What are your thoughts on Christianity?

[Moonjuice]

First, probably best to explain where my opinions come from. Born and raised in a Christian home. Was "saved" in elementary school and again in high school, as I rededicated myself to the lord. When to Christian school, married a Christian gal (married by her father, a now retired Southern Baptist minister). That being said, about 20 years ago I stopped going to church. I can get into all the reasons why I decided to stop, but after about about 5 years of study, I concluded that I could never be a Christian again. What I think of Christianity today is, I'm convinced that of all the worlds major religions, it is intrinsically the most immoral religion still believed today.

I think the basic understanding you outlined hits the nail right on the head. In order to be a Christian, you have to believe that god voluntarily had himself killed on our behalf. Why? To save us from his own wrath. That's right, human sacrifice saves us. Why? Because our ancestors disobeyed him, and Gods reaction to those people disobeying him, was to punish every human that comes after, for all of eternity. Your children are being punished due to no fault of their own, but because their ancestors ruined the world by sinning. Thanks to the "fall of man", we are now all born immediately in need of salvation. Simply for being born, we are destined for eternal punishment. BUT...the good news of the New Testament is that God loves us! Because he loves us so much, he has offered us this wonderful gift of human sacrifice, which allows us to avoid his impending punishment, which we so clearly deserve. God, came down to earth in the middle eastern desert about 2,000 years ago, had himself killed in human form on our behalf, then went back to heaven and has never been seen in public since. That vicarious redemption through human sacrifice, somehow allows god to not have to punish us forever. In order to be saved from this wrath, you not only have to believe that this event happened thousands of years ago, but you have to believe it based on complete hearsay. Evidence that we, at least in America, have agreed is not even admissible as evidence in court. We have decided that it is not fair to judge people on hearsay. Yet in the case of Christianity, your health and welfare for all of eternity is on the line with only hearsay as evidence to consider. If you can believe it, you are saved. If you can't, you are doomed.

In my opinion, this is one of the most immoral ideas humans have ever concocted. Who you are as a person or what your actions are here on earth have nothing to do with it? So, by a basic Christian understanding, a really good person who happens to have been born in India, a Hindu for example, who runs an orphanage for crippled children and is not convinced by the Christian narrative, is doomed for all of eternity. Meanwhile, the worst scum of the earth (think child rapists and murderers) can certainly receive an eternal reward - living forever in heaven, sitting right next to God, if they only accept the human sacrifice story is true.

For this reason, among many others, I think the Christian religion is the most immoral (and potentially the most damaging) of all the worlds major religions. It fundamentally encourages us as a society to ignore all common sense and reasoning that we apply to all the other factors of our lives and instead focus on the fear of not accepting, rather than the veracity of the actual claims. Under any other circumstances, these claims would be dismissed as the ramblings of an insane person. It is for this reason, among others, that I'm convinced Christianity is the most immoral religious teaching out there. A cult of human sacrifice.

 

[metis]

First, probably best to explain where my opinions come from. Born and raised in a Christian home. Was "saved" in elementary school and again in high school, as I rededicated myself to the lord. When to Christian school, married a Christian gal (married by her father, a now retired Southern Baptist minister). That being said, about 20 years ago I stopped going to church. I can get into all the reasons why I decided to stop, but after about about 5 years of study, I concluded that I could never be a Christian again. What I think of Christianity today is, I'm convinced that of all the worlds major religions, it is intrinsically the most immoral religion still believed today. I think the basic understanding you outlined hits the nail right on the head. In order to be a Christian, you have to believe that god voluntarily had himself killed on our behalf. Why? To save us from his own wrath. That's right, human sacrifice saves us. Why? Because our ancestors disobeyed him, and Gods reaction to those people disobeying him, was to punish every human that comes after, for all of eternity. Your children are being punished due to no fault of their own, but because their ancestors ruined the world by sinning. Thanks to the "fall of man", we are now all born immediately in need of salvation. Simply for being born, we are destined for eternal punishment. BUT...the good news of the New Testament is that God loves us! Because he loves us so much, he has offered us this wonderful gift of human sacrifice, which allows us to avoid his impending punishment, which we so clearly deserve. God, came down to earth in the middle eastern desert about 2,000 years ago, had himself killed in human form on our behalf, then went back to heaven and has never been seen in public since. That vicarious redemption through human sacrifice, somehow allows god to not have to punish us forever. In order to be saved from this wrath, you not only have to believe that this event happened thousands of years ago, but you have to believe it based on complete hearsay. Evidence that we, at least in America, have agreed is not even admissible as evidence in court. We have decided that it is not fair to judge people on hearsay. Yet in the case of Christianity, your health and welfare for all of eternity is on the line with only hearsay as evidence to consider. If you can believe it, you are saved. If you can't, you are doomed. In my opinion, this is one of the most immoral ideas humans have ever concocted. Who you are as a person or what your actions are here on earth have nothing to do with it? So, by a basic Christian understanding, a really good person who happens to have been born in India, a Hindu for example, who runs an orphanage for crippled children and is not convinced by the Christian narrative, is doomed for all of eternity. Meanwhile, the worst scum of the earth (think child rapists and murderers) can certainly receive an eternal reward - living forever in heaven, sitting right next to God, if they only accept the human sacrifice story is true. For this reason, among many others, I think the Christian religion is the most immoral (and potentially the most damaging) of all the worlds major religions. It fundamentally encourages us as a society to ignore all common sense and reasoning that we apply to all the other factors of our lives and instead focus on the fear of not accepting, rather than the veracity of the actual claims. Under any other circumstances, these claims would be dismissed as the ramblings of an insane person. It is for this reason, among others, that I'm convinced Christianity is the most immoral religious teaching out there. A cult of human sacrifice.

