That must be it. We just need to feel superior, never mind if we are right or wrong and by what parameters or how recorded history illustrates horrid hypocrisy.
This, almost exactly. My parents are ELCA Lutherans and actually fairly liberal as far as mainline Protestant Christianity in the South goes, but the older I get, the more I find hard to stomach or wrap my brain around Christian beliefs of any variety. I tried maintaining the stance of "I'm a Christian of the Jesus is a liberal hippie variety" for awhile, and I still believe that Jesus was a very radical guy who would be hated by conservative Christians today, but even the most liberal variety of Christianity has some beliefs that I can't accept, the main one being (paraphrasing Han Solo) that there is one all-powerful dude in charge of everything. Ironically it just makes more sense to believe that everything is random and accidental. The raging sexism and homophobia present in conservative Christianity are so abhorrent to me that I couldn't go near such a church, and I've found that even in the most liberal of churches, some of that still insidiously creeps in. Sad really. As far as heaven and hell--even when I considered myself a Christian, I didn't believe in hell, and I never believed in heaven as a place that you could earn your way into by following a particular religion.
Not to mention that when you have nutjobs like Pat Robertson or the Westboro Baptist Church, it's easy to get cynical about all aspects of religion. I still remember the first moment I realized atheism was the only logical course. I was around 12 years old, and my mom wanted me to get up early and go to church on one Sunday. I would have rather slept in. And when she finally dragged me out of bed, I wanted to wear my favorite Michael Jordan T-shirt, but she made me put on a "nice" shirt instead. When I asked why I had to get up early and wear uncomfortable clothes, she got evasive and gave a non-answer of "Because I said so!" That was the last straw for me. I had always been skeptical of the whole religion thing, but I went along with it because I really had no alternative. On that particular Sunday, it came to me that if I could ask a simple "why?" and not get an answer, I had no reason to believe in it anymore.
I already said I didn't expect you to take me seriously. The same goes for making you feel "bound". You clearly don't feel that there is any kind of objective morality governing your behavior, and that's the problem. You merely repeat the mantra of all immoral people: "you can't judge me". But sneering at the very concept of judgment isn't exactly an enlightened point of view, nor is it anything new. It's only a stance designed to provide cover for bad behavior. And I was answering him. Now that we've accurately recreated the sequence of events - good job - neither of us was making statements which argued that all members of a group are identical or which are contradicted by "But I graduated college!" Not touching the issue of Christian behavior not matching Christian rhetoric, eh? Doubling down on "I know you are but what am I"? Good enough. And there's no way to claim that one political agenda is any more right or wrong than any other political agenda, right? At least not in a way that you'll accept, so why should anyone bother? So what does it mean to call oneself a "Christian" while enforcing a political agenda which embodies the exact opposite of professed Christian values?
Perhaps there were. But that was the situation that started the avalanche of me actually questioning Christianity. I started asking myself "Why do I have to go to church?" "Why do I have to believe in God?" And so I answered myself I DON'T have to do those things. And once I realized that, it was one of the most liberating moments of my life. I dropped the shackles of religion, and I haven't regretted it since.
According to the Bible, "Faith" didn't start in the sense that we understand it until someone finally grasped that God loves an honest question. You may have jumped overboard right before the boat left the dock.
Interestingly, realizing that, as you say, we don't have to do those things was the exact moment for me when my faith become completely meaningful to me. Also, she totally should have let you wear the Michael Jordan t-shirt. You'll get no arguments from me on that.
Who wants to worship a dude who cringes at the sight of a Michael Jordan T-shirt in his house? I mean, really?
Exactly, which is why he should not worship his mother or her vain interest in his outer appearance... and should probably not attend her house. God, on the other hand, has no interest in such frivolity.
I can understand where you are coming from, but in my perspective, without evil, we would have a perfect society, therefore, there would be no need for morals of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ because there wouldn't be any sin for him to release us from.
Why are people afraid of dying or the afterlife? I'm jaded from reading the Harry Potter series and Vector Prime at an early age so I'm not that afraid of dying. From Harry Potter I learned that Death is but the next great adventure and from Vector Prime that anyone can die at anytime. I don't want to die a violent death or anything but if its my time, its my time and that I'm not that afraid of what could come next.
Really? Evil can be committed for any cause. I can kill a man on behalf of George Lucas that does not make him or Star Wars evil or at fault.
I don't understand fear of death either. I'm afraid of suffering, sure, but if I die, I'm not going to care afterwards.
Well if you don't believe there is anything after death than the only real fear comes from ceasing to exist. If you believe there is something after death the fear is what will it be. Personally I know where I'm going so if I drop dead after posting this I know I'll be in a much better place so death doesn't frighten me.
I just feel like I want to live my life in this plane of existence and make the most of it and not worry about what comes next until it does. It'll come but I'll worry about that later. Why worry about that now? Live my life and do make it worth it. I don't want to look back and have any regrets etc.
I've always found in humorous that Jesus goes to the Mountain to pray to HIMSELF. And on the cross he aks himself why he is forsaking him. I also enjoyed a little something Kurt Vonnegut said about Lot's wife, "And Lot's wife, of course, was told not to look back where all those people and their homes had been. But she did look back, and I love her for that, because it was so HUMAN." I ask the Christians here, do you actually believe in: Noahs Flood, A 6000 year old year, the tower of Babel story, original sin, The Red Sea parting, flaming bushes, etc?
Jesus is not the Father, Jesus prayed to the Father. The Trinity are three beings as well as one. On the cross he was separated from the father, he had become sin and the wrath of the father was poured out onto him. For the only time in all of existence the son was not in communion with the father. And Lot's wife act was human, humans are prone to doing the exact opposite of what God tells them. Do I believe in Noahs flood? Yes. A 6000 year old Earth? No. The tower of Babel? Yes. Original Sin? Yes. The Reed(it's not the red sea, that was a translation error) parting? Yes. God speaking through the burning bush? Of course.
but I thought Jesus was god? Are they not one and the same? So you believe Noah got two of every Animal(including Dinosuars?) and put them on a boat? that god changed everybody's language over a tower? that moses parted an entire sea for his people to cross? And a talking bush?
