Post by Klington on Dec 1, 2010 9:56:31 GMT -5
I consider myself a Christian.
Whether I believe in the divinity of Christ or (like Jefferson did) believe solely in his ability as a moral teacher is a question I have yet to answer as of yet.
I have various problems with Christianity as a religion; here's a few.
One, the Catholic church for nearly a millennium was horrendous, evil organization. If you need examples, look at history. If you still need examples, I will post a few here later, however as of now I believe this proof is self-explanatory. So my question is this, would Christ come and let all those people under the tenure of the Catholic church for all those years completely misinterpret his ideas and moral teachings and completely lead them astray? It's just so damn illogical. What's the point of Christ coming if we weren't able to really get his teachings till people began to actually read the friggen book and get out from under the rein of a tyrannical pope who used his power to do things completely against the message of christ. In addition to this, how can the modern catholic church and all those descended from it really confirm their own doctrine after so much time?
My second problem has to do with this damn incentive problem. If Christ is so great, if his love is so strong, then why do I need an incentive system based upon reward (ever-lasting life in Heaven) and punishment (hell) to believe in his teachings? Should I not want to follow God no matter what? I have heard this point argued against with the stipulation that God needs us to be free of sin before he can welcome us into Heaven. Ok, I suppose that makes sense, but why the hell do people still preach it as a reward and punishment system? Preach the teachings! That's the real gold, who cares about heaven or hell, I care about living a good life NOW.
My third problem:
This has to do with sin and forgiveness. Most people believe that if you believe in Christ, you don't need to worry about sin anymore. That no matter what you will go to heaven, everything is forgiven. I just don't get this. Essentially Christ is a free-pass card to do whatever you want because hey, you're saved!
alright just some ramblings for now to provoke thought and argument, I'll some more ramblings later.
Whether I believe in the divinity of Christ or (like Jefferson did) believe solely in his ability as a moral teacher is a question I have yet to answer as of yet.
I have various problems with Christianity as a religion; here's a few.
One, the Catholic church for nearly a millennium was horrendous, evil organization. If you need examples, look at history. If you still need examples, I will post a few here later, however as of now I believe this proof is self-explanatory. So my question is this, would Christ come and let all those people under the tenure of the Catholic church for all those years completely misinterpret his ideas and moral teachings and completely lead them astray? It's just so damn illogical. What's the point of Christ coming if we weren't able to really get his teachings till people began to actually read the friggen book and get out from under the rein of a tyrannical pope who used his power to do things completely against the message of christ. In addition to this, how can the modern catholic church and all those descended from it really confirm their own doctrine after so much time?
My second problem has to do with this damn incentive problem. If Christ is so great, if his love is so strong, then why do I need an incentive system based upon reward (ever-lasting life in Heaven) and punishment (hell) to believe in his teachings? Should I not want to follow God no matter what? I have heard this point argued against with the stipulation that God needs us to be free of sin before he can welcome us into Heaven. Ok, I suppose that makes sense, but why the hell do people still preach it as a reward and punishment system? Preach the teachings! That's the real gold, who cares about heaven or hell, I care about living a good life NOW.
My third problem:
This has to do with sin and forgiveness. Most people believe that if you believe in Christ, you don't need to worry about sin anymore. That no matter what you will go to heaven, everything is forgiven. I just don't get this. Essentially Christ is a free-pass card to do whatever you want because hey, you're saved!
alright just some ramblings for now to provoke thought and argument, I'll some more ramblings later.