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N.B. In my opinion, it's not what's "wrong" with Christianity, but rather what's wrong with certain dismissive analyses of Christianity.
Everything that's "wrong" with Christianity is not about Christ and his teaching, but is about matters tangential to his teaching.
First and foremost, the Old Testament. Eliminate all of it and all of the hate-filled attacks on the thousands of sometimes imaginary and sometimes at least partly imaginary, and this would be a quieter place, and a quieter message board.
Second, eliminate all of the mythical elements like angels singing on high, and three wise men, and immaculate conception, and virgin birth, etc, etc, etc.
Third, eliminate all of the happy horsesh!t that goes on within the formalized churches -- especially the Catholic Church -- everything from fanciful non-Biblical embellishments and sometimes exceedingly silly rules and dogma, to long-past historical peccadilloes and worse, long-past political, economic, and military outrages.
Fourth, eliminate all of the excesses in wealth, ostentatious wealth, and pseudo regal trappings.
Fifth, do not be put off by Christ's speaking of Heaven and Hell, and the Father, but remember that these are images fully understood by his unsophisticated audience as images of one kind or another, and are not granite-hard reality.
Not one of the things I describe above has anything significant to do with either Christ or his teachings. When you ignore or eliminate all of those things, you will have the freedom to get to the heart of his teaching.
Although you can be richly rewarded by searching through the New Testament, reading all of the red typeface (which is a standard indication of the words of Christ), you really need go no further than the Sermon on the Mount, where, in essence, he gives an explication of The Ten Commandments, which alone give anyone who wants it a guide to a moral life.
The "pixies and fairies" so beloved of those who wish to denigrate either the Bible, religion itself, or just Christianity, were put in there as a means of explaining astoundingly complex concepts to people who were completely ill-equipped to understand them without these "teaching aids."
Anyone who is, or pretends to be, intelligent and well-read, should know to move immediately beyond these images and get to the heart of the teaching.
I not only admit, but trumpet aloud, the fact that it is far too easy to be dismissive based on tangentials, and difficult to get past them to the meaning, and moreover sometimes difficult beyond some persons' intellectual capacity.
In my opinion, it's better simply to not get involved in these discussions than to try to fight against the closed mind, and especially the mind that is closed because of non-essential and inconsequential side issues.
It was law because of religious beliefs, stop being daft to get a reaction.
Ahem, IRONY !!! Oh dear
You have no idea if I'm trying hard. Its not hard to debunk theories that are as full of holes as yours are. Troll is a word people throw up when they have no valid response.
Excellent post. If only this thread had started this way..... You make the point that thousands of years ago mankind struggled to understand everyday occurences that these days we take for granted . My "argument" is that in 2014, as we know so much more than back then, it's entirely logical that people are deserting religion(s) in droves for reasons that have been mentioned in various similar threads of late. In the U,K., being a highly developed country, it is even more so the case that people are turning away from orthodox religion(s) and that cannot be a surprise even though it is clearly of concern to those still belonging to religious orders. "Why do people still use religion in 2014"......my educated guesses are.....lack of development, lack of resources/hope, lack of (scientific or historical) knowledge.....hence in other nations, particularly those in Asia and Africa, religion and dictatorships remain very much hand in hand. In fact, it could be argued that there is "no" choice. Final Point........I have never ever been "told/ordered" to be an aetheist. I have been "told" to find God on hundreds, maybe thousands of occasions. That shows me all I need to know about which side of the fence is more "aggressive" to t'other and maybe explains the touchiness of certain religiously-minded souls.
Who "told" you to find god thousands of times? No one on any religious thread on here has ever proselytised for religion, merely questioned why religion angers people so. Unfortunately the same cant be said in reciprocation. Anyone who has spoken up for religion has been told that they are wrong to do so. So on the evidence of this site, your statement is quite wrong.
You have no idea if I'm trying hard. Its not hard to debunk theories that are as full of holes as yours are. Troll is a word people throw up when they have no valid response.
[Post edited 5 Aug 2014 16:51]
What are you wagging your beak about now?
You may want to look back at your arguments and theories. You going to claim you provide valid, conducive and well thought out counter arguments now? Where are your valid responses?!
Keep eating them shrooms Drizzle!
And we're Swaaaaanseeeea Ciiiityyyy! Swaaaansseeeaaa Ciiiityyy F C!
We're not necessarily the greatest team in football, the world has ever seen (but we're possibly the most honest and resilient).
- On behalf of The Campaign For Realistic Crowd Chanting
I don't know why you bother replying to my posts when 1) They are not addressed to you 2) I can't read any of the idiotic shyt you post as I am now on the " blissfully unaware of jackbastardoos stupidity" forum.
[Post edited 5 Aug 2014 19:05]
-2
What's "wrong" with Christianity? on 17:39 - Aug 5 with 2299 views
I don't know why you bother replying to my posts when 1) They are not addressed to you 2) I can't read any of the idiotic shyt you post as I am now on the " blissfully unaware of jackbastardoos stupidity" forum.
[Post edited 5 Aug 2014 19:05]
Yet you respond.
Again, showing the world your stupidity.
And we're Swaaaaanseeeea Ciiiityyyy! Swaaaansseeeaaa Ciiiityyy F C!
We're not necessarily the greatest team in football, the world has ever seen (but we're possibly the most honest and resilient).
- On behalf of The Campaign For Realistic Crowd Chanting
What's "wrong" with Christianity? on 12:57 - Aug 4 by Liam
Re OP:
I disagree with ignoring the OT. If you ignore that massive context very little of the NT makes sense - for example why was there a need for a messiah? Humanity in chaos, atonement, Judges, Kings, Solomon, David and the need for an eternal perfect king.
Secondly ignoring the supernatural stuff is folly. You need to take it all otherwise you're believing in an idol not a sovereign god - sovereign over natural laws and able do alter them at will.
I just realised he's also most probably blocked me so can't read this oh well
Good post. What's the point of being an all powerful God if you can't do what humans in their limited understanding consider the "impossible". Alas the reformation and the likes of John Knox have reduce the status of the creator of the universe into a rather emasculated ideal. It's Protestantism which has sewn the seed for the kind of hate filled threads like the one on here recently. And turned Britain into a country where the most popular growing religion is now Islam.
Each time I go to Bedd - au........................
You have no idea if I'm trying hard. Its not hard to debunk theories that are as full of holes as yours are. Troll is a word people throw up when they have no valid response.
[Post edited 5 Aug 2014 16:51]
What theories would they be then.
Trolling is a pastime of sad, pitiful people
1
What's "wrong" with Christianity? on 20:17 - Aug 5 with 2295 views
What's "wrong" with Christianity? on 17:12 - Aug 4 by Catullus
I have trouble forgetting the immaculate conception, virgin birth and others. I also have trouble considering heaven or hell as pure imagery. All these things were taught to me as being real. Mary and Joseph did not copulate, god impregnated her. Heaven exists as a place to ascend too if you are a true believer and worthy. Hell is where bad people end up. If all of this is just myth and imagery, what is the point in the church? Death becomes the end in itself. If there is nothing better to look forward too, then what is the point?
No, for god to exist and church to have any point, you have to believe, truly believe. Otherwise you are wasting your time (and hope) on something that may as well be from Walt Disneys archives. I try to be a good person. Not because I am religious and far from it. But because I believe it is right and we all should try. But why would anyone believe in a religion that ultimately offers nothing?
The immaculate conception was the conception of Mary, a Roman Catholic invention which tried to set her free from original sin and apart from other women in order to be found worthy of carrying the Son of God. Eastern faith Christians reject this out of hand.
Each time I go to Bedd - au........................
That's one of my points - religion, it would appear, is bourne out of ignorance of the world around us, and the unwillingness to learn. Religion inhibits the natural human need to learn and be inquisitive. Fear is instilled early in life, with a threat of of going to hell... and the same form of manipulation can also be applied to the susceptible.... why else would religion pursue the downtrodden and hopeless?
I'll just leave this here as a little example of their messages that use fear and hate to attract people (genuine images btw)!
Nice to see your using a controlled sample of moderate churches to get your point across. Why didn't you use the homophobic (Greensboro?) baptist church as seen on Louis Theroux!
Each time I go to Bedd - au........................
0
What's "wrong" with Christianity? on 21:04 - Aug 5 with 2276 views
What's "wrong" with Christianity? on 20:11 - Aug 5 by Brynmill_Jack
Good post. What's the point of being an all powerful God if you can't do what humans in their limited understanding consider the "impossible". Alas the reformation and the likes of John Knox have reduce the status of the creator of the universe into a rather emasculated ideal. It's Protestantism which has sewn the seed for the kind of hate filled threads like the one on here recently. And turned Britain into a country where the most popular growing religion is now Islam.
