No it's not..Christians and religous people are, as people in general, no better than anyone else.

Not at all. In fact, I hold them in lower esteem for believing in religion: the oldest con in human history.

If you claim the title, you should follow all of the rules that apply. Their standards are different than someone who is not religious.

Yep. 'Christians' and 'Religious' people, are just human. They do try and live in a holy way, so if you see them being naughty, give them a gentle nudge in right direction...

Is it proper to hold everyone who has a religion up to a lofty standard? (That's a good portion of the population) Favoritism is never proper. Even people who are religious zealots tend to have more mental problems than anyone else.

No, it's not....but...(everyone's always got a BIG but...LOL)......As a Christian, I am called to obey God and His laws, and He quite clearly calls us to love one another and to be "good" so to speak. So, although it might not be fair....it is expected. And God knows we are only human, but that's not an excuse if we love Him and want to be like Him (in the case of Christianity at least). He holds us, who have His knowledge, to a higher standard and to be accountable for our sins. Therefore, we must do the same with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

No, they (we) are people just like anyone else. We all make mistakes, there's not a human on the face of the earth that's perfect. I consider myself a Christian, but I don't feel anyone should hold me up to any lofty standard. Just treat me the way you'd like to be treated.

We are all imperfect. Anyone who makes a claim to be perfect is a fool. I know all about how things are supposed to be in christianity. I grew up in that atmosphere. Christians are just like anyone else but with one exception. There is a goal given, and a christian is supposed to at least try thier best to meet it - even though it is impossible. That is to be "Christ-like". Christ showed kindness, mercy and compassion. He forgave and raised people. He was exceptional. We are not. I think that at times christians seem to forget thier own faults and come down hard on those of others. This is an individual trait and not that of all christians. Take for example the general hostility of christians toward homosexuals. In the christian's eyes they are sinners. If the person isn't christian then for them they are not. What's moreCongregations do not want a homosexual amoungst them - yet evey one of them is indeed a sinner. A homosexual person can be saved, regardless of his sins, just like everyone else but the congregation still sees it differently and doesn't embrace them. It is an attitude that very many christians embrace but I dislike greatly being that the christian should, according to thier own faith be more kind and compassionate than those around them. I think it casues strife in society and I think that there is some justification at times for a christian to be seen as a hypocrite. I personally would expect something exceptional from a christian Some christians have blown me away with thier kindness and generosity while others simply make christianity look bad.

I think that it is proper for a person to hold himself or herself to a higher standard than he or she holds everyone else to.

It's perfectly appropriate to hold people who act holier than thou and/or who tell others how they should act - a crime often but certainly not always committed by Christians (especially in bad suits on TV) - to their own higher standard. As for the rest? Of course not. They are human beings - good, bad, smart, stupid, etc. - like the rest of us. I even forgive some of them for their insufferable superiority complex when I hear things like "...he's behaving like a non-believer, not a Christian." in discussing a devout wife-beater.

we are all people doing what we deem is appropriate for our lives. no one is perfect.if you find yourself admiring people with ethics and moral standards, try adopting higher standards of your own, and hold yourself in high esteem.the irony of spiritual standards is what one might perceive as lofty is prolly what keeps the other person humble.

I think that we should hold all people to a standard that expects hopefully for them to recognize the dignity in all human beings and to love them to the best of their ability. The first step in being a Christian, and a continual step, is acknowledging that you are a sinner. Because of this it comes as no shock when Christians sin. However, while there needs to be a recognition of people's shortcomings, we need to be sure to emphasize the humanity, of that person, in a positive way. In other words, I believe that the standards we put forth for ourselves, should be the standards that we have for all people. This does not mean that we should walk around in judgment of those who fail to meet such standards, but that it there is a right way to act, we all are beholden to it.

Not necessarily, but when they say they are going to lay down their former lifestyle to live for Jesus, We should expect a change in some habits. Some things should start disappearing from their life. (I'll leave it vague so you can decide what those certain somethings are.)

Everyone is equal until proven guilty in my book.

