What is the whole point of Christianity anyways?

[otseng]

What is the whole point of being a Christian?

Is it just to escape hell?
It is to just "believe in Jesus"?
Is it to enter heaven?
Is it just to have something to do on Sunday mornings?
Or is it something else?

[gonkm]

What is the whole point of being a Christian?

Is it just to escape hell?
It is to just "believe in Jesus"?
Is it to enter heaven?
Is it just to have something to do on Sunday mornings?
Or is it something else?

I guess the answer is different for different people. When I was younger I recognized that Jesus was good, so I said I believed in Christianity, but not in hell or the devil, and my reason for this was I couldn't imagine how a loving God could send anyone to hell for eternity. I went through phases where I thought science conflicted with the bible, and phases where I thought it probably all worked out somehow. Then I had some experiences that caused me to believe that hell and the devil are very real, and I began to believe the bible itself is really true. I became very afraid of going to hell. I kept praying for Jesus to "tell me what to do, tell me his will". A small voice in my head asked me who I think Jesus really is. And I remembered who I really believe he is - perfect goodness, perfect humility, perfect love. And that's what Christianity is about to me, not just escaping hell, which I think is a fine reason for becoming a Christian, but actually finding true goodness and love and purity. People tend to get angry when they receive hatred, prejudice, etc.. Christianity offers solid moral ground where there is none, and grace (or good things) when we deserve death.

But that is what Christianity is about to me. I think people come to it for a lot of reasons. I've known some who've gone to church simply because that's the only place they could find nice people. Very often such people become Christians themselves when they see the kinds of lives they lead as testimony to the reality of Christ. Because Christians believe in hell, some people may come to Christianity as an excuse to feel good about themselves and condemn other people. Others come to Christianity simply because they believe it to be true.

But I think the main point of Christianity is simply for people to both declare their faith in Christ and be in communion with other Christ followers.

[harvey1]

Or rather, where one believes there is no meaning to existence that is imposed from the outside. All meaning is found within. (Still, wouldn't trying to "get everyone else to feel the same way about life" imply that there is some meaning or purpose.)

Sort of like seeing faces and shapes in the clouds? I saw a horse cloud once.

Back to the question at hand. Isn't it besides the point to ask what the point of Christianity is? Can believing in Christ ever be justified by some pragmatic reason? Shouldn't it just be a matter of believing it because it is true, rather than believing it because it has certain benefits (such as getting oneself into heaven, because it is 'good' or finding some meaning to exist).

How do you know if something is true?

[QED]

A small voice in my head asked me who I think Jesus really is. And I remembered who I really believe he is - perfect goodness, perfect humility, perfect love. And that's what Christianity is about to me, not just escaping hell, which I think is a fine reason for becoming a Christian, but actually finding true goodness and love and purity.

All things that can be found by degree in ordinary men. But only in human imagination can true perfection can be found. My point is that it does us no good to deny the evolutionary path that led to ourselves. The Christian view transforms our innate tendencies into mysterious concepts like original sin in an attempt to moderate us through guilt. If we want to get a proper grip on any social problems arising from our baser instincts I'm convinced this blunt instrument does more harm than good.

I think the whole point of Christianity is an attempt to address the titanic collision between the lower-brain functions that dominate the behavior of most typical animals and the higher-brain functions that have evolved much more recently in humans. It's should be little wonder to anyone who appreciates the true age and provenance of our species that this will take a time to settle down. I see Christianity as an early, instinctive, reaction to this biological fact.

[gonkm]

A small voice in my head asked me who I think Jesus really is. And I remembered who I really believe he is - perfect goodness, perfect humility, perfect love. And that's what Christianity is about to me, not just escaping hell, which I think is a fine reason for becoming a Christian, but actually finding true goodness and love and purity.

All things that can be found by degree in ordinary men. But only in human imagination can true perfection can be found. My point is that it does us no good to deny the evolutionary path that led to ourselves. The Christian view transforms our innate tendencies into mysterious concepts like original sin in an attempt to moderate us through guilt. If we want to get a proper grip on any social problems arising from our baser instincts I'm convinced this blunt instrument does more harm than good.

