JohnnieNaked Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 Any other heathens still consider the gospel a beautiful story? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcdaddy Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 *crickets* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzy Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 It's interesting but when I first heard the gospel as a child I instinctively disliked it. That was when my dad was still an unbeliever but he read me the gospel one evening from a book (not the Bible) just as a bedside story and I guess to introduce me to Christianity, just as a cultural thing. And I really had bad feelings about it. I mean all the violence, the crucifiction - I didn't like it. Then of course, at the age of 12 when I converted I was "taught" to like it. As a deconvert I don't don't find it a beautiful story at all. If anything, it's emotional blackmail and something designed to make you feel guilty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marmot Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 I think the idea that a person would lay down his life for his friends is powerful. Now, the way the Gospel portrays it, no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GardenerGal Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 Any other heathens still consider the gospel a beautiful story? I see what you're saying... but I think the church had many years to dig hard and relate it to people in that way. The scales fall when you read the bible for yourself.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Positivist Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 Nope. It's a poorly contrived superhero story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voice Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 I love the smell of blood frying on hot rocks. I like to visit pork processing plants, especially the rooms where they slaughter the pigs. That smell is so beautiful. It's a reminder that I'm saved, and brings the whole crucifixion story into perspective for me. Sarcasm aside, I think the sections with wise analogies and such are as good as those of the Chinese, Africans, Asians, other cultures - they're all similar. I can't give it any more than that, so I guess I'm saying parts of it are good. I wonder how Aristotle would have analyzed it as a tragedy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeverAgainV Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 When I was younger, church seemed creepy to me. In our local catholic parish there was this cross with "jeezus" hanging on it & it was just depressing. I guess the "laying down your life for your friend" can be looked on as a beautiful thing & for years I accepted it as the "truth". After allowing myself to REALLY think about it all...it makes NO sense. Why can't God just FORGIVE? Why MURDER an innocent? Making your own son suffer, why? I know the reasons & how xians try to justify a father murdering his son, but the whole system is demented when you look at the larger ramifications of the dogma. How many religious nutcases have murdered their own children (remember that OT guy who almost murdered his son for gawd?) I just can't believe any "good" god would do that, especially knowing that crazies would use that doctrine to commit atrocities & justify murder. After all if a "good god" can murder his own son for "good"....what's stopping the true believers to take it to the extreme? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merck Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 I know view the text as a view the Aeneid or Homer's epics. There are good parts, weird parts, and terrible parts. I like to look over them every so often but it's hard taking much of it seriously because of all the baggage that goes with it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeCoastie Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 I thought it was a great story when I was Christian, but now its lost all of its luster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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