As a Christian, I prefer not to put any human on a pedestal. Christians are no better or worse than anyone else. If I had a dime for every time I fouled up in my life, I could buy Rhode Island. :)

Yes, it is. In the bible, it is said that whatever standards you apply to others should be applied to you. Since Christians have high standards for other people's moral behavior and try to convert others to their way of thinking, they should be able to live up to the moral tenets that they preach. It's fair. I wouldn't decide to become a Buddhist if I didn't think I could meditate, nor would I become a Muslim if I wasn't willing to pray towards Mecca.

Is it proper? I suppose not. But, when you consider we (I'm speaking of certain Christians) who are often pointing our fingers at others and saying what bad people they are...yeah, then we should be. I read on here, some people all up in arms about stuff and I often wonder what skeleton is hanging out in their closet. So, to answer your question...should we be held to a higher standard? Yes. We should be loving human beings...period. That's how others will see God in us. Not by how "good" we can be. I came to God because a friend of mine was dealing with the same stuff I was. She was a Christian, and I wasn't. By her saying, "hey, I'm dealing with this too..." made me feel...not so alone. If she had come at me with an air of "I'm so perfect...look at me..." I'd have totally written her off and probably ran the other way. Ok, writing on Answerbag after about six hours total of sleep for the past three days...did any of that make sense? LOL

I am a believer, but no it is not proper, no more than it is for a religious ppl. to hold anyone else up to some lofty standard...we are all equal and imperfect and sinners....but let me tell u a secret, well its really not a secret but any believer who does this to anyone ,preacher, teacher,pope, priest, or rich, etc.or sect is in far more danger , because they KNOW better....

When you hold yourself above everyone else, you're expected to behave at a higher standard. I actually expect LESS of most Christians than I do, most teenageres. And I'm not generally disapointed.

Absolutely, if they are presuming to be better than others, either by scorn or condescension.

No one is perfect except God.

only IF they quit pretending to be so perfect!

technically no..unless you find them trying to hold others up to a standard they can't keep. If christians simply lived and let live, i doubt anyone would care. You don't find many posts on here flaming Hindus or Sikhs. Even the bad things said about muslims on here are more political and related to accusations of terrorism than about the religion itself. I think when people call Christians on their behavior it is more of a reaction to perceived hypocrisy (maybe not at that moment but the over the course of time). A classic case of that is Ted Haggard. His "sin' to many is not so much being a homosexual, but his bitter and passionate condemnation of such activity while partaking. I can't speak for everyone, but i grew up among christians who were great at pointing to every sin they thought everyone else was doing but somehow ignoring their own. two wrongs don't make a right but it is human nature to throw a stone back when you find sinners throwing them at you.

Ummm...no, lofty is not exactly the word I was thinking of, it was more like whack jobs and, yes, until such time as I meet one who is what they claim to be, they're one and all in the same category

only if they don't practice what they preach.

They usually feel that way about themselves! [I got DR'd to death pointing this out a few months ago.] ;-)

Sure it is. People have to at least try to do the right thing. They will make mistakes and will be forgiven by God if they are honestly trying to learn from their mistakes and be a better person.

Sure. They are very critical of everyone else. It's as it is with the republicans. They say homosexuality is bad, and 2 or 3 times a year one of them is outed. They say family values are important, yet the DC madam has a number of them in her black book. Christians go around saying 'yer goin' to hell' and then do all the things the evil people do. The evil people don't seem to judge others. Just christians. It's a hypocrisy thing.

You pretty much just answered your own question. This reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw once, "Being Christian doesn't make you perfect, just Saved!" And its true, just because we're Christian doesn't mean we don't make mistakes. In fact I think that since we become more conscious or aware of our mistakes we tend to realize that we're much a faulty people. HOWEVER!!! If I were to really consider the depth of the question, once could also say, "Yes! It is proper that we hold the Christian society with lofty standards." If one would really think about it, by doing so you would be keeping Christians accountable. Anyway, hope this helps!

no...just respect them as they should respect others...but not a lot of that from religious or non religious... we all fall short....but we can all be forgiven...and to get forgiveness , we have to give it first!....

No it's not proper but televangelists are a prime example of the type of people that are held in that lofty position. And they obviously welcome that type of admiration otherwise they would put a stop to it.

8-26-2017 [Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.] Nothing there about lofty standards or groveling for acceptance from others. A Christian is someone who believes the gospel and says so. Nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else.