Thanks for above, but let me recommend you use paragraphs.

 

[Moonjuice]

Sorry, about that. Wasn't sure if I hit "return" my phone if it would submit it rather than break the paragraph. New to the forum, so now I know. Post is edited.

 

[Ashoka]

My only questions simply with no judgement : What has your experiences been with other Christians, bad? Horrible experience at a church one time? Something you found in the bible you did not agree with, or do not understand? What are some of your thoughts on Christianity?

Hopefully anyone who reads all of this, you understand! Thank you for your time and God bless all of you here and your families - of course if you do not believe ~ Still may everything be okay with you at home, and your family, and your friends, take care!​

I grew up in a Christian home. My father was a pastor in a baptist church. Growing up, we were taught Calvinistic theology, that God saved some and damned others. That the cross was to save us from the wrath of God, and that at the end of the world, when the evil people are burning in hell, we as Christians will rejoice and be happy to see them being tortured. I have a lot of trauma and PTSD from being frightened of hell and having my loved ones rejoice when I go to hell. I used to have really bad rapture anxiety and worry that I was left behind whenever I couldn't find my parents.

At some point, fast forward, we become Catholic. I convert because...I honestly don't know. It kind of just happened. It wasn't for me. I disagree with the Vatican and with church teaching, including original sin, purgatory, hell, their stance on same sex marriage and abortion, and their attitude towards other faiths. But to be honest, nothing was as bad as growing up independent fundamental baptist. To this day dad is apologetic, but I don't blame him. He was stuck in the bubble too, and needed help. And he realizes that now.

My view of Christianity? I love the first century Christian tradition. The desert fathers, the mystics. The ones who looked to God as a lover and a friend. I love the teachings of Jesus and believe he was an enlightened man, but not God. I think progressive Christianity is interesting as well.

Christianity today? Evangelical, fundamentalist Christianity? I don't like it. I hate the hypocrisy, the emotional manipulation, the ultimatum of love me or perish. I hate the hatred of people different from them, the bigotry, the racism. Yes, yes I know. Not all Christians. But too many of them. Too many of them for it to be a problem. Too many of them for PTSD and religious trauma to be an epidemic. And too many of them who turn away their LGBT children, who shun the 16 year old rape victim who got pregnant and had an abortion. Too. Many.

It's exhausting. I am happy to see other Christians apologizing and making reparations and amends. But, if I may, yall have a long way to go.

 

[Link]

My view: You trust mistranslations too much to the degree you let misguiding leaders trick you out of oneness of God and the exalted position of his chosen kings to the extent you equated a chosen king from God who is the word of light, like all other chosen images and names of God, with God. And without trinity, I don't think the prophecy of Mohammad (s) in Bible would be unclear to anyone. It was to muddy the issue, desperate measures to make Mohammad (s) ambiguous in there as best as they can yet truth stands clear still.

 

[Moonjuice]

My view: You trust mistranslations too much to the degree you let misguiding leaders trick you out of oneness of God and the exalted position of his chosen kings to the extent you equated a chosen king from God who is the word of light, like all other chosen images and names of God, with God. And without trinity, I don't think the prophecy of Mohammad (s) in Bible would be unclear to anyone. It was to muddy the issue, desperate measures to make Mohammad (s) ambiguous in there as best as they can yet truth stands clear still.

Holy cow, I have zero chance of getting a gold star in reading comprehension here.

 

[Muffled]

Unless someone doesn't profess to be christian, I couldn't judge someone's spiritual walk by whether they are still dead in their sins or not. How would one know except their god?

When people who say they are christians do something wrong, people blame them as if they represented christianity?

I believe the judgment is whether they testify to having asked Jesus to be Lord and Savior or not. Otherwise only God knows and that goes for whether the testimony is true or not as well.

I believe the whole RCC gets blamed for the actions of a few priests who acted badly but then I believe the RCC assumes people are Christians if they have been baptized and so don't require members to ask Jesus to be Lord and Savior.

 

[Muffled]

I am sure a neighbor I know would say he's Christian, yet has repeatedly gone to jail for stealing, for dui's, for having illegitimate children. But more importantly, is still doing those things.

I believe in all my days of doing jail ministry I never met a person who claimed to be a Christian and still did lawless things. There was only one person who actually claimed to be a Christian and I met him in church after he got out and his testimony was still intact.

 

[Muffled]

As do most religions get blamed for what others deem as harmful. Such as -- wars--hatred--greed--treating others cruelly or mercilessly. A look at history will clarify this to a degree. Sad.

I believe it is possible that religious groups also need to grow in their faith but usually false beliefs become entrenched.