|
|
|
|
|
| What made you decide that Christianity should be ignored?
Posted: 2/5/2008 3:14:15 AM | "the worst thing to ever happen to faith is religion, the worst thing to happen to a faith based doctrine is the church leader and congregation"
^^^ completely true. I 100% agree.
You only have to read some of the posts where they start "god wants".... and you just know to shut off and think - you're brainwashed mate....
There is nothing wrong with having faith - its forcing a religion on people I have a problem with. If I see another preacher standing in a high street telling people they are going to hell I swear to god myself I will give him a piece of my mind.......
 | |
|
| What made you decide that Christianity should be ignored?
Posted: 3/3/2008 9:16:34 PM |  Nice job thats how it was! But their are other issues and I agree with them too We as a church missed it! We build Lavish buildings and forget the Poor and all the children. Jesus told us to have pure religion we must not forget the widows and orphans. Widows meaning I believe also includes all ths single moms out there and her children.
In Colorado the real church made a vow to empty the foster program from the state meaning couples are adopting the orphans from the state. WHERE ARE THE REST OF THE SO-CALLED CHURCH? I am a reject from their agenda! I want no part in this big SIN! I think the church needs to repent for rejecting people like me!  
Here is what the church has for fruit: Pastors divorcing their wives and preaching the word like its for someone else and not them! Girls dressing like the girl on the street corner looking for sex! Where is modesty? What happened to come out among them and be seprate said the Lord! The Music is like the world musicians are not in it to minister but for their own pockets! They dance like the world! They sing like the world! What happened to the choirs and their Hymns? Even the modern church think we are music illiterates. They put the words up and no music! I can read music and so can 90% of the people.
We need a rivival. We need it to change the mindset from the 60's and 70's! We lost our roots we celebrate pagen holidays but never keep the feast of the Lord! Jesus did! Even hanukkah he kept! But we tryed to christinize the pagen hoildays and worldly things.
The church has more divorces than the world in many cases.Well enough on this lets get back to our roots and have rivival! | |
|
| What made you decide that Christianity should be ignored?
Posted: 3/5/2008 12:03:49 AM | | Misteron, I have a theory on "what happened". I think we are living in a very "twisted" society. What I mean is that we are very self-centered. We have become so self-serving that our ideas of what is noble and pure have become very vague. I think this began many years ago and has been passed down to the current generation. The Church is not immune from it because it effects our whole society. The way some of the young girls dress and act in Church, we would have labeled them "sluts" back when I was a teen. I think they are probably good girls for the most part with a confused idea of what is acceptable for Church. | |
|
ant468
|
Joined: 3/1/2008
Msg: 154 | |
| What made you decide that Christianity should be ignored?
Posted: 3/5/2008 4:01:57 AM | actually for me...
i dont ignore christianity...i ignore ALL religion..because to me..its worthless.
The only person i believe in ...IS MYSELF.
if more people would stop using religion as an excuse for how they live their life...the better off we'll be | |
|
| What made you decide that Christianity should be ignored?
Posted: 3/5/2008 9:02:25 AM |
I think we are living in a very "twisted" society. What I mean is that we are very self-centered. We have become so self-serving that our ideas of what is noble and pure have become very vague. I think this began many years ago and has been passed down to the current generation. The Church is not immune from it because it effects our whole society. The way some of the young girls dress and act in Church, we would have labeled them "sluts" back when I was a teen.
Ah yes, the horrible downslide of society. . .
"back in MY day . . ."
Back in the day, classical music was thought to be anti-social and cutting edge.
Back in the day, jazz was banned.
Back in the day, dancing was evil.
Back in the day, women had no say in who they married.
Back in the day, husbands could legally beat their wives (if the stick was thinner than their thumb).
Back in the day women could NOT get divorced from abusive husbands.
Back in the day, CHURCHES condoned slavery.
Back in the day, Interracial marriage was illegal.
Back in the day, women couldn't work, show ankles, speak in church, vote. . .
yes... things were SO MUCH BETTER back then.
The Church as ALWAYS seen "the evil" in society, even if that "evil" changes all the time.
James, Port Orchard, Washington, USA, Earth | |
|
| What made you decide that Christianity should be ignored?
Posted: 3/5/2008 11:07:56 AM | "ppl turn from xianity cuz the churches have prostituted the faith in the name of their own agendas which have nothing to do with the preachings and teachings in the bible."