I think the whole point of Christianity is an attempt to address the titanic collision between the lower-brain functions that dominate the behavior of most typical animals and the higher-brain functions that have evolved much more recently in humans. It's should be little wonder to anyone who appreciates the true age and provenance of our species that this will take a time to settle down. I see Christianity as an early, instinctive, reaction to this biological fact.

Well you can call it imagination if you like. I think of it as a small seed in me that told me what the truth was.

Anyhow, if what your saying is true, I don't see any reason why you should consider humans to have "higher brain functions". Just because we man make things, and do things they can't? If your an atheist, than you don't believe in an afterlife. In which case animals are truly no worse off then humans. Both head to the same place, back to the dust. And anything they do is meaningless and soon forgotten.

One of the the "higher functions" that people talk about when in comes to humans is language, the ability to communicate in symbols. When you look at our DNA, it too is a type of language, spelling out what will be created from each chain in the double helix. And it is far more complex than our language. A lot of people contend that it is God's way of speaking in order to create, "And the Word became flesh".

[youngborean]

I believe the whole point of Christianity is to allow man to have a relationship with God where there was no other means available. This is done to bring man into the perfect prescence of God in spite of their inperfection.

[harvey1]

The Christian view transforms our innate tendencies into mysterious concepts like original sin in an attempt to moderate us through guilt. If we want to get a proper grip on any social problems arising from our baser instincts I'm convinced this blunt instrument does more harm than good.

I don't think this is a good explanation, QED. I think the central reason why Christianity introduced the concept of original sin was part of the early Christian Church's christology. Without the original sin, it is difficult to explain the crucifixion and redemption through Christ's blood.

[QED]

Anyhow, if what your saying is true, I don't see any reason why you should consider humans to have "higher brain functions" Just because we man make things, and do things they can't?.

I refer to the three levels of the The Triune Brain described by Paul MacLean:

The Reptilian Brain
The Limbic System (Paleomammalian brain)
The Neocortex (Neomammalian brain)

It is the Neocortex which shows marked development in humans when compared to animals and this is what I equated with "higher functions". It is has been demonstrated that this is what accounts for our greater capabilities in language and technology. But this part of the brain is sometimes in conflict with the Reptilian brain and Limbic system. My suggestion was that Christianity is an attempt to reconcile this conflict.

If your an atheist, than you don't believe in an afterlife. In which case animals are truly no worse off then humans. Both head to the same place, back to the dust. And anything they do is meaningless and soon forgotten.

I see you present the standard complaint... I will offer the standard response: was Ghandi's life meaningless? Meaning is whatever we make of it. The universe is a hotbed of potentiality. It plays host to vulnerable and imperfect lifeforms such as us and awaits discovery. I can think of there being no greater meaning to life than to be part of, and to assist with this epic journey.

[harvey1]

Meaning is whatever we make of it. The universe is a hotbed of potentiality. It plays host to vulnerable and imperfect lifeforms such as us and awaits discovery. I can think of there being no greater meaning to life than to be part of, and to assist with this epic journey.

Just remember, once you accept such subjective approaches to meaning, then your satisfaction of meaning becomes no better or worse than Hitler's view of meaning, Stalin's view of meaning, etc.. All meaning is equally meaningless (i.e., beyond the cloud patterns that we wish to superimpose on such structures for godless known reasons).

[gonkm]

I like your answer. I think simple answers are sometimes the best, and I was over-complicating things ... Christianity is really about how to relate to God.

I believe the whole point of Christianity is to allow man to have a relationship with God where there was no other means available. This is done to bring man into the perfect prescence of God in spite of their inperfection.

[QED]

Meaning is whatever we make of it. The universe is a hotbed of potentiality. It plays host to vulnerable and imperfect lifeforms such as us and awaits discovery. I can think of there being no greater meaning to life than to be part of, and to assist with this epic journey.

Just remember, once you accept such subjective approaches to meaning, then your satisfaction of meaning becomes no better or worse than Hitler's view of meaning, Stalin's view of meaning, etc.. All meaning is equally meaningless (i.e., beyond the cloud patterns that we wish to superimpose on such structures for godless known reasons).

Naturally it is only a theist who can claim objective meaning by getting his towel down before everyone else has noticed the vacant spot.