Why Do Christians Not See...?
 

Not all Christians believe everything that's in the Bible. Some of them just pick and choose what to believe, but don't want to turn away from religion all together. Besides, why does it matter if it's /true/ or not, it's a belief. Beliefs don't have to be based off of fact or anything, it's just what a person or group of people think.

I happen to agree with most of what you said, whether it can be proven or not; however, the first thing that you said isn't quite right. Most denominations were started because members of the church wanted to run things differently, they didn't like how the church leaders were doing things, so they split off and started their own. They all basically believe the same thing. Yes, the Church of England (Anglican) was started by King Henry VIII who wanted an annulment from his marriage (which was obviously prohibited by the Catholic church), but that was the disagreement and greed of one man, not a group of people.

I'll do this backwards since you told me to back it up...

I'm not 'hating' on religion because it doesn't make sense to me, I'm 'hating' on it because I believe it promotes ignorance, servitude, and a lack of critical thinking. I believe the reason it makes sense to others is because from birth Christians are taught to never question what is in the Bible, which is completely against human nature and our natural thought processes.

All of the Bible stories were written after the death of Jesus...

I personally hate this argument. It's overdone. Yes, I believe in Darwinism. Yes, I believe in some variation of the Big Bang theory. I don't know where the first bacteria came from, but I'm almost certain your answer to the gap in knowledge would be God. Quick question for you then: where did God come from?

Criticizing beliefs and ideas is what Christians are best at in my opinion. Most can't stick to their own beliefs because they believe that if they go to church on Sunday and pray for God's forgiveness, he'll forgive them and they can just wash the slate clean each week and do whatever they want. That may not be what you believe in yourself, but I know Christians, I was a Christian, I talk to Christians on a daily basis and I see how they act. They're hypocrites. I've been handed pamphlets by Christians that say Halloween was a devil-worshiping holiday created by pagans. I've been told I worship the devil because I'm an Atheist. I've been told I have no morals because I don't believe in God. Again, these may not be your beliefs, but I believe them to be the beliefs of a majority. What I'm getting at is that you can't tell me that criticizing your belief is no better than shoving it down your throat. That's hypocritical first off, considering your religion is based on conversion, and illogical since I merely questioning what I've been told all my life by followers of Christ...

I think the main thing i don't understand about christianity is the whole adultery thing. A ot of christians don't believe in having sex before getting married, when that's such an old rule. In biblical times, it was harder to prevent pregnancies and to tell who the father of a child was, etc, etc. But now with birth control, there shouldn't be anything terribly wrong with adultery. And if someone never gets married, does that mean they should never have sex? I think that is silly. But of course, in biblical times, everyone eventually got married, most likely. Today, however, many people never do.

another thing my christian friend tells me is that if global warming does something bad to the earth, it's god's will. So while she cares about taking care of the environment, she does not care about recycling or wasting gas or anything relating to global warming. I think that is silly because it is up to people to stop wasting plastic bags, etc, etc. That isn't god's job to prevent global warming.

I've come to believe that people love fantasies. For some of them, the line between fantasy and reality gets lost and they get a religion.
I mean that's all religion really is, one big organized fantasy.
It's no different then a huge Star trek fandom, except the fandom is much older and more socially acceptable. Had it come about today, I'm sure that's how it would be viewed.

Funny that you say that, while we are all sitting on an avatar site dressing our avatars in accordance to a 'fantasy' outfit.

Shtona
I have no idea what religion you were part of. But, seeing as your own belief as an atheist is showing ignorance towards the fact that believing in something helps some people through life, giving them something to hold onto.


Actually, you sound pretty well to be hating on religions based on your position to attempt to bring down any form of 'god' that people may have. Also, 'lack of critical thinking?' Really? You mean the lack of taking into consideration morals people may have? Honestly. That is stupid. How the fuck does religion reduce someones mental ability to do thinking in critical situations.
Christians = Followers of christ. Pre-Christ = Jewish/Jews. I am pretty sure that was pretty self-explanatory if you read through the entire old and new testament.

Uhm, Dead Sea Scrolls, moses, transcripts passed down by his people in Leviticus-Numbers. I mean just saying, if you are going to throw out some bullshit you may as well have read the entire bible.

So.. why start it? Creating yet another religious debate among people. With the lack of faith in god wouldn't that mean that you can tell me for a fact where/how/when everything on the earth was created? How did it get to be here? If there was a 'big bang' and the universe was create who created it? How when this huge 'bang' went off did the planets/stars/creatures/plants/organisms not die from pressure, fire, the cause of the 'bang.'