1. This is a respectful post.
2. I don't know what "Liam" wrote and you responded to. Blissfully, I have him on the block list, and it doesn't matter for purposes of this reply to you.
Your first sentence has a couple of the devious traps that lie awaiting anyone who tries to talk about the Creator, making it difficult to discuss.
- There is an uncloseable gap between a "personal" god and a creator and sustainer of life. As soon as you start talking about a god as a "person," you leave yourself open to myriad objections (most pointless) and the possibility of indefensible statements. I shy away from -- run away from -- any discussion of a "personal" god, per se..
- With your permission, I put aside the reservation just above. "All powerful" doesn't mean that such a god must always use that power -- and certainly not at every whim of silly Man.
- If a god can and did indeed do "what humans in their limited understanding consider the 'impossible'," he'd/she'd/it'd be a very silly god.
If someone asked me to kill you, I could do it. Will I? No. It doesn't take godlike intelligence to decide that one.
It's like trying to have a discussion with a walrus.... A deaf one.
And we're Swaaaaanseeeea Ciiiityyyy! Swaaaansseeeaaa Ciiiityyy F C!
We're not necessarily the greatest team in football, the world has ever seen (but we're possibly the most honest and resilient).
- On behalf of The Campaign For Realistic Crowd Chanting
New definition of trolling - Continuously presenting valid counter arguments to crackpot theories. If you want to me to stop challenging your views, stop posting nonsense.( Or stick me on ignore)
New definition of trolling - Continuously presenting valid counter arguments to crackpot theories. If you want to me to stop challenging your views, stop posting nonsense.( Or stick me on ignore)
[Post edited 5 Aug 2014 21:51]
Why would I stick you on ignore? It's interesting learning how primates communicate.
And you've not successfully (or anywhere close) challenged one of my views, or those of anyone else... I could see where you were coming from once, but then you started posting weird quotes, pictures and copy/paste jobs and things just started getting trippy. Since then there appears to be more cohesion having a conversation with, as mentioned, a deaf walrus.
And we're Swaaaaanseeeea Ciiiityyyy! Swaaaansseeeaaa Ciiiityyy F C!
We're not necessarily the greatest team in football, the world has ever seen (but we're possibly the most honest and resilient).
- On behalf of The Campaign For Realistic Crowd Chanting
And we're Swaaaaanseeeea Ciiiityyyy! Swaaaansseeeaaa Ciiiityyy F C!
We're not necessarily the greatest team in football, the world has ever seen (but we're possibly the most honest and resilient).
- On behalf of The Campaign For Realistic Crowd Chanting
That's one of my points - religion, it would appear, is bourne out of ignorance of the world around us, and the unwillingness to learn. Religion inhibits the natural human need to learn and be inquisitive. Fear is instilled early in life, with a threat of of going to hell... and the same form of manipulation can also be applied to the susceptible.... why else would religion pursue the downtrodden and hopeless?
I'll just leave this here as a little example of their messages that use fear and hate to attract people (genuine images btw)!
I have never seen someone with such an agenda, blindly and vigorously stick to the EXTREMIST side of everything, just to get his point across. Completely pig ignorant. A game of 'look at the pictures I found on google' is hardly the iron clad argument that you portray either.
Why would I stick you on ignore? It's interesting learning how primates communicate.
And you've not successfully (or anywhere close) challenged one of my views, or those of anyone else... I could see where you were coming from once, but then you started posting weird quotes, pictures and copy/paste jobs and things just started getting trippy. Since then there appears to be more cohesion having a conversation with, as mentioned, a deaf walrus.
Uhhh. He was talking to jackb. So that means you are jackb. Figures. Wonder if you are dailew as well. As for weird pictures and cut and pasting, there's only one person doing that on this thread and its you.
[Post edited 7 Aug 2014 12:52]
And what is good Phaedrus, and what is not good. Need we ask anyone to tell us these things?
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What's "wrong" with Christianity? on 12:56 - Aug 7 with 2061 views
Uhhh. He was talking to jackb. So that means you are jackb. Figures. Wonder if you are dailew as well. As for weird pictures and cut and pasting, there's only one person doing that on this thread and its you.
[Post edited 7 Aug 2014 12:52]
Its so lame when people use sockpuppets to agree with themselves.