nukedkitty Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Is it true to say that christians only accept God to avoid hell (Pain) and their hope is to be with God in heaven (Pleasure) So what do you think christians really want? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fweethawt Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 So what do you think christians really want? 50 Shades of Jesus 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LimitedEdition Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 So what do you think christians really want?50 Shades of Jesus LoL! I think there can be several reasons, but a big one is a desire to live forever so fear of death, the fear of a world that really is just random chaos with no one in control, fear of being wrong since many of them believed this stuff for much of their lives, like you said fear of pain, fear that this bible stuff is actually true and decide it's better to believe just in case, fear of being outcast from their community, fear of being alone in general.... so, I guess fear would be the main factor for many people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExCBooster Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Honestly, I don't think most Christians even go that far, thinking about why they believe what they believe. They are usually born into a Christian family, into a Christian-dominated or historically Christian culture, and they never have cause to question it. That kind of social leverage is more than enough, I'd think, to keep the majority of the flock from straying. (The better to fleece them...) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted February 24, 2015 Super Moderator Share Posted February 24, 2015 So what do you think christians really want? For everyone to agree with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mymistake Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 So what do you think christians really want? For everyone to agree with them. And that is why when they are in an all Christian environment they turn on each other and divide into sects. They do not agree with each other so that other Christian is false. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator TrueFreedom Posted February 24, 2015 Moderator Share Posted February 24, 2015 They want constant reassurance that the dogma they've been raised in is true. For those who fear that doubting its truth will result in eternal torment, they seek to avoid pain and attain pleasure, as the OP suggests. They might claim to serve their perception of God out of love but can usually be shown to have fear as their primary motivator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overcame Faith Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 For me in my Christian days, I had no fear of hell and only rarely even thought of it. I also did not think much about heaven. So those two concepts had little real impact on me remaining a Christian for as long as I did. My focus was more on wanting to please God, having a personal relationship with him, and helping other Christians to do the same and, in turn, their helping me in my "Christian walk". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orbit Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 I never really thought about hell or heaven when I was a Xtian--those were definitely not my motivators. I believed quite simply because I had been raised to believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Furball Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 So what do you think christians really want? Attention To control people To save people from a hell they really believe exists To judge other people without repercussion To get you to join their tribe To get you t believe everything they believe Etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geezer Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Most Christians would probably disagree but I think deep down it's all about the fear of hell and eternal damnation. I think most, if not virtually all, Christians are Christians because they believe that will keep them out of hell, or at least give them their best chance of avoiding it. I don't think the hope of heaven is really that much of a motivating factor for most believers. Christianity is more about fear than love, grace, and forgiveness. Christians are willing to forgive others because they fear God will punish them if they don't. They give of their time, money, and talent because they fear punishment if they don't. Many of the Ex's here openly admit they still struggle with the fear of going to hell, but I've never seen a post that indicates the EX is in fear they will not go to heaven. The fear of hell seems to clearly be the motivating factor for both believers and former believers. I think that reality tells everyone everything they need to know about Christianity and every other "revealed" religion. Fear of punishment is the big club religions use to insure their survivability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravenstar Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 1) To not feel their fear ...of death, or whatever...to avoid the discomfort of uncertainty. 2) To not have to make the hard decisions… about morality, right/wrong, etc… To have a black and white set of rules - they seem to love polarity. Grey areas make them very uncomfortable… again, uncertainty and ambiguity are scary. (might explain their fear/hatred of homosexuals and other non-traditional gender/sexuality issues) 3) To have an authority or parental figure that absolves them of personal responsibility and takes away the icky guilt feelings we all have to deal with because we aren't perfect. 4) To have a community/tribe that makes them feel they are somehow superior to others…(elitism) and feeds their self-esteem (and/or desired self-view, and also to manipulate the way others view them) 5) To be accepted by their own parents(tribe) by following their parents(tribes) faith. (rejection avoidance, subconscious survival instinct). 6) To avoid their own sexual complexity. (or at least repress it…) [we have seen how well that works though ] 7) To have everyone else buy into this self-deception/charade. Number 1 covers it all though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amateur Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Great answers! My dad always said that people invented religions to explain why we're here, and to help them not be afraid of death. Since that's how I was raised, I still believe that. I love the point that Geezer brought up: that a lot of people can articulate that they are afraid of going to hell as a sinner or apostate, but NOT that they're afraid they won't go to heaven. That's a really telling discrepancy. Fear of the stick is a more powerful motivator than fear of losing the carrot. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Castiel233 Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 So what do you think christians really want?50 Shades of Jesus Brilliant : ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Margee Posted February 25, 2015 Moderator Share Posted February 25, 2015 For many people including myself, accepting jesus into your life was supposed to be the big win, the big jackpot. You would be 'favored' and life would be nice. Plus you wouldn't go to hell....... How many people would admit to this I wonder? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparklingphoenix Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I think a lot of Christians just don't know any other way of thinking because they are brainwashed. They are caught in a mental scaffold that was built from birth and have never bothered to try and deconstruct it. They are just functioning the way their brain was molded to function by the cult. At least, that's how I was... .-. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llwellyn Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 I think that Christians want to be able to think, and without Christianity, they don't know what to think or how to do it. Christianity puts things in their lives into perspective that helps them to navigate through life. It helps them understand their relationship to other people, understand law and morality, existence, death. As littlena said, it is a scaffolding where they can process their life experiences. Without Christianity, everything is undefined and you must define things. Much easier -- especially for children to be give a desk for cubby holes to put everthing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disillusioned Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 I agree with Llwellyn. When I was a Christian, one of my favorite defenses of my faith was to reiterate C.S. Lewis' assertion that "I believe in Christianity as I believe the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else." For those who believe, Christianity becomes a lens through which everything is interpreted. It's easier to just be told what you should and shouldn't do than to actually consider these issues for yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azisbest Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I think the main concept that keeps religion active is the desire for immortality. All the rest is just the individuals own particular way of achieving that goal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts