Christianity-bashing?

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You think: not another post about Christianity! Oh noes! Well, this isn't so much about believing or not, but it seems to me as though it's really only Christianity that gets bashed. Sure, people are anti-Islam/paranoid because of terrorism and whatnot, and there are antisemitic, but you don't hear a lot about disproving those religions (or at least I don't) or debating their beliefs. Is it just because we're more vocal about our beliefs? Because there are some people who have distorted the real message, making Christianity seem like one big bigot-fest? (I can assure you, most Christians do not believe what those southern pastors/whatnot that the media puts on TV say they believe in.) Because Christianity flies the face of what the world believes (and not just scientifically, but morally, etc)? Why?

Sorry, but I have to say this: there is plenty of scientific evidence that points to God. Many top scientists don't believe in macroevolution and are even turning to absurd theories like "aliens planted life on earth" (which really doesn't solve the problem anyway). Also, an observation: science contradicts itself (for example, there are studies that state that human life originated from Africa, and studies that show that life originated in the Middle East); does that mean that science is bogus and we shouldn't believe in it? Um, no. There is plenty of archaeological evidence that verifies the Old Testament. and etc etc. Just some food for thought.

Chelsabe's picture

Honestly ill throw it out there that i don't believe in god but i would never "bash it" in any way. everyone has their opinion on evolution or whatever else and no one can say one is right and one is wrong because there is no proof. as well as with religion, all religions that is. Theres minimal or no proof of most religions but as humans we need that belief and faith in something else whatever our own may be.

mvenus929's picture
Managing Director of Progressive U

The chances of you being a scientist and religious are much less than any other profession. Period.

Science doesn't contradict itself. Depending on how the study is done, there are different variables to consider, and frankly, some studies are just plain biased. Not all studies are created equal, and you shouldn't immediately believe any one study you read. One thing about science is that in order to be accepted, it has to be proven time and time again. If it's not, well, they don't accept it. Science is looking for the truth, remember. It is perfectly willing to change as our techniques get more precise.

Criticism of Christianity likely comes because Christianity is a religion that seeks converts, continuously. Christians as a whole are constantly trying to prove others' religions wrong, or trying to force their beliefs onto others (through legislation, for example). The Jews have the same moral base as the Christians, but most tend to be perfectly content with keeping to themselves. Hindus, in my experience, are the same way... they practice their religion for themselves, and don't seek to change other people's views.

~C
Check out the latest entry in the Between The Lines column!

the only reason there is religion is because it creates the false being of hope. if there is hope in someones life because of religion, they think that "oh, (insert religious being here) cant make this any more worse than it already is" and if it doesnt, they praise that being and go on with there happy day. its just a false sense of security, thas all religion is, one big effing security blanket.

Dr Gonzo's picture
Member of the Progressive U Alumni Association

Christianity gets bashed most often because it is more present among the bloggers here. If Islam or whatever were the main religion then that religion would get "bashed." Christianity and Islam are also some of the pushiest religions about conversions and are both deeply active in politics. Jews may be anti-gay too, but I don't see too many Jews out their picketing gay funerals or urging temple members to vote against gay marriage. Nor have too many Jewish leaders come out to declare hurricanes or 9/11 or whatever as evidence of God's wrath. Last I checked the Dalai Lama wasn't walking around with a picture of an aborted fetus around his neck or bombing abortion clinics.

Science is not a religion, it is a process, and the answers it gives us are not absolute. They are the best theories currently available to us. Because there is disagreement within the scientific community does not make science bunk. Besides, that sword cuts both ways. In your own post you claim that some people who call themselves Christians are not only wrong, but not Christians at all. So if absolute agreement is the standard by which truth is to be measured Christianity is no better off than the "science" you seem to be so dismissive of.

Religious people want to view science as a religion because that is the systemization of belief that they are comfortable and familiar with. They want scientific beliefs to be religious beliefs because that's what they understand. That isn't the way science works. It is a community of many different people, of many different faiths studying and testing reality. They debate among themselves and as general agreement is reached the view becomes popular and wide spread, but almost every scientist worth the name would change his view any particular subject if presented with good evidence and good arguments.

Also, don't forget that by the time any particular scientific belief becomes part of popular canon it has been challenged, expanded or even flat out changed. The last sub atomic particles I really heard about were quarks, but they are way beyond that nowadays.

Evolution may be true or false. Man may have started in multiple areas at once, or only one. None of that actually helps the case of God. A lot of these arguments get bogged down in binary thinking. Evolution v. Intelligent design or whatever. This is incredibly useful for comparing those two ideas, but not really for determining how life began. There may be something entirely different going on. If you want to argue about whether God exists then you must argue that on its own. The existence of life might be a part of that argument, but disproving evolution doesn't prove God, it disproves evolution.

Evolution can also co-exist with theistic beliefs. Many Christians believe in evolution. Many believe that God created humans specially, but left the rest up to evolution.

Finally, validating the historical events of the old testament does not validate the "supernatural" or "miraculous" events of the old testament. Most people who say things like, "There's plenty of scientific proof of God," would be pretty hard pressed to actually produce it. It's a built up idea in their mind that just doesn't get examined, so when you ask them, "like what?" they pull out a couple old standbys that any thinking atheist has heard and discounted and proceed to mumble something and walk away when people aren't immediately swayed to their point of view.

As long as their are large groups of people calling themselves Christians doing things that I disagree with for reasons that I find stupid I will say. I will say so loudly. I do the same thing with any group that commonly holds beliefs with which I disagree, and I have about the same reaction when they tell me that the media has twisted what their organization is about or that those guys aren't really part of our group, "they just use the name."

Res ipsa loquitur.
memento mori, mahalo.
"Patriotism is often an arbitrary veneration of real-estate above principles."

mvenus929's picture
Managing Director of Progressive U

You should read Blasphemy by Douglas Preston. It's... interesting, to say the least. I won't say more about it, cause it would ruin the book, but you should read it :-)

~C
Check out the latest entry in the Between The Lines column!

blackout's picture
Volunteer for the Progressive U Alumni Association

Is it just because we're more vocal about our beliefs?

Pretty much, yeah.

Sorry, but I have to say this: there is plenty of scientific evidence that points to God.

Really? Like what?

Many top scientists don't believe in macroevolution

I suppose it depends on what you mean by "many," but I would suggest that you are significantly eaggerating the number of scientists that reject the notion of macroevolution. In fact, macroevolution (which when correctly defined is nothing more than "any evolutionary change at or above the level of species") has been directly observed and thoroughly documented. Those who reject the notion are either uniformed regarding the contents of the scientific literature, or resistant to the idea on non-scientific grounds.

There is plenty of archaeological evidence that verifies the Old Testament.

There may be "plenty of archaeological evidence" that confirms certian aspects of many of the stories contained in the Old Testament, but none of that evidence supports the idea that the supernatural claims of the biblical stories actually happened.

percivale

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restinpeace's picture
Member of the Progressive U Alumni Association

Rest in peace
yourfuneralguy
http://www.lowercostfuneral.com/rbrianblog

"Letters From the Earth" ("A Banned Book")by Mark Twain rips Christianity apart .

Mark Joyner's Recent #1 Book "Simpeology"...
does the same thing in a modern fashion.

but at the End of the day Christianity arguably stands tall.

The Church or Churchianity...does not stand tall..against most attack
Christianity is not ideology..

Rest in peace.

zelkwin's picture
Quote:

Christianity is not ideology..

You are correct, technically, it's a cult. : )
Enjoy your figurative cannibalism during conmmunion!

____________
haHA!

burningexample's picture
Volunteer for the Progressive U Alumni Association

That was an extremely rude and intolerant comment.

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Your Tongue is a Rudder; It Steers the Whole Ship, Sends Your Words Past Your Lips or Keeps Them Safe Behind Your Teeth... [Brand New]

Volunteer for the Progressive U Alumni Association

Cult - adherents of an exclusive system of religious beliefs and practices

While it may offend you, their comment wasn't wrong by definition of cult.



I am treated as evil by people who claim that they are being oppressed because they are not allowed to force me to practice what they do. ~D. Dale Gulledge

burningexample's picture
Volunteer for the Progressive U Alumni Association

The definition and use of the word "cult" wasn't at all offensive. It was the user's reference to communion that was not only offensive, but completely incorrect.

It was rude.

I get offended when Christians say "my way is right" and I get offended when non-Christians speak condescendingly, rudely, and sarcastically about Christianity. Or anyone's beliefs in any way.

