Survey on why Christians do or don't do things

[Guest jesusfreakdotcom]

I'm working on an online project to determine why Christians do or don't do things that they believe (since they say they believe the Bible) are the keys to their spiritual growth. I realize not everyone here would necessarily approach this from a Christian perspective, but if you are an ex-Christian, I'd be very interested in your feedback. If you'd like to answer a four-question survey, please go to www.jesusfreak.com/survey.asp.

 

Please pass this along to anyone else you know who might like to participate. Thanks for your help.

 

 

Chad Steenerson

Webmaster, Jesusfreak.com

[Merlinfmct87]

Why do I have about a dozen warning bells going off in my head?

 

Merlin

[Guest jesusfreakdotcom]

Why do I have about a dozen warning bells going off in my head?

 

Merlin

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Nothing to worry about. I'm not here to proselytize. The purpose of my project is to hopefully wake up a lot of Christians to hypocrisy among them. And I figure a survey involving ex-Christians might help them wake up and smell the coffee. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

 

Chad

[LloydDobler]

It's impossible to accurately follow a vague and contradictory book without being vague and contradictory.

 

Choose what goes along with your values, because that's all you can do. Some people follow the love of the bible, some follow the hate. Some follow the universalism, some follow the legalism.

 

Ultimately though a lot of them don't believe it at all, just as you say. Sure, they get fired up at revivals and things, but it's like paul said: Many are just too weak to put themselves aside, take up their cross, and hope god provides a meal tomorrow. That and very frequently god doesn't provide and it's all BS.

[white_raven23]

I'm working on an online project to determine why Christians do or don't do things that they believe (since they say they believe the Bible) are the keys to their spiritual growth. I realize not everyone here would necessarily approach this from a Christian perspective, but if you are an ex-Christian, I'd be very interested in your feedback. If you'd like to answer a four-question survey, please go to www.jesusfreak.com/survey.asp.

 

Please pass this along to anyone else you know who might like to participate. Thanks for your help.

Chad Steenerson

Webmaster, Jesusfreak.com

 

I'm all for seeing people learn to be better people. If it takes a religion to get folks to be decent.....I can live with that. As I've said before, some people need those training wheels.

The bible doesn't help you out much here. It encourages prejudice by pointing out how these people are wicked, and these people are unclean, and you can't mix different cloth, and these animals are unfit for eating by your family but okay for your foriegn slaves to eat......

Get the picture?

Church groups are highly clique-ey (sp?). They form these tight little groups that no one (even other christians....especially newer ones) can enter....unless there was an imbalance. At my old church there were a LOT of young single women....few men. Any men that showed up were instantly grafted into the inner circle of the self-imposed head bitches (I'm being nice here.....the c word applies better). New christian women? You were out in the cold. You weren't invited to movies, get togethers, shopping trips.....NOTHING. All you had was whatever was specifically put on by the church which was ONE weekly meeting outside of Sunday. Great friends those christians (sarcasm).

 

Yet the message given out every Sunday was one encouraging the fellowship, friendship, and support of fellow christians.

 

In ONE ear....straight out the other for those people.

 

I went to other churches. Same shite different building.

[Fweethawt]

Why in the fucking world would we want to participate in helping a Christian™ start a Christian™ revival???

 

 

You got the wrong fucking board here, pal.

 

In my opinion, this thread should be deleted.

[Guest jesusfreakdotcom]

Why in the fucking world would we want to participate in helping a Christian start a Christian revival???

You got the wrong fucking board here, pal.

 

In my opinion, this thread should be deleted.

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If open-mindedness is one of the marks of being a non-Christian, I'm not seeing it. If Christianity is really a non-entity, ignore it and it will go away. I'm offering this survey for those who are open-minded enough to take it.

[quicksand]

If open-mindedness is one of the marks of being a non-Christian, I'm not seeing it. If Christianity is really a non-entity, ignore it and it will go away. I'm offering this survey for those who are open-minded enough to take it.

Open-mindness is a red herring.

[Fweethawt]

If open-mindedness is one of the marks of being a non-Christian, I'm not seeing it. If Christianity is really a non-entity, ignore it and it will go away. I'm offering this survey for those who are open-minded enough to take it.

 

Open-mindedness has absolutely nothing to do with helping the superstitious figure out why they aren't doing a good job at spreading their superstitions.

 

How does that old saying go? Something like, "It's alright to be open-minded, but not so much so that your brain falls out."

 

 

I'm sorry but, my brain will have to fall out before I help Christianity™ spread itself further. Also, I would love to be able to ignore it.

 

I tried, and it didn't go away...

 

Cancer doesn't go away either when you ignore it.

[Fweethawt]

On a side-note, this is ExChristian.net! Most of us here are attempting to figure out our own problems that are a direct relsult of Christianity™, we sure as fucking shit aren't going to help you superstitious ignoramuses figure out your problems.

