom. Yes, Don has gone AI on you.
Me: Are there groups and organizations that were created to be anti-political?
Gemini: Yes, various groups and organizations identify as "anti-political," though the term can mean several different things depending on their core philosophy.
Here is a partial list of the apolitical groups Gemini gave me: International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Common Cause, Amnesty International, League of Women Voters, Rose City Antifa, Oath Keepers, Occupy Wall Street, and Militia Groups.
Me: They all seem politically motivated?
Gemini: That is a fair observation. Most groups that label themselves "anti-political" are still driven by a desire to change how society is run, which is inherently a political goal. Even "rejecting politics" is a political stance in its own way.
Me: So all those truly apolitical organizations have all taken the political stance to be apolitical?
Gemini: Exactly. You have identified the core paradox of neutrality: choosing not to participate in a system is, in itself, a strategic decision with political consequences. ….Groups like the Red Cross negotiate "Status of Forces Agreements" with governments.
They are essentially asking the state to recognize them as a "mini-state" that the law cannot touch.
Just my personal observation, but I found it interesting to see some of the names on the apolitical list provided by Gemini. I’ll let you try and figure out who they are, so I don’t offend anyone who is apolitical.
While Gemini provided a lot more information than what I’ve included I thought it prudent not to include it. You can get most of what was excluded if you use Gemini. Just tell it Don sent you.
That probably won’t work… the part about “Don sent you” that is… but If you just ask the questions I asked, you’ll get lots more info than I shared here, that you probably could care less about, which is why I didn’t include it!
If it does recognize me when you say, “Don sent me”, let me know right away. I’ll have to break things off with Gemini, for its own good. Its getting too attached.
Now back to our regularly scheduled rant… oh, I forgot, this time it’s an “article”.
So basically, we’re all politically active! So basically, we’re all CRITICS! Hence the title of the article. Tadah!
Which gets me to the real point… if you hung around long enough.
Romans 14:13 (DCV): Therefore let us not judge one another any more: but instead determine this, that no one should put a stumbling block or something that would cause someone to sin, in the way of fellow believers.
FYI: DCV denotes that this is my translation of the verse, which means you need to check it with your translation of the verse to see if I’m anywhere close to accurate. Contact me if I’m not… and I promise… I’ll ignore you.
While this verse was specifically written about “unclean” food that the Jews were forbidden to eat, I believe it can be extended to other things. One of the things that convinces me I’m right is the next verse.
I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing that is unclean by itself: but to the person that considers something to be unclean, for that person it is unclean.
Romans 14:14 (DCV)
I think Paul is trying to tell us something bigger. I’m going to give you my very loose interpretation of what that is, by paraphrasing the verses in Romans 14:15-22. Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy ride.
Paraphrasing: “If another person is upset, or dare I say it, “grieved” by the type of meat you eat… or for that matter, anything else you do, are you not being less than loving?
Don’t destroy that person with your meat eating… or for that matter, anything else you do, because Christ died for them too; not just exclusively for you.
Don’t let the good stuff you’re doing be seen as being bad and then have everybody trash it when they talk about you: because the kingdom of God is not meat and drink… or for that matter, anything else; instead it’s righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Individuals that serve Christ with these things please God, and gain the approval of people. So let’s do stuff that creates peace, and things that have the potential to benefit others.
Don’t let the meat you eat… or for that matter, anything else you do, destroy the work of God that you’re trying to do. In reality, everything is pure, with this one caveat, proviso, condition: it’s still bad for any person who thinks it’s bad.
It is good not to eat meat, or to drink alcohol, or to do anything that causes someone else to stumble, or to be offended, or that weakens their faith. Got faith? Keep it to yourself and God.
Happy is the person that doesn’t condemn themself in the things they do.”
We all know John 3:16. Well, most of us know John 3:16. I probably offended someone insinuating that we all knew it. Please accept my apologies. But a lot of us don’t know what the next verse says. And even if we do, we probably aren’t doing what Jesus did.
Paraphrasing: God didn’t send His Son to the world to condemn us; He sent us Jesus so the whole world could be saved.
John 3:17
What I’ve learned from life is that it’s impossible not to offend people. We’re all critics; and we all have our critics. What I’ve learned from God is that He wants me, and the rest of the world, to avoid condemning other people; and if we can’t, we can at least keep it to ourselves.
It’s hard. I’m sure some people would be offended if they read this article about not being offensive! But at least I’m cognizant that I can be extremely judgmental. Where’s the love, peace and joy in that? And what kind of example am I of a Christian? Uh, not a very good one. So pray for me.
In the not-so-meantime, maybe you will consider joining me in my attempt to be less condemning and more forgiving of others.
