Is anyone else unimpressed by Christian moral teaching?

[Dionysus]

So often I hear so-called 'secular humanists' wax poetic about the essentially self-destroying altruism professed by the Biblical Jesus (and about how it accords so marvellously with their own 'enlightened', essentialist-universalist prescripts), despite the fact that very few of these teachings make any sense whatsoever out of their historical and political context. Even Dawkins, the patron saint and high priest of pseudo-aggressive secular humanism, draws to a halt before this, though I'd expect nothing greater from this particular parrot.

Take, for instance, the basic notion that one should behave so modestly as to be essentially self-negating in one's activities. This is a common theme amongst moralists - Gandhi, not a particularly excellent thinker or human being despite his public relations victories, ranked it as his chief virtue - and it is at the same time an entirely unreasonable position. One who acts with false modesty is less inclined to act with excellency; it is easy to be modest only when, like Gandhi, doing such raises one in the eyes of his fellows. This is particularly useful when engaged in a slave revolt, as both Gandhi and Christ were. It is also dishonest.

The notion that revenge is innately bad is more understandable, but also more hypocritical: Christ's teachings were born out of revenge, against the Romans and their Jewish shills. Obviously the historical Christ did not take his own advice to heart in laying out his mandates, and neither did his followers who recorded his words.

In short, there is not a single moral concept in the Christian religion of any value. In fact, this entire edifice is of negative sum value. As against this I support instead the Greco-Aristotelian notion of virtue ethics, the concept of the 'good and the beautiful', as an infinitely preferable ethical (and not moral) arrangement.

[Lionspoint]

The Greeks really were smart. Well, no they weren't. Outside of a few figures, it would be ill-advised to follow a Grecean philosophy, especially where it had to do with young boys.

That said, any divergence from our modern perverse desire to force belief upon our neighbor would be welcome. I for one am looking forward to the rapture... when all these people who think what's best for me is after I die goes away...far away. I really would pray for the rapture if I didn't think it was a waste of time. God bless!

[Negachrist]

I wouldn't say "unimpressed" as much as "disgusted by the hypocrisy".

What with all the Spanish Inquisitions, Witch-hunting, Paedophile Priests, and so on...

[Dionysus]

The Greeks really were smart. Well, no they weren't. Outside of a few figures, it would be ill-advised to follow a Grecean philosophy, especially where it had to do with young boys.

Why not? After all, Socrates held that the reason that Athens was superior in culture to its surrounding city-states was because of the beauty of its youth.