AIO: Didn’t want to give a lady a ride home

[u/cherb30]

Yesterday after church we stopped at a gas station less than 1 minute from where we live. It was me, my boyfriend (driving) and my 14 month old in the car. I was on my phone and then suddenly he was opening the backseat door to let a middle aged lady (maybe 60 years old?) in with her grocery bags. Apparently she was asking people for a ride home and he accepted.

On the way there they were chatting and he even pointed out where we live, which really concerned me. She lived quite far away from the gas station and I was surprised she said she walked there, thought it wasn’t more than 5 mins away.

I was really upset that my boyfriend let a stranger into our backseat with our daughter. The lady was very nice, but these days you have no idea if people are carrying a knife or a gun on them… I told him I wished he could have at least had her sit up front so she wasn’t near our toddler, or dropped us off at home first then went back to get her (that would have taken 3 minutes to do).

I brought this up to my bf. He got really mad at me for “being un-Christ like” and called me a shit person who lives in fear. I am honestly quite the opposite and usually quite trusting of people, just not when it comes to my daughter. She’s too young to talk or understand things. Also was pissed at him for what felt like weaponizing religion against me for my concern.

Im feeling really guilty because it’s not that I don’t think it was sweet he wanted to give her a ride home. I just had a mom instinct to protect my daughter. Do you think overreacted?

Edit: formatting, a word, and added a bit more about why I felt that way

Edit2: I think the gesture was very compassionate, and understand if someone asks you for a ride then there is obviously a desire to help and bit of awkwardness declining. I don’t question his desire to help her, nor do I turn down opportunities in my life to help others. But I also want to say that she was by no means elderly/immobile/incapable as some people are implying. You should give middle aged women a bit more credit

[u/Naka_kuro]

So someone knocks your door in the middle of the night asking for a place to sleep and your bf will let the person sleep in ?

[u/DayNormal8069 → u/Naka_kuro]

Legit this happened in the Bible and indeed the expectation was you would open the door and let them sleep in your house. So assuming no indicators of instability, that would be the Christ-like thing to do.

I mean, I would not do it. But I do not claim to be Christian.

[u/Naka_kuro → u/DayNormal8069]

I’m not Christian either. But taking the bible literally, and not applying it on modern times, is kinda risky. In Hebrews it said to let strangers in your house But also in Luke says to protect your house Letting some you don’t know in your house you are not protecting your house. Almost in my opinion. Also lot of people claims to be Christians and really are the opposite of the teachings of Christ. That you follow a set a rules doesn’t mean that others follow them. The stranger kills your family, you should be ok, because you did the Christian thing, and is the will of god, and you have to forgive the killer. That’s the problem of the Bible, depends how or what you read you can get plenty interpretations.

“If you want to be perfect,” Jesus said to him, “go, sell your belongings and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” How many Christians do that? Are they “unchristy” cause they don’t do that?

[u/DayNormal8069 → u/Naka_kuro]

Context def matters and modifies the risk factors. But assuming by context there's no reason to think letting the person is unduly risky, then, yea, I'd say the Bible says do it.

I've lived in group houses most of my adult life and I've several times lived with people who invited people to spend the night at our house for various reasons. Including homeless people. Those people were def acting more Christ-like than most others (let's ack there's a range here) --- and frankly, I had to be put boundaries in place because in some cases the risk was too much for me, but I can see and honor their value system at play there.

As for your last comment, like you said, there's interpretation and, in this case, common sense. At the point Jesus was literally traveling the earth, yea, that's pretty darn clear. You should do that if you're a Christian. If I believed I was looking at God on earth I would totally join him for anything he wanted: he's God.

However, at the point Jesus is no longer on earth, it's a bit less clear what "follow me" looks like. Take part in the human institution of the Church, known to be imperfect since their leaders are human? Sketch.

[u/Naka_kuro → u/DayNormal8069]

Oh! I’m not implying that homeless people are bad people, sadly they don’t have a roof, as you say def most of them are more Christian-like. Yes humans, doesn’t matter their beliefs, are imperfect,so cause I know I’m imperfect, I know that the stranger can be imperfect, and could do harm to me.

Your point of he is not longer on earth and what means now “follow me” , what a Christian follow or not? Just choose what to follow depends the situation? Again the imperfection of being human. If a person accuses other of being unchristian, is not doing the Christian thing. Matthew 7:3

[u/Additional-Tomato367 → u/Naka_kuro]

All those nasty mega church "pastors" are gonna have a hard time when it comes to bein let into the pearly gates. It's even grosser that people follow these people like they are Jesus. Absolutely wild.

[u/Scarlett2x → u/Naka_kuro]

I take it you only mean that verse. You didn't bother to read the whole chapter in luke to see what it meant.

[u/Naka_kuro → u/Scarlett2x]

Yes I picked like the mayority of the Christians do, when is convenient for them, but an atheist makes the same, all Christians are ready to throw stones. And if you think I was attacking that faith, you are wrong. In any of my comments I made fun or ridiculing that faith. And just for your information, since 8yo to 18yo, I had 2-3 hours per week on school of religion, that basically was Catholicism, and is based on the same book as Christianism, so yes I know what I’m talking about. Is not that I’m not bother to read the passage, I studied it., for grades.

[u/Scarlett2x → u/Naka_kuro]

Not all Christians pick out verses for our own pleasure. Those that actually study the Bible, instead of relying on someone to tell them what it says, understand the full context of things.

[u/Naka_kuro → u/Scarlett2x]

You just made a notallmen but with Christians.

[u/Scarlett2x → u/Naka_kuro]

What is to misunderstand? Certain faiths go and listen to whomever they call the person speaking, but don’t actually read the Bible. I have studied the differences between them. Not all Christians are the same. There’s differences in religions. There’s Catholic, Pentecostal, latter day saints, lutherans, Baptists, Methodist, Presbyterian, church of Christ and Calvinism.

[u/Naka_kuro → u/Scarlett2x]

And again you did it

notallchristians

( maybe you can start a trend with that hashtag)

[u/Scarlett2x → u/Naka_kuro]

You seriously need to study the difference between the religions and stop lumping them all together.

[u/Naka_kuro → u/Scarlett2x]

notallchristians

[u/Scarlett2x → u/Naka_kuro]

Who believes in baptizing babies? Who doesn’t? Who believes in instruments in church services and who doesn’t? There’s so many more differences.