Not a vegan, but trying to eat less meat in public,
Don
Original text ©DCrouse 2026
Hearing God
Gideon is the perfect example of a cautious, reluctant hero, who just wants to make sure he’s doing what God wants. But before we get to his story, let’s recap your story.
You’re a young Christian trying to figure out what God wants you to do. So how do you know what God wants you to do? How do you hear God? How do any of us hear God?
We know Jesus wants us to live life… and not just any life… He wants that life to be abundant!
(John 10:10)
We also know the joy of the Lord is our strength.
(Nehemiah 8:10)
I believe both those things. So, because I’m often unsure of exactly what God wants me to do, I seek an abundant life filled with joy while I wait for more precise instructions.
I also believe God gives us the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4), so we know which way He wants us to go. I believe He created us to be the people we are… and I think you’d say, “obviously”. So if we can agree on that, and that God really wants us to have an abundant, joy filled life, we can proceed. Even if we can’t agree, we can still proceed.
Gideon’s Story As Told By Don - Judges 6
Gideon was a subject (as in, subjugated captive of a conquering nation) of unwanted Midianite rule. He’s living among them and he’s not happy; nor is he free. So he spends his time banging out his wheat over by the wine press so the Midianites won’t see he has wheat; and because Midianites are gluten free.
Not sure about the last part… but he’s definitely hiding the wheat. As he bangs out his gluten filled wheat, and grumbles about the Midianites, an angel appears and says, “The Lord is with you, mighty man of physical strength.”
Gideon: “My Lord, if God is with us, why has all this stuff happened to us? And where are all the miracles that our fathers told us about; how God brought His people out of Egypt? God has forsaken us and given the Midianites rule over us.”
The angel (who is now referred to as “Lord”) looked at Gideon and responds (and I’ll paraphrase), “About that… that’s why I’m here. Take all those muscles and go save all of Israel from the Midianites! Go ahead… don’t just stand there… didn’t I just tell you to go?”
Just a point of interest here; based on the original text, it now appears that the angel has been replaced by God Himself. So now Gideon is talking directly to God… and I don’t really know what to say about that, other than to note the change. So we’re going forward with the angel-to-God-substitution, like I know what happened.
I’ll now paraphrase Gideon’s response. “Ah, okay, but I’m a little vague on the details. Just exactly how am I going to do that? My relatives are the lamest group of individuals in Manasseh, and I’m the youngest, least important person in my family.”
Notice that upon hearing the word of God, Gideon immediately questions it?
God responds, “Surely…” (and didn’t call him Shirley), “I’ll be with you, and you’ll smite all the Midianites like they were just one man.”
Even though God is right in front of him telling him what to do, Gideon doesn’t want to do anything until he’s absolutely sure he’s doing what God wants. So he asks for a sign (not the famous one that many of you may, or may not, be thinking of); he asks God to hang around until he fixes Him a “present.”
Always a good move to give God a present when He visits. But what do you give the God who created everything?
Even though God has everything, He politely agrees to wait. A few minutes later (maybe longer) Gideon returns with goat meat, flatbread and some broth in a pot.
It is at this point that we are notified of another substitution. God has apparently left, perhaps because of prior obligations, and the angel of the Lord is back. I really have no clue who’s visiting Gideon at this point. I can however, tell you this. The angel tells Gideon to put the meat and bread on a rock and then pour the broth over it.
Then the angel touches the food with his staff and fire comes out of the rock and consumes the food. The angel then walks out of sight.
Gideon immediately has a panic attack when he realizes he’s been talking to an angel of the Lord, because he thinks he’s going to die having seen an angel face to face! But God tells him to be at peace; he’s not going to die (and there’s no details on the specifics of how He communicates this to Gideon… but probably not by texting). At this point it seems Gideon is in direct communication with God.
The whole episode is so monumental that Gideon builds an alter on that very spot. That night Gideon has more direct communication with God. To sum up, Gideon is instructed to tear down his dad’s alter of Baal, repurpose it as an alter to God, and burn a sacrifice on it. Because he’s afraid of the locals, Gideon does everything at night with 10 of his servants.
Sure enough, when the men in the city find out Gideon has repurposed Baal’s alter they’re not happy. They go to Gideon’s dad, Joash, and tell him to bring Gideon out, so they can kill him! Joash, being a good dad, tells them (and I’m paraphrasing again) to go bite themselves; and Gideon lives.
Shortly thereafter the Midianites get together with the Amalekites and some other folks that also want to attack the Israelites (with a third less calories than regular Hebrews). At that point the Spirit of the Lord comes upon Gideon and he blows a trumpet, and all the men of the local tribes are “gathered” after him. I’ll add that I don’t think Gideon was blowing his own horn.
