Twenty Reasons To Abandon Christianity

[♦ ficino ♦]

I was surprised to see my former InterVarsity staff member from years back post this on his Facebook.  He went on after IVCF to pastor a church and is still doing it.  In the last few weeks he has posted several things that either point out flaws in Christianity or talk about addressing people's doubts, esp. one's children's doubts.  Now I see this, with no comment by him:

 

http://www.seesharppress.com/20reasons.html

 

It's a pamphlet by a Chad Bufe of 20 reasons to abandon Christianity.  Many of them have to do with what the author thinks are its harmful effects.  A few of the reasons are the religion's falsity (Bible contradictions and apparent borrowing from paganism are two).

 

It's a pretty good list.

 

Now I'm thinking over whether I want to post a comment, or PM him, and what to say.  I may do both.

 

Anyone have a comment on the list?

 

 

edited to add:  here's a response to Chad Bufe's 20 reasons.  The writer is a pastor who wants to provide high school students with refutations of the 20 reasons:

 

http://meredisciple.com/blog/2011/10/20-reasons-to-abandon-christianity/

[Blood]

Right off the bat, the pastor dodges Bufe's contentions. Bufe says that "Christianity is based on fear" and then elaborates that this is the fear of hell in the afterlife. The pastor instead goes to "fear of the Lord" in Proverbs, as if that was the fear that Bufe was talking about. Then he says:

 

However, Jesus never uses fear (in the way Chaz describes) to “get” people or intimidate people into his way (go ahead, try to find an example!).

 

 

 

Which is a blatant lie. The Jesus figure specifically says it's better to disfigure yourself than go into Gehenna as a sinner. That is a threat. 

[Geezer]

I think someone should nail Chad Bufe's 20 reasons on the church door.......no, wait, I think that's already been done, or something similar anyway. In any event, I think he nailed it. Good article. Thanks for the link.

[TrueFreedom]

Maybe he's giving up Christianity for Lent.  

[♦ ficino ♦]

Yes this pastor Ken Strong clown, or whatever his name is, only seems to have addressed 10 of the reasons:  all "experiential" issues.  Yes, and he offers some pretty lame refutations.  

 

I think some of the reasons are kind of weak, like Christianity Makes you Ego-Centric.  Perhaps strains of Buddhism that teach that ego is illusion doesn't make you ego-centric, but I am not convinced that this problem is all that characteristic of Christianity, or that those leaving it become less ego-centric.  Many of the other reasons are strong, though.  

[Guest]

Yes this pastor Ken Strong clown, or whatever his name is, only seems to have addressed 10 of the reasons:  all "experiential" issues.  Yes, and he offers some pretty lame refutations.  

 

I think some of the reasons are kind of weak, like Christianity Makes you Ego-Centric.  Perhaps strains of Buddhism that teach that ego is illusion doesn't make you ego-centric, but I am not convinced that this problem is all that characteristic of Christianity, or that those leaving it become less ego-centric.  Many of the other reasons are strong, though.  

 

I think christianity is extremely ego-centric.  god has blessed me with riches, god has blessed me with eternal life.  If you're running late for work you pray "please god don't let me catch the train (or bridge, or red lights)"etc

 

What do they do with most of the offerings given on Sunday?  They buy expensive sound and lighting equipment so they can have a concert to amaze their senses every week, and assign a mere pittance of it to help the poor.  They dress up in their best clothes and look down upon people who do not or can not do so.  Its like they try to out do each other in clothes.  They feel they are better than everyone else because they go to church and they are saved.

 

They have all the answers, remember.  They are saved.  The core message they preach is "believe this so you won't be tortured for all eternity", which is a selfish reason to do or believe anything.  They really only give lip service to helping people, unless those people are one of their group.  They have a need to reinforce their ridiculous beliefs, so they are insular and exclusionary.  They teach to try your hardest to be like god, and god is one of the most self centered, insecure, full of his own self importance characters humanity has ever dreamed up.

[mymistake]

Jesus never used fear or intimidation?

 

 

 

John 2:15

And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;