Observations about Christianity

[webmdave]

By Tuskin R

 

It could be simply stated that I have a brain, and a heart. Each of these organs are much more valuable than a soul, in my opinion.

 

I was raised in a strict pentecostal household for twenty years, terrified and spiritually repressed into believing that some "guy in the sky" was going to burn my six-year-old body to cinders if I didn't sacrifice my happiness for him.

 

My father told me once that he loved me, but that he loved GOD more. Good for him, I guess. I liked my imaginary friend a lot, too -- when I was three. That was the beginning of my fall from grace, I guess. Eventually, a series of irreconcilable paradoxes I'd found within the religion (both ethically and factually) helped me decide that Christianity was an utter lie built to control and destroy everything "human" that exists within the upright walking amazing animals. Here are some key things that may help you to turn away from Yahweh:

 

1. Christians tend to pick and choose what to believe from their unalterable text: for example, cross-dressing is obviously a sin (Deuteronomy), but eating pork isn't? There basically right beside each other!

 

MORAL: Christians make it up as they go along.

 

2. Lot is praised for trying to sacrifice his daughters to the sex crazed hordes of Sodom (who, to their credit, wouldn't accept them).

 

MORAL: God condones rape.

 

3. In Genesis, Satan actually tells the truth about the tree, while god says that Adam and Eve will drop dead if they eat the fruit that grows on it.

 

MORAL: God lies.

 

4. God tells Abraham to kill his son, Isaac, but then recants this in the nick of time. Did God lie again? I think so...

 

MORAL: God likes toying with people.

 

5. Jesus was actually sent for the "lost children of Israel (Jews)", not Gentiles. Remember the parable of the rich man and his son's wedding? Gentiles just happened to get lucky because Jews wouldn't accept Christ.

 

MORAL: You're not really worth saving.

 

6. If god loves everyone like a father loves his children, why would god burn them alive for eternity if they disobeyed him?

 

MORAL: God doesn't love you.

 

7. Why is there so much evidence which refutes creation? If God created the universe, why did he stuff our earth full of proof that he doesn't exist?

 

MORAL: God doesn't stand up to the effing facts.

 

8. If God knows everything, how can we possibly have free will?

 

MORAL: God wants us to be slaves to him.

 

9. This is the best one: Name any good thing that Christianity has done that even halfway compensates for the six thousand years (including the Old Testament) of torture, murder, discrimination, rape, destruction, infanticide, slavery, genocide, war and hatred it has created.

 

MORAL: Christianity is a worthless dung pile of fear mongering, idiotic, primitive and childish crap.

 

To monitor comments posted to this topic, use .

 

http://exchristian.net/exchristian/2007/07...ristianity.html

[Wally]

Tuskin,

I can relate to a lot of what you're saying. I was raised Pentecostal too, and I feel that Christianity, at least as it is practiced nowadays, is very impractical, unbreathable, and unbearable. I say "as it is practiced nowadays" as I do not know what transpired in "church life" in say, the 1700's. I'd like to know how things were then.

You're right about the Christians liking to "pick and choose". I would add that while claiming to believe the Bible cover to cover, they often teach unbiblical things. For example, I would bet that in every sermon preached on Sunday morning or night across America, at least in Protestant churches, the preacher at least touches on at least one segment of the preaching "trinity": drinking, tithing and church attendance. "NO Drinking!", "10% in the plate, Buddy!", and "Be here for every service or you're a no good backslider!" can be and are worked into every sermon. There is no Biblical basis for any of those things. I'll forgo the exposition on those topics, though.

Though I myself wonder (as in "I find them troubling too") about most of the points you raise, I have a couple I have trouble with you on. Though I will never go to church again and am in a spiritual state of limbo and numbness, I cannot say that I am an atheist. I basically am in a state of "I really don't care anymore. I want something practical in my life for once instead of idiotic rules and condemnation that make my life unlivable." I don't know if that makes me an agnostic or something else.

With that said, I still find the idea of Creation (point #7) believable and necessary. I don't see how so much order could have risen out of chaos, let alone nothing.

Also, I would have to disagree with number 8. (I know I said I "really don't care", it's just that I try to be logical about everything. I think in order to be able to know what you believe and to be able to defend it, you have to know all sides of the argument.) I really see no contradiction between Omniscience and Free Will. Someone knowing what you are going to do does not equal controlling what you do. To be simplistic, if you take your girlfriend or wife to her favorite restaurant where she always gets the same meal, you can say you know what she's going to order. That doesn't mean you're deciding for her. I know, I know, she can still choose something else and surprise you, therefore you are not all-knowing. It's just an analogy. Analogies are not perfect.

Thanks for your post.

[Wally]

Oh, I meant to ask, Tuskin, do you feel the same way about ALL religions or just Christianity?

[Dhampir]

I really see no contradiction between Omniscience and Free Will. Someone knowing what you are going to do does not equal controlling what you do. To be simplistic, if you take your girlfriend or wife to her favorite restaurant where she always gets the same meal, you can say you know what she's going to order. That doesn't mean you're deciding for her. I know, I know, she can still choose something else and surprise you, therefore you are not all-knowing. It's just an analogy. Analogies are not perfect.

Thanks for your post.

Well, actually, people seem not to understand that if you choose to do something, then choose to do another thing seconds before you did the first thing, from the standpoint of omniscience, you were never going to do that first thing; you were always going to do the thing you changed your mind for. Choosing to do something else is an action itself, so as an omniscient being, god would have known all along that you were ultimately going to do something other than what you thought you would. You just didn't know. You can't choose to not do what you're going to do, if any of this makes sense.