cathuria Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 I was going to put this in response to another thread, but thought that might amount to a hijacking -- so this is just a bit of venting: There have been numerous posts on these forums challenging Christians to explain what the Bible says about this thing or how God could do the other thing... All of these nagging questions point to what I think is the greatest weakness of modern religions, especially Christianity. You’ve heard the old adage – how if you tell a lie, you then have to tell ten more lies to back it up, then a hundred more, etc. That is how I see Christian doctrine and dogma. Way back when, it was a thrilling doomsday tale to sway the masses with. But 1800 years ago when the world didn't end and the promises of Jesus were still unfulfilled, they had to start backtracking and making stuff up to fill in the gaps. Christians have been trapped in an endless cycle of spin-doctoring ever since. In recent centuries, the increasing pace of scientific discovery has only made the problem worse. Most Christians are forced either to accept a vague and wishy-washy progressive view of scripture or to dive head first into ignorance and superstition. I have lost patience with the human ability to see "logical reasoning" as the path to error and damnation. Okay, I'm sure there are plenty of humans weak-minded enough to never question even the most egregious idiocy in the Bible or pouring from the pulpit. But I also know – for I have known them personally – that there are a lot of intelligent Christians who must make Herculean efforts at stupidity in order to maintain their faith. And the next time the subject comes up with one of them, I'm not going to be tolerant of their blinders. I will have no more sensitivity to their need for faith than I would have sensitivity to someone's need for illiteracy. This shit has got to stop. :angry: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 I am currently being struck by the lies thing ... (not that I haven't ever told untruths myself ...) I've been reading some church history and have currently been looking at the fourth and fifth centuries ... I found this quote "Do you see the advantage of deceit? ... For great is the value of deceit, provided it be not introduced with a mischievous intention. In fact action of this kind ought not to be called deceit, but rather a kind of good management, cleverness and skill, capable of finding out ways where resources fail, and making up for the defects of the mind ... And often it is necessary to deceive, and to do the greatest benefits by means of this device, whereas he who has gone by a straight course has done great mischief to the person whom he has not deceived." ( John Chrysostom.Treatise On The Priesthood, Book 1). And not long after I encountered a present day christian being somewhat creative with the truth - 'witnessing' to another with an account of a 'life transformed by christ' - only she knew full well that the 'shinning example' in her tale returned to the drug addiction and crime his 'conversion' had supposedly 'healed' him of years ago - but this part was conveniently left out of the tale .... I wanted to suggest to her that she was sooooo fifth century .... but I wasn't sure she'd get the joke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitchu Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 I will have no more sensitivity to their need for faith than I would have sensitivity to someone's need for illiteracy. Stunning! Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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