This is certainly one reason I have no desire to belong to any "church."
But, I don't believe I have ignored Christianity since I have always felt very strongly that I was a Christian. I have rejected "mainstream" Christianity, though, because what I see there is about status, materialism, tradition and power. It is filled with blatant hypocrisy, arrogance and/or self-righteousness and is also very "clicky." All of which is a big turn-off to me. The basis of the love preached by Jesus, as I see it, reflects a certain generosity of spirit which I often hear preached, but I don't actually see much.
The fact that someone doesn't belong to any "religion" and does not follow any "pre-defined or traditional belief" system, to me, is not a bad thing. I like to think one might actually be closer to God that way. | |
|
| |
| What made you decide that Christianity should be ignored?
Posted: 3/6/2008 11:02:22 PM | | Seattlerain, while I would agree that society has always been "twisted" to a degree, the extent of it is more than it has ever been before. You do bring up some good points but some of them are irrelvant to my statement and many of them you would have a hard time proving. I would like to know if you think things are better today and why you would think that? | |
|
| What made you decide that Christianity should be ignored?
Posted: 3/7/2008 8:04:45 AM | Seattlerain, while I would agree that society has always been "twisted" to a degree, the extent of it is more than it has ever been before. You do bring up some good points but some of them are irrelvant to my statement and many of them you would have a hard time proving. I would like to know if you think things are better today and why you would think that?
I don't really believe society has always been "twisted", the CHURCH and puritanical-types have. No matter WHAT the norms of the day, there are those who like to point fingers and pretend to be "better" than that.
Generally speaking, I do think society is better today than ever before. Of course, I can only speak for MY society on this... one of our mistakes is always taking our mores and values and superimposing them on other cultures.)
Yes, I think things are better today than they were 1,000 years ago... better than 500 years ago as well.... we're better off than we were 100 years a go in my opinion. Today, we are more fair and equal than any time in history and crime is at a 20 to 30 year low depending on where you look. Environmental laws, child labor, workplace rules, gender equality, recognition of gay and lesbians as people, and our awareness of our place in the world is growing. Of course, all of this is debatable (especially here in the forums), but I see our collective future as brighter than ever.
I LIKE that my society is becoming less and less "Christian" in favor of more peaceful, loving religions and philosophies. Heck, some studies show that nearly 40% of those self-identifying as "Christians" go to church two times or less a year. . . It does my heart good.
James, Port Orchard, Washington, USA | |
|
| What made you decide that Christianity should be ignored?
Posted: 3/7/2008 5:07:55 PM | Dogma enslaves the mind by giving one a small picture/view of everything and everybody...and possessing it prevents one from seeing clearly since all is interpreted through the dogmatic filters one has chosen to claim as one's own.
Truth liberates, or sets you free as some say it...therefore, IMO of course, dogma and truth cannot mix...they are like night and day...and if one chooses dogma over truth, then one is not free...regardless of how one chooses to see it. | |
|
| What made you decide that Christianity should be ignored?
Posted: 3/7/2008 8:48:01 PM | Thirty years ago , I left my Christian beliefs for several decades only to return later to them. The main reason I left back then, was the failure I felt, in being what I thought a Christian should always be.
Having been raised to believe, that God hated sinners, that we lost our Salvation with every sin, it was quite frankly an impossibility to live up to. Christian beliefs returned to me about 7 years ago, when while reading the Bible, I came to the conclusion that my previous beliefs about sin were dead wrong. God didnt hate the sinner ( me) , he loved me enough to have his son die for me. Also, Jesus , while sinless, had been tempted and understood completely what I faced in life.
Since then? The biggest challenge has been deciding how much God has to do with my life. Whether right or wrong, I find it easier to believe he does not in any way, interfere ( so to speak) , in my life. It is the only way I can reconcile the promises made in the scriptures and unanswered prayer. At this point in my life, I believe that God only answers some of our prayers , after we have left this world.
But I admit, to quite frequently, being tempted, ' to once again leaving Christianity" and my beliefs. The temptation always comes from what I consider unanswered prayer.
It is easy for me to see why those prayers remain unanswered though, lack of faith being the leading cause. | |
|
| What made you decide that Christianity should be ignored?