[Guest jesusfreakdotcom]

Open-mindness is a red herring.

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**sigh** Regardless of anyone's personal beliefs on this site, and the fact that I'd guess that hypocrisy in "organized religion" has driven many people away from belief, I'm asking for opinions, not diatribes. It's obvious that a lot of people have a lot of bones to pick with religion. That's perfectly fine. But I would think that ex-Christians would appreciate the efforts of someone like myself who, though being "on the inside" with regard to Christianity, is trying to flush out the hypocrites. If doing that isn't a worthy goal, then I'm not sure what would be.

[Fweethawt]

**sigh** Regardless of anyone's personal beliefs on this site, and the fact that I'd guess that hypocrisy in "organized religion" has driven many people away from belief, I'm asking for opinions, not diatribes. It's obvious that a lot of people have a lot of bones to pick with religion. That's perfectly fine. But I would think that ex-Christians would appreciate the efforts of someone like myself who, though being "on the inside" with regard to Christianity, is trying to flush out the hypocrites. If doing that isn't a worthy goal, then I'm not sure what would be.

 

Once again, it is an establishment embraced by you, not us.

 

If you want to fix it, fix it yourself.

 

 

I think it's funny that you're actually asking the hellbound for advice in straightening out problems in the church.

 

What's the matter, can't you go to God for something like this?

[Guest jesusfreakdotcom]

On a side-note, this is ExChristian.net! Most of us here are attempting to figure out our own problems that are a direct relsult of Christianity, we sure as fucking shit aren't going to help you superstitious ignoramuses figure out your problems.

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If Sunnis and Kurds in Iraq can sit down at the same table and carry on a reasonable dialogue without killing each other (literally), is it too much to ask that both Christians and non-Christians can do the same? I for one am extending an olive branch and would hope that others here might actually be willing to discuss rather than rant. Am I asking too much?

[white_raven23]

If open-mindedness is one of the marks of being a non-Christian, I'm not seeing it. If Christianity is really a non-entity, ignore it and it will go away. I'm offering this survey for those who are open-minded enough to take it.

 

jesusfreak,

 

I went to the link you provided. In no way do the questions you want answers for reflect the problem I stated above in post #5 (please refer to my last post if the numbering system is screwed up).

 

Perhaps a survey of ex-christians is not the answer. You and the christians who go to your site might benefit more by gathering info from ex-christians about what "turned them off" about the people they were attending church with.

 

Mind you, this doesn't have as much to do with our leaving the fold as you might think. Leaving is a huge decision based on self-discovery and study. Which doesn't have anything to do with the attitudes of co-christians, but you asked about hypocracy.....I gave you a nice big one, feel free to use it.

 

If the way you treat one another improves, at the very least my opinion of you as people will improve, and I'd be more inclined to invite you to dinner.

 

For your reference I'm a deist. I believe in a god, but I don't believe in biblegod, korangod, or Torahgod. It's religion itself that I don't believe in.

[quicksand]

**sigh** Regardless of anyone's personal beliefs on this site, and the fact that I'd guess that hypocrisy in "organized religion" has driven many people away from belief, I'm asking for opinions, not diatribes. It's obvious that a lot of people have a lot of bones to pick with religion. That's perfectly fine. But I would think that ex-Christians would appreciate the efforts of someone like myself who, though being "on the inside" with regard to Christianity, is trying to flush out the hypocrites. If doing that isn't a worthy goal, then I'm not sure what would be.

Perhaps, to be truely appreciated, ah Jesus Dot Com, you would join us on this site in analyzing the truth claims that christianity makes.

 

This you are not interesting doing.

 

I understand that you are looking to consult all sides, and I can appreciate it, but all your going to do is remake Christianity into something more palatable I suppose. Thomas Jefferson tried this too, go look up the Jefferson Bible.

 

When you invoke "open-mindness" it is a red-herring. Rational people accept somethings as truth and reject others as falsehoods. Slavery, bigotry, racsism, ageism, sexism, homophobia, etc.

 

Are you telling me I should be open to those too?

[Fweethawt]

If Sunnis and Kurds in Iraq can sit down at the same table and carry on a reasonable dialogue without killing each other (literally), is it too much to ask that both Christians and non-Christians can do the same? I for one am extending an olive branch and would hope that others here might actually be willing to discuss rather than rant. Am I asking too much?

 

I think you are asking too much.

 

Whatever the Moonies and Turds are doing in Iraq has nothing to do with this.

 

They are seeking a rational resolution to problems, here, you are asking us to help because your irrational superstitions aren't working the way that you believed they would.

 

There's a big difference.

 

Yeah, I can see it now, all the non-christians help get the church straightened around, then eventually the church turns around and bites them in the ass.

 

What you're asking isn't exactly "too much", it's downright absurd!

[quicksand]

Here's one such truth claim you make on your website:

 

Here's the deal: The reason God made you is so you can know Him.