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Your Tongue is a Rudder; It Steers the Whole Ship, Sends Your Words Past Your Lips or Keeps Them Safe Behind Your Teeth... [Brand New]

Volunteer for the Progressive U Alumni Association

"Eat my body and drink my blood." (paraphrased, of course) What would you consider that to be, without using the word communion, especially if you were an outsider to Christianity?

This article has a good example of a non-Christian faith asserting that Christians practice cannibalism (end of "Get Your Facts Straight" section).

Is it misguided? Yes. Is it condescending, especially when person saying something knows the concept from the Christian point of view? Yes. I'm not saying that what the commenter said or how it came across is right. I just want to point out that there are people that truly believe that Christians practice cannibalism and show how that idea was formed.



I am treated as evil by people who claim that they are being oppressed because they are not allowed to force me to practice what they do. ~D. Dale Gulledge

burningexample's picture
Volunteer for the Progressive U Alumni Association

I understand what you're saying exactly.

But I also equate "there are people that truly believe that Christians practice cannibalism..." to "there are people who truly believe all Muslims are terrorists" or "there are people who truly believe that all Mormons practice polygamy."

No matter how you look at it, it's an incorrect assumption on someone's beliefs. That's like everyone thinking that since astrologists practice reading the stars that they're crazy people who think the sky talks to them in their sleep.

Same ridiculous interpretation of beliefs.

Now, I'm not doubting that there are Christians who still believe in Transubstantiation [meaning the bread literally turns into Christ's flesh and the wine literally turns into His blood], but most of us believe it's metaphorical and spiritual.

Assumption on anyone's beliefs is intolerant, if you ask me. I know you're not being disrespectful in anyway and I have no hard feelings for ZelkWin, but either way, ...

Everyone always talks about Christians bashing on everyone.... they talk about how intolerant we are and how forceful we are... but then those same people turn around and make assumptions and comments about Christians. It's hypocritical and annoying. That's all.

[-(

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Your Tongue is a Rudder; It Steers the Whole Ship, Sends Your Words Past Your Lips or Keeps Them Safe Behind Your Teeth... [Brand New]

ediblewoman's picture
Volunteer for the Progressive U Alumni Association

I wish I had had the good sense to look up a simple definition of cult in the dictionary when I was in my Lutheran high school. As part of my junior religion class, we had to investigate another faith, interview the clergy, attend a service, and come back with a lengthy report and presentation about why it was a cult. So I and my classmates "proved" that Baptists, Methodists, Catholics, Christian Scientists, Muslims, Buddhists--everyone but US--were cults.

http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman

Volunteer for the Progressive U Alumni Association

Wow, talk about brainwashing.

I wonder what the teacher/school would have done if someone did their paper on the Lutheran church? That would have made for an interesting news article..."Student Expelled for Proving School's Faith a Cult."



I am treated as evil by people who claim that they are being oppressed because they are not allowed to force me to practice what they do. ~D. Dale Gulledge

ediblewoman's picture
Volunteer for the Progressive U Alumni Association

They set it up so that couldn't happen. Our working definition of a cult was basically any religion that was not in doctrinal agreement with us. It was gross.

http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman

zelkwin's picture

Yes, It was, and it has no place in this forum. I'm sorry that I have offended you. More specifically, I apologize that I posted something with that exact purpose. Thank you for making me rethink what I have said.

____________
haHA!

burningexample's picture
Volunteer for the Progressive U Alumni Association

Thank you for the apology. I have a lot of respect for someone willing to apologize for offending someone. :-)

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Your Tongue is a Rudder; It Steers the Whole Ship, Sends Your Words Past Your Lips or Keeps Them Safe Behind Your Teeth... [Brand New]

restinpeace's picture
Member of the Progressive U Alumni Association

Rest in peace
yourfuneralguy
http://www.lowercostfuneral.com/rbrianblog

some are cults right there in traditional denominations.
apologies are good

restinpeace's picture
Member of the Progressive U Alumni Association

Rest in peace
yourfuneralguy
http://www.lowercostfuneral.com/rbrianblog

but it is not a cult.
Unfortunately Islam is ideology because of the advocacy of nationalism.

By itself Islam is not a cult but there are Islamic and Christian cults.

ediblewoman's picture
Volunteer for the Progressive U Alumni Association

1: visionary theorizing
2 a: a systematic body of concepts especially about human life or culture b: a manner or the content of thinking characteristic of an individual, group, or culture c: the integrated assertions, theories and aims that constitute a sociopolitical program.

If you consider the influence Christianity has over politics, voters, etc, I