Seems like you would fit in well with the Followers of Christ in my opinion. You seem to be doing a stand up job at criticizing Christians as a whole. If they can't stick to their beliefs wouldnt that make them hypocrits and not christians?
You know christians? You know every single one? I don't think I have ever met you before. Well, I had never met you when I claimed a belief.
So with them being judgemental you now hate every christian. Wow, real stand up person.
I am still failing to see anything for your arguement other than a bunch of spiteful things you have against christians.

Also: Double posting isnt allowed.

I am sorry. I keep forgetting I don't think for the most critical situation when I post in the debate forum. Christianity is the belief in christ. There are hundreds of branches in the christian religion for hundreds of different churches. So let me rephrase my statement. I have no idea which christian church you belonged to.

So where you said 'i am not 'hating'' you really meant to give out the idea of a double standard? The meaning is to not let faith, your beliefs, get trampled by hard times. To continue to have faith in god. Not the lack of critical thinking. But to believe god will be there with you. So when times get hard to keep believing. Not throw it out the window and say 'fuck it god hates me.'

Uhm. Well, wouldn't all of the new testiment been transcribed through the times as well? Written in a journal, diary? I mean hell, Christ wasn't alive during the WHOLE Book of the New Testament.

You started a topic on religion in a debate forum. Therefore, you started it. Critical thinking required when starting something in a debate forum son.

I am simply pointing out that you are discriminating against all Christians because of bad experiences with one specific church group. Therefore creating an illogical argument based off, I am going to guess, 300 people.

Personally I think that religion started as a good thing, it's people that have turned it into some cases a not so good thing. If everyone just went to the basics of loving each other, and being kind to one another that it really wouldn't matter what you believed in. I think we might be headed there, but people have to be a bit more fed up with the state of things before anything happens, but it will change and religions will come and go. Although there are things wrong with all religions, I guess I have faith people will see there is a better way. So despite the fact that I use to be Catholic I don't feel it's necessary to pick it apart, when I think showing love to people will make them come around. Although I do see your point and frustration, but I think by showing people love and tolerance even if they don't show it to you, that others will see and it will make them think twice before speaking. A bit like a ripple effect. (and yea most likely I am a flower child, who believes in love, and good wine lol ;) )

I agree there are people who take it word for word. But I think if you believe in the basic principles then you're there. The Bible was written by men. So they can have different views of the same events. If you asked people that witness a crime no two will tell the exact same story. They tell it as they remember it themselves.

Im sorry but I am unaware that a specific day or year is mentioned in the bible.

I consider myself Christian, albiet, loosely. I used to go to church regularly and accept everything that was spoon-fed to me until I started to really look outside the box.

However, I stopped going to church for many reasons. One of the main reasons is that church is really nothing but the same pagan traditions that had been "christianized" by the Catholic church a thousand or more years ago in order to get the various European tribes to enter the church. Trace those traditions back, and they usually go back to Middle Eastern cultures.

The one thing I find interesting, is that going back through mythologies of all cultures, there are specific stories that stand out like the creation of te world, the flood, and a "savior" figure who appears to their culture to help teach and guide them. And various other spiritual teachings which are pretty similar (Take a look at India, the Mayan culture, Egypt, etc).

I still have my faith and beliefs in a creator, a savior, and all of that. But at the same time, I know there's more to the story than what's in a book which was essentially stories and traditions passed on through time.

*shrugs*

Personally, I don't believe any of it. I'm a partial-athiest. :P

But, there are some parts that fit together, and things that clash or don't fot together are explained in other versions of the Bible and the Book of Mormon. It just depends how you personally interpret them, and which sources you use. ^^

it really depends on your interpretation of the things you read. I for instance am considered a heretic (gnostic christian mystic) by a lot of the major christian churches (Catholicism for instance) because of how I interpret the bible and other gnostic texts. I believe Paul wasn't a disciple and that he sort of forced himself in to the whole thing, and that Judas' actions were neccisary and that he probably is in "heaven". I don't believe in hellfire and brimstone as litteral, I believe heaven is an achievable thing in our lives and after our lives are finished. Anyway my point to this whole post would be that not all "Christians" are the same, it just depends really I dont think I am any better than anyone else, I love studying paganism and such things and think everyone can get to "heaven" regardless of their spiritual beliefs, sexuality or anything else.