The recurrent theme in the X-Men comics and the movies has always been alienation. People who are different, i.e. the mutants, trying to fit in, and finding peace with the humans. In X-Men 3: The Last Stand, a very interesting premise is made. A cure for mutation was discovered, and Rogue in the movie was swayed to take it, amongst other mutants. As Christians, we are also different, for we are called to be different, to walk in the light, and etc, which sometimes renders us unable to fit in with our friends, family, or colleagues. The learning point of the movie is to ask ourselves ‘how far am I willing to go in order to fit in?’

Make no mistake - peer pressure and conformity are powerful forces of influence. However, we ought to bear in mind that we are in the world, but not of the world. As Jesus puts it,

What are the common mistakes that we Christians often make in this aspect, and ought to avoid?

1. Do not Start to Close up

This is an apathetic response to our surroundings. Sometimes, in order to fit in, we repress ourselves. We find it easier to keep a tactful silence about our own beliefs, especially when we become intimidated by the opinions or prejudices of other people. Even though we don’t actually deny our faith, by our silence we get mistaken as people without Christian conviction, beliefs or identity.

Sometimes we suppress ourselves and remain quiet when we shouldn’t. For instance, what if we sit amongst friends who are talking about casual sex? Would we step out to defend celibacy till marriage, or keep quiet and let them say what they want? Sometimes, in our assumption of what is tactfulness, we are depriving ourselves of opportunities to bear witness, for our beliefs and lifestyle can be so radically different from the pre-believers that would at least make them curious enough to hear about why we believe in what we believe in. Maybe all they needed was for someone close to challenge them about what they are doing to catalyze a change in them.
Essentially, the saying ‘silence means consent’ reflects a general assumption that people make all the time.

2. Do not Sink to Compromise

Just like Rogue choosing to take the mutant cure in the movie, some of us attempt to blend in with the people we are trying to reach so well that we compromise our Christian standards. When we are outside of church, we would naturally have our own social circle of friends, many of whom may not be Christian, or devoutly Christian. That in itself is not a bad thing, as we are interacting with people who we can witness to. However, if in that interaction, we start to live as they do, then we may compromise the holy standards of God.

The Chinese saying that can be translated as ‘he who is near the red ink gets stained red; he who is near the black ink gets stained black” is very apt. No matter how resolute we are, the people we mix with have an influence on us, just as we have an influence on them. If the friends I mix with use vulgarities a lot, for example, it is altogether possible that the next word that comes to my mind when I am upset would be a swear word. The more dangerous thing would be to accept that sort of behaviour just because I want to be accepted by that group of friends as one of them.

The point to learn is not that we should disregard our non-Christian friends; we need to recognize that it is alright to be different from our friends. It is perfectly alright to stand for something you believe in, even though you may seem different, and to the eyes of a fallen world, you may even seem weird not to be doing the wrong things that everyone seems to be doing. Anyway friends do not always mix together just because they do the same things necessarily. In fact, if they are truly your friends, they should and would not expect you to compromise in the first place. If you can stand your ground firmly, then it may just make them stand up and take notice of why you are different, and see the God behind you.

3. Do not Settle for Co-existence

Just as Charles Xavier in X-Men dream of service and peaceful acceptance, as Christians, sometimes we get lured into the trap of mere service. I am not saying that service to our fellow men is a bad thing, but sometimes we get carried away by what we do in helping others, serving, and humanitarian work, but fall short of that one big step – to witness. Although we get accepted by the pre-believing people around us, and maybe society at large, but we are still walking the safe path.

We cannot just settle for co-existence where we are happy living our own little Christian lives, and our friends are living their own little pagan lives, and rest in the fact that there is status quo, that we are accepted and not persecuted. The Lord gave us one important command – to make disciples of all nations. We cannot afford to hide in our own comfort zones, and leave our friends, family, and loved ones to their eventual demise. This is why we evangelize – to ensure that the people we care about share in the same blessings and eternal life that we have.

Let us strive to be true X-Men – men of the cross!

Further Reflections