At the beginning of Meredith Wilson's The Music Man, a group of traveling salesmen talk (or semi-rap) about one other traveling salesman named Harold Hill. In the movie version, just before that scene, one of the salesmen is running onto a train, being chased by angry people from the town. One of the townspeople makes a comment that they've made it clear that traveling salesmen are not welcome in their town. That salesman comments to the others on the train that Harold Hill is, in his exact words, "giving us all a black eye," as the next traveling salesman to come after Harold Hill is "tarred and feathered and rode out to the city limits on a rail." Why? Because Harold Hill is a fraud, and when people have been ripped off by a traveling salesman who turns out to be a fraud, they're not willing to trust the following traveling salesman.
I've seen this same situation concerning Christians. There are many Christians that are kindhearted people. There are many Christians that are anything but hateful or homophobic. However, so many non-Christians have been very heavily ridiculed by Christians that are hateful, homophobic, spreading fear, bigotry, and discrimination, all in the name of their faith. They're no longer able to trust Christians who are kindhearted, loving, and accepting of LGBT people and people of other faiths. I came across a discussion on the internet where one person was being ridiculed for being a Christian, one comment made was from someone who commented about having been hurt enough times by Christians to know better, and that person then said words to the effect of "you're all hateful bigots."
It is true that non-Christians have a pretty big burden to bare as well, due to the behavior of Fundamentalist Christians. People of many different faiths have the burden of negative stereotypes, mostly spread through lies and misinformation by Fundamentalist Christians. There is a difference here. We Christians have to face the fact that this negative image given onto us is not just bad press. It is from peoples' honest experiences and cold hard facts about many that identify as Christians.
Are there ways to deal with this? The main thing we can do is when we have a chance under appropriate circumstances, to make open statements (via social media or anywhere else) saying that we are deeply sorry for the pain that our fellow Christians have caused all of these people. We can openly show empathy, and admit that we have a responsibility. We can also do what we can to be positive examples of Christians as parts of our churches and other faith communities.
In the end, however, we have to also accept the fact that some people have closed their hearts to Christians, and we have to accept that it is for valid reasons.
Shalom!