Posted: 3/8/2008 12:08:12 AM | James (seattlerain), it seems that you are under the impression that society used to be made up of marauding white males who struck down any black, gay or woman that they came across. I cannot buy that view of history. As far as our society getting better, have you looked at what goes on in China, the non-Christian place we are sending all our manufacturing to? You want to see people suffer? Look no further. You want to see women, children, gays, animals and Christians persecuted? Read all about what goes on in China.
James, I really do not know what goes on in the state of Washington, but you mentioning things getting better in the workplace is sheer fantasy. Employees are losing more of their rights daily. Enviromental laws? Where? The Polar ice shelves are breaking up. Crime may be at a 30 year low, but now that all the jobs have fled the country and prices on everything are raising sky high, you can count on the crime rate zooming up too. You want to blame the Church for everything as a scapegoat, but you are living in a country where the government is slowly eroding all of rights. The only thing better today that it was 30 years ago is the advances in medicine, and nobody can afford health care, so alot of good that does us. | |
|
| What made you decide that Christianity should be ignored?
Posted: 3/8/2008 9:18:20 AM | Well, I do believe in God... I just don't embrace the cultural form of God as presented in Christianity. The initial reason for my rejection of Christianity was the belief that no one, no matter how true and righteous in the deeds, can enter the "kingdom of the father" without first professing a belief in Jesus. In contrast, the Germanic belief was and is that the palce a person earns in the afterdeath is entirely dependent on the virtue of their deeds and entirely independent of who or what they may or may not belieive in. A good person is a good person, period. No ego-stroking about it.
Nevertheless, I don't feel that Christianity can be ignored as it is part of my cultural heritage as a person of Germanic descent, and a fair number of my family, friends, and neighbours are Christian. So, for whatever its worth, I have built up my own beliefs about Christ and what he represents. | |
|
| What made you decide that Christianity should be ignored?
Posted: 3/8/2008 1:33:34 PM | I cannot buy that view of history. As far as our society getting better, have you looked at what goes on in China, the non-Christian place we are sending all our manufacturing to?
RDtoo,
What does China being non-Christian have to do with anything? If you want to look at SUFFERING, you don't have to look any further than looking at U.S.A. history, circa 1880 to 1925 for abuse and persecution of the people by all the good and righteous factory owners.
You can just peek at any TODAY'S newspaper to see Women, Children, gays being abused and that abuse is by Christian and non-Christians alike, so I'm not sure why you feel the need to point towards CHINA.
If you don't think the work place is better NOW than it was 1000, 100, or even 30 years ago, I don't know what to say. The Western European/North American industrial revolution is what started our environmental down slide and that has nothing to do with Christianity.
I've NEVER blamed the church for any of this. My primary comment was that things were NOT better 50 years ago than they are now and in general life is much better than ever.
All I'm saying is that Society is NOT more 'twisted'. True, there are bad parts of the thing we call life, but in general, the good FAR outweighs those things. Disregarding this current aberration in the White House, American society is well off. I even think CHURCHES are finally coming around with more and more of them ACCEPTING others instead of focusing on excluding groups of people. I have high hopes for the new enlightened Christianity as opposed to the dark, evil shadow calling itself "christian" that attempted to take over the United States.
To paraphrase Glinda (the good witch): Are you a GOOD Christian or a BAD Christian.
You seem to be quite a pessimist. I'm sorry you see the world as a glass-half-empty, but so be it. I see the world as a place of eternal wonder and hope and while it's not perfect, striving for such things is worth the effort.
James | |
|
| What made you decide that Christianity should be ignored?
Posted: 3/8/2008 2:01:06 PM |
I just want to know why you do not believe in God or Jesus and what brought you to this decision? While the original question, quoted here, was phrased in a way that those of us who do believe in God, but are not Christians would be included, the discussion certainly seems to exclude us. As a Jewish person, may I remind Christians that there are other paths as well.
The insistence on exclusivity of belief in their religion by many Christians, and the perceived need to proselytize others who are co-believers rather than non-believers is, in my opinion, a good reason for a questioning of Christianity.
For those Christians who believe, but are tolerant of others, I have the greatest respect. I'm active in interfaith activities, and find much in common with these type of people.
A straight answer to the original question would be that having a faith of my own, and having investigated Christianity at length, I never felt the need to join it's ranks. I don't think Christianity should be ignored, but I have no plans to join. | |
|
| What made you decide that Christianity should be ignored?
