What bothers you about Christianity?

[sue]

I apologize in advance if this question has already been asked.

What, if anything, bothers you about Christianity? To clarify, by this question I don't mean to ask "what is it that bothers you about Christians, or certain Christians you have met". What is it about the religion itself that you don't like, and why?

For myself, it's this:
-The emphasis on salvation. This seems like an awfully selfish approach.
-The emphasis on Christ's death. This seems like an awfully guilt-ridden approach.

[kal-el]

What, if anything, bothers you about Christianity?

Where shall I begin? I know, the thing about Christianity that really gets under my skin is the fact that Jesus, their very own figurehead of the religion, said if you don't believe, you are to be tortured forever.

Mark 16:16

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

I think this sums up Christianity very well.

[Cathar1950]

What, if anything, bothers you about Christianity?

Where shall I begin? I know, the thing about Christianity that really gets under my skin is the fact that Jesus, their very own figurehead of the religion, said if you don't believe, you are to be tortured forever.

Mark 16:16

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

I think this sums up Christianity very well.

Just to be clear we don't know if Jesus said that. That is something a believer wrote that wasn't even there.
Also if you notice you not only have to believe but you must be baptized.
Now you have to decide what baptizm is. Is is spirit, water or both?
Then is it done right? Do you love and obey? It is not as simple as they make it out to be. I wonder what they had to believe before Jesus died and they were baptised?

[kal-el]

Just to be clear we don't know if Jesus said that. That is something a believer wrote that wasn't even there.

Is this another illusion to "we don't knoiw if Jesus existed or not?" I'm curious as to how you came to the conclusion that a believer wrote that passage?

Also if you notice you not only have to believe but you must be baptized.
Now you have to decide what baptizm is. Is is spirit, water or both?
Then is it done right? Do you love and obey? It is not as simple as they make it out to be.

I know, there's contradictions rampant all over the place. Remember the story with a rich man? Jesus said you don't even have to believe to be saved, just follow a few commandments.

I wonder what they had to believe before Jesus died and they were baptised?

Yea I know. The hole idea is an obtuse one......rushing to get some aspirin.

[Cathar1950]

I know, there's contradictions rampant all over the place. Remember the story with a rich man? Jesus said you don't even have to believe to be saved, just follow a few commandments.

I don't know maybe a non believer wrote it.
That might explain a few things.

[kal-el]

I know, there's contradictions rampant all over the place. Remember the story with a rich man? Jesus said you don't even have to believe to be saved, just follow a few commandments.

I don't know maybe a non believer wrote it.
That might explain a few things.

That might fit in very well Cathar, but can you please tell me where you came up with the notion that unbeliever's are writing bible passages?

[Cathar1950]

I don't know maybe a non-believer wrote it. (I corrected it from non believer)
That might explain a few things.

That might fit in very well Cathar, but can you please tell me where you came up with the notion that unbeliever's are writing bible passages?

I believe I got the idea from you in post 13 where you said;

Is this another illusion to "we don't knoiw if Jesus existed or not?" I'm curious as to how you came to the conclusion that a believer wrote that passage?

You were responding to me,

Just to be clear we don't know if Jesus said that. That is something a believer wrote that wasn't even there.

So when you asked me how I came to the conclusion that a believer wrote it, it struck me funny to think a non-believer wrote it.
Do you know of many non-believers that wrote gospels about Jesus in the first 1000 years? I thought about using followers but like believers it is obvious. But what I should have said it was written “by followers of followers” and assumed they were believers. Does that clear things up a little?
Also I was not referring to the problems with Jesus having existed or as you say

"another illusion to "we don't knoiw if Jesus existed or not"

, I was clearly alluding to the fact, not an illusion, that we do not have the certain or authentic words of Jesus. We have little idea what he said but we know what later followers of followers wrote. We can make some pretty good guesses about the which words were not authentic and many scholars have presented good evidence that some of the words attributed to him were not his. This is not limited to non-believers.
I think much of his life in the gospels was made up from passages in the Hebrew Scriptures projected in an apologetic story or even allegory began by Mark and developed further but Matthew and Luke that had others stories myths and traditions to draw upon, including from pagan sources. John is another tradition altogether that shared many of the same sources as the other but it had a distinctive Greek flavor and may have come from an older tradition. There is nothing clear or unquestionable in the Gospels except that believers wrote it.

[kal-el]

O, ok. I see what you are saying. My bad.

[Greenbeard]

The most dangerous aspect of Christianity seems to be the world view that it engenders. Belief that truth and reality can be gained through inculcation and faith, while stultifying within the religion, have dangerous and appalling consequences when subsequently extended to the extra-religious world encountered by the religious person. With this attitude of 'truth through faith', the person with a religious world view thinks: 1) she/he can pick and choose the reality that they want; if environmental concerns are too stressful, or if medical research benefitting others causes you moral concern, you can simply deny them; 2) the habit of cherry-picking through the contradictions in biblical text to defend any position that they want allows them to casually apply the same principles to political, moral, and public decisions. The results are situations like the Moral Majority supporting Reagan instead of Carter and other conundrums. We are all the victims of this failure of logic and rational thinking. This bothers me the most.

Perhaps this is not an indictment of Christianity specifically, but of all established, inculcated theistic religions.

Matt

[The Duke of Vandals]

Christianity where...

... god takes credit for all the good things you do and you're left with taking responsibility for the bad stuff.

... masturbators, consentual homosexuals and adulterers are on equal "moral" footing with rapists, murderers and child molesters.

... the old testament encourages murder. You murder your kids for talking back to you. You murder your wife for not obeying you. You murder your neighbors for worshipping other gods. Christians believe there's something in the NT that negates this and it's a good thing they do.

... 1800 year old unsupported propaganda is "fact" and modern day supported scientific advancement is "fiction".

... centuries of murdering unbelievers and heretics has yeilded a "religion of tolerance and love" that "all historians accept".

... women should just shut up and obey their husbands.



Yup. Sounds like a great religion.

[Cathar1950]

Christianity where...

... god takes credit for all the good things you do and you're left with taking responsibility for the bad stuff.

... masturbators, consentual homosexuals and adulterers are on equal "moral" footing with rapists, murderers and child molesters.

... the old testament encourages murder. You murder your kids for talking back to you. You murder your wife for not obeying you. You murder your neighbors for worshipping other gods. Christians believe there's something in the NT that negates this and it's a good thing they do.

... 1800 year old unsupported propaganda is "fact" and modern day supported scientific advancement is "fiction".

... centuries of murdering unbelievers and heretics has yeilded a "religion of tolerance and love" that "all historians accept".

... women should just shut up and obey their husbands.



Yup. Sounds like a great religion.

Oh sure just look at the few muderist faults.
Other humans are just as capable of evil deeds as Christians.