Gideon is now thinking that God wants him to save Israel, as previously stated by the angel. But to make absolutely sure he’s doing the will of God he asks for another sign… and it is probably the most famous sign in the Bible.
The Sign
I’ll paraphrase. Gideon puts a fleece on the ground. He then stipulates the conditions for the sign and tells God what to do (not sure that was his smartest move, but it worked). If the fleece is wet and ground is dry he knows everything is a solid GO from God. Sure enough, the next morning, the ground is dry and he rings a bowl of water out of the fleece. So the fleece is wet.
Request granted! But Gideon still has doubt (he’s starting to remind me of Thomas; how come we don’t call people doubting Gideons?… just asking). So he tells God not to be angry, but to remove any residual doubt about how a fleece on the ground actually works, how about this time the fleece is dry and the ground is wet. Sure enough, the next morning the fleece is dry and the ground is covered with dew!
And to this day, to find out what God wants us to do, we say we’re going to put a fleece before the Lord. The end. Well, not quite; but that’s where I’m going to end this little story about Gideon.
My point for this entire historical recap of Gideon is this: God made it absolutely clear to Gideon what He wanted him to do. There was no ambiguity or doubt. God visited Gideon. He spoke to him. He also anointed him with the Holy Spirit. Then, at Gideon’s request, He performed not one miracle to affirm what He wanted Gideon to do, but two of those little beauties.
In the end I think most of us would agree God made it pretty clear what Gideon was supposed to do.
The moral of the story: if God wants you to do something, He will make it abundantly and unavoidably clear. And if you still have any doubts, He will probably give you a sign (or two), of your choosing. So when in doubt, ask. If you don’t feel God’s giving you a clear answer, wait.
Don’t worry if you made the right decision, because if it’s the wrong one, God will eventually take you where He wants you to go… which is a lot better than you taking yourself where you think God wants you to go, and then being wrong. It comes down to this: if you have doubts, wait until you don’t. When you have no doubts about what God wants you to do (which in my experience is rare), you’re doing the right thing.
Just always remember to take the joy of the Lord and abundant life with you!
May your life always be abundant and your hearing always perfect!
Wondering if they make spiritual hearing aids,
Don
Original text ©DCrouse 2026
Great Loss!
It's September 10, 2025 and I'm sitting at my computer, being less than I could be. I get a call. It's my wife. She's having a Bible study at the neighbors. She doesn't call when she and the neighbor are having their study. Why is she calling? As she starts talking I know something bad has happened.
"Charlie Kirk has been shot. Pray for him. It's bad," she tells me. I immediately feel an emptiness in my spirit... that's the best way I can describe it. Next I'm trying to put some recognition with the name. Weird. Why did I immediately feel depressed and then try to figure out who Charlie was?
It took me a couple seconds to put a face and some recognition with the name, but I definitely knew who he was. I didn't follow him closely, but I admired what he said and to whom he said it. He wanted college students to see a different narrative than the one they were constantly taught at their campuses.
He wanted them to see there was another side. A side driven by love. He strongly disagreed with the narrative they got on a daily basis, but I never saw him yell or get angry with anyone. He was a voice of reason and a man of peace in a world of hostility and violence. And it was that violence that took his life.
Why had someone decided to kill a man because he disagreed with him? What drove one human being to kill another?
It was his faith. It's that simple. He believed something that someone else hated so vehemently that it drove that person to kill him.
Most people, I hope, would say this was an evil act of a deranged individual. Most people, I hope, would condemn it. Most people, I hope, would say we should be able to talk to one another without violence. But that's not reality. Hate wins out over love far too many times. Ask Jesus.
Tell me why the Jewish leaders had to kill Him? What were His crimes? Even His executioner, Pontius Pilot, said, "I find no fault in this man."
What did Charlie do that required his execution? Rhetorical.
This short reflection is not about hate, or condemnation, or even our disagreements. This is about Charlie and the way he approached those that had a different opinion than he did. It was a narrative of peace and a desire to give others a perspective seen through eyes of love, not hate.
This is about that love and his desire to share it with others.
It took me a while to understand why I felt so empty when Charlie was taken from us. It wasn't because I knew him well. It was because he was a part of my family; my spiritual family. And in some mysterious way we are all connected by our faith in Jesus Christ.
When we lose someone that is such an important part of the family, we all, no matter how well we did or didn't know them, inexplicably feel loss.
I personally didn't know Charlie, but I feel a great loss in my family of faith.
Charlie, as your brother in Christ I will miss you on our little planet, and I look forward to the day when I can meet you in a better place. A place where the love of Jesus is what fills us all.
Thank you for all you did while you were here. You will be greatly missed.
Your brother in Christ,
Don