Posted: 3/9/2008 10:22:36 PM | James, I brought China into the discussion because you seemed to be indicating that all the persecution of people in the world has been done by Christians. I used China as an example of a non-Christian place that does not know the meaning of the term "human rights".
Incidentally, I was in the work force 30 years ago. Employees were much better off then as opposed to now. For one thing, even menial jobs gave their employees Blue Cross. | |
|
| What made you decide that Christianity should be ignored?
Posted: 3/10/2008 2:01:38 AM | very simple..
for one logic.
the bible for the most part makes very little sense with contradictions everywhere.
contradictions to what life, observations and experiences with my senses that god supposedly gave to me.
Then there is the issue that Christianity discourages free thinking and individuality.
Something to be said about a religeon that compares people to sheep and lambs and encourages people to take up the qualities of those animals.
Then there is the other contradictions that come from both the bible and the people who follow that path.
on one hand it is said that god is perfect, with no flaws and with infinite capabilities.
Then they turn around and give god very human qualties and flaws.
flaws like jealousy, jealousy is a very human emotion and flaw. yet "god" is said to be VERY jealous. wants you to ONLY worship him and no other, not even consider the idea that there might be other paths.
Then god is also on a power trip too added to his jealousy in that you have to do Everything HIS way or no way at all.
Then god is also very bloodthirsty, vindictive and cruel especially if you trigger his jealousy
wanting to condemn someone to an eternity of unending torture, especially someone that is supposedly your child and creation just because they might disagree with some rules here there.
Then there is the tons of Christians that seem to never get enough of trying to tell me that their way is the only way and any way BUT their way is wrong.
Then there is the millenniums of people doing cruel and inhumane acts n god's honour.
Then you have a path that in one aspect tells you that you have the same potential and capabilities as god by saying we are god's children and were made in his image.
Then turn around and discarding that fact by steadfastly discouraging people from discovering and using their potential as infant gods (which is what we humans are collectively is an infant god).
then you have the millions of Christians or at least people who claim to be not doing their upmost to emulate the way Christ lived, and treated others, and instead support or engage in acts that would make christ discusted to be associated with them.
If every christian did everything in their power to live the way christ lived we would not have the problems in our society that we do now.
Problems like war, poverty, homelessness, and other crap that we have to deal with on a day to day basis.
Lastly Christianity is obsolete, it is a path, a movement and an underground counter culture that is millions of years obsolete. It had it's time, place and purpose all of wich is no longer the case in our modern times.
It was path meant for a people who were significantly more barbaric than humanity is now.
Then there is the strict patriarchal attitude that Christianity supports and encourages.
This even in spite that we know that the creative forces in the universe tend to be female. and we know this due to using our gifts that god gave us to help us understand a universe that was created of which we are a part of.
In fact i think that Christianity and the abrahamic paths in general are among the biggest contributors to human suffering and is instead retarding our evolution as beings and keeping us at a sickeningly barbaric level of existence.
Christianity does have some decent and important tidbits of wisdom that everyone should use and embrace. you just have to pretty much always read between the lines to find it.
These are the reasons why i have an evolving spiritual path that is founded on the ideals of wicca.
I worship a goddess who doesnt ever claim to be perfect, omnipotent and omnipresent. A goddess who has human flaws. A goddess who so loves her children that she would never think of giving additional suffering after life is over. Who lets us live in the suffering that we create or allow for ourselves instead.
YEs 100 percent of the suffering that humans go through daily can be elimiated or at least nearly so.
WE humans have the power to end all the suffering, including natural disasters (we have the technology to make infrastucture that is nearly disaster proof). As all human suffering is perpetrated or made worse by other humans. We also have the power and capability as humans to ensure we wont suffer in the future either, even in th face of an extinction rated astroid on a collision with earth.
The people i share my path with also dont believe that our path is the one and only true way. A path that encourages people to think for themselves instead of following the herd with the rest of the sheep.
A path that has the ability to evolve and improve as time pases, and humans evolve to higher social, technological, spiritual and moral capabilities.
A path that encourages one to grow in knowledge and wisdom instead of discouraging both
A path that gives everyone an equal footing both man and woman at any level.
Where women can be priestesses and spiritual leaders instead of encouraged to be subservient to a man, barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen.
A path that encourages us to take care of our world, and its resources instead of viewing the world as one vast set of resources to be exploited and an open sewer to dump our garbage.