 

You state that I was made by God to know him. Okay, then if God made me, then its reasonable to ask why not with full knowledge of him. If its as equally possible to construct my matter and give it coherent form then why not hardwired knowledge? NO need for faith, or picking the wrong sect of Christianity.

 

Invoke freewill here if you like. But that won't solve the problem you propose.

[Fweethawt]

Actually, I don't know what the big deal is...

 

 

Why don't you just invoke Matthew 21:22 ?

 

 

 

Now, how come that just doesn't happen to work?

 

 

 

Don't take my words the wrong way, JF.

 

I hate Christianity™, not the Christian™.

[quicksand]

Actually, I don't know what the big deal is...

Why don't you just invoke Matthew 21:22 ?

Now, how come that just doesn't happen to work?

Too easy, too easy. (I could go into acts as well, but nah....)

[Totallyatpeace]

What reasons do Christians give as to why they don't share their faith?

 

I do. sometimes with words.

 

Why they don't pray?

 

I do. Every single day and sometimes for 2-3 hours at a time.

 

Why they don't read the Word of God?

 

I do. Again, every day.

 

Why they don't go to church?

 

I do. Faithfully.

 

 

 

Any more assumptions?

[Fweethawt]

Too easy, too easy. (I could go into acts as well, but nah....)

 

Dude,

 

I usually like to keep it easy.

 

Not only that but, it's the best I can do right now without having to actually look at a bible.

[quicksand]

Here's another such claim:

 

Not our church, God's church

Jesus said that not everyone who calls Him "Lord" would enter into heaven, but only those who do the will of His Father. And there are untold millions today who merely warm the pew on Sunday without giving a second thought to knowing Christ better. This article will look at the big picture of what Jesus meant, and how we can truly know Him. And what happens if we don't.

 

Other than the omninous Pascal's Wager in the last sentence, you are already down the road of the "true-scotsman" fallacy in reasoning here.

 

That is, whatever you say regarding another christian, is equally applicable to you.

 

See what I mean?

 

This is why you should join us first in analyzing the truth claims of Christianity - step one. Once you do that, perhaps we can help you revise it - step two.

 

But after step one, there will be no need for step two.

[♦ nivek ♦]

JFdC...

 

As a Mod here at ExC and one of the medium mellow turks (quit laughing peanut gallery!) I am unsure how my fucked up piss poor attitude towards the Sheep in the Fold

 

Unlike a lotta the really sharp folks here who have backgrounds in the learned end of religious studies, I am truely a blue collar worker who was snared, and finally rejected the teachings of the Black Suited Whores of All Religion..

 

What I know I have learned by being half assed studious, sitting with men who have the burning zeal and knowledge to ensure that their acolytes are good and hooked on an armload of jebus juices..

 

Gave up the habit. Have zero inclination to allow my thoughts to be interpolated, mixed, crushed, cranked, mangled and mixed to help a sectarian formulate a *better method* of keeping potential Humans from freeing themselves of the Religious Snare..

 

My habit of Freedom wont ever again be silted by a bad cut of Religion...

 

When I shoot up, it is truth as I see and practice it..

 

Wanna shot of Rationality and Freedom? First one is free.. Rest costs you rest of your Life.....

 

n, Freeman, holder of the red pills and a lantern....

[Celsus]

JesusFreak,

 

Why would you come to an ExChristian forum to get people to answer questions that are specifically fro Christians to answer? You miss the point that other members were making. It would be like me starting a poll for car mechanics and then going to a fishing forum to seek participation. If you want to have a discussion or diologue with ExChristians, that is fine, However this forum does not exist to be a patform for Christian propaganda, proselytizing or advertising Christian sites. Please see the board guidelines.

 

Bruce

[Guest jesusfreakdotcom]

With all due respect, I thought there would be some in this forum who had abandoned Christianity for some of the same things I am trying to address in this survey I am conducting, namely the lax commitment to faith activities among those who claim to be Christians. I didn't know that postings in this forum would open up such a barrage of harsh words, and it was certainly not my point to incite that. Having said that, I didn't think it was inappropriate to post here because I thought some people here, being ex-Christians, might have been in a position to offer insight on the things I am researching. Maybe I misread things. If I did, I'm sorry. I'm only trying to get as many different views on problems in Christianity, and maybe this is one place that isn't going to be effective insofar as my research is concerned. No harm intended, and I'm sorry if I ended up stirring things up with my posting.

 

 

 

JesusFreak,

 

Why would you come to an ExChristian forum to get people to answer questions that are specifically fro Christians to answer? You miss the point that other members were making. It would be like me starting a poll for car mechanics and then going to a fishing forum to seek participation. If you want to have a discussion or diologue with ExChristians, that is fine, However this forum does not exist to be a patform for Christian propaganda, proselytizing or advertising Christian sites. Please see the board guidelines.

 

Bruce

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