These are the reasons why i am not and never will be christian | |
|
| What made you decide that Christianity should be ignored?
Posted: 3/10/2008 5:12:25 AM | "What made you decide that Christianity should be ignored?"
On the contrary. Christianity, being the immoral institution that holds sway over the sole superpower at the moment, should be held under a microscope. | |
|
| What made you decide that Christianity should be ignored?
Posted: 3/10/2008 10:34:54 AM | SHYLENT SAID:
and give god very human qualties and flaws.
god" is said to be VERY jealous.
wants you to ONLY worship him and no other, not even consider the idea that there might be other paths.
Then god is also on a power trip too added to his jealousy in that you have to do Everything HIS way or no way at all.
Then god is also very bloodthirsty, vindictive and cruel especially if you trigger his jealousy
wanting to condemn someone to an eternity of unending torture, especially someone that is supposedly your child and creation just because they might disagree with some rules here there.
My favorite is this, Christians tells us that their god gives us a CHOICE to love him or not, but basically this is what their god says, "If you DON'T love me, I will torture you for all eternity in a pit of ever-lasting torment and cruelty, but Hey, it's your choice, whatever."
If this "god" was a MAN instead of non-existent deity, he'd be strapped down tighter than Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs for being a tightly-strung, angry, jealous, sociopathic monster. (It puts the holy water on its skin!)
James, Port Orchard, Washington, USA, Earth | |
|
| |
| What made you decide that Christianity should be ignored?
Posted: 5/15/2008 12:12:30 PM | | Not so. All religion should be discounted that forces itself down my throat. I have a low tolerance for being fed bullshit by strangers. Just validate my parking, pastor, and I'll be on my merry way. | |
|
| What made you decide that Christianity should be ignored?
Posted: 5/15/2008 12:39:06 PM | | OP, I don't believe the man was divine or in any way the (literal) son of a god, etc. I don't believe he (literally) rose from the dead, performed actual miracles, was "immaculately" conceived, and so forth. I can see validity in some of his teachings, yes , and if organized orthodox Christianity only required me to say of him (rather as Buddhists do of Buddha) that he was a great spiritual man, a mystic , whose examples are worthy of being followed, etc, then I could feasibly consider being a part of it. But seeing as though it requires (literal) belief in what any (non-believer) adult will tell you is childish , at best, I can't be a part of it. Because it's not enough (for mainstream orthodox Christians) to just say you "admire" Jesus, or you love and respect his teachings and his spiritual example; you have to profess literal belief (and presumably feel such belief in your heart) in things that look , in the daylight, like complete silliness. Things you can't bring yourself to say you honestly believe in. | |
|
| What made you decide that Christianity should be ignored?
Posted: 5/19/2008 8:51:47 PM | To OP
Ignore it? Not at All! It is part our history. It has been a part of our known recorded history since virually the beginning of our existence. I dare not ignore it, only see beyond the words that are immbedded within its pages. To truly understand where we are going, I have learned where we have been...where we are Now. What you call God may be felt within you, but the guidance comes from 'a' book. My idea of 'God' is contained within us....within life itself. Believe me, my ideas came from more than just mere books, and Yes, the were Many! Does this satisfy your question? | |
|
| What made you decide that Christianity should be ignored?
Posted: 5/23/2008 12:30:55 AM | | when i heard the ida that the gospels were musical plays written by Romans in the years immediately following thing the first jewish war 66a.d. 70 a.d. i finally had my curiosity saisfied as to the place of the NT. i had already come to the belief that Jesus was probably a fictional character but placing this character and the NT in the larger context of the roman world was missing now that i have a sence of of things my frustration with Christianity has diminished and i have begun to explore all the relationships about this period in history that this idea brings to light. the numerous scenes including full nudity , prostitutes. drinking, the unflattering portrayal of the jewish leaders all seem slanted to roman interests, as well as the miracles the special effects of their time. at a time when the introduction of new religions into Rome was banned plays about a" fictional" religion would be popular. further at a time when the definition of religion was that you offered sacrifice the Jesus plays found a novel solution to escape the charge that they were an actual religion in the guise of a play. The introduction to the nelson study bible does mention that the gospels were meant to be sung and you can hear what it may have sounded like at the wikipedia articvle entitled antiphony. | |
|
| |
|
|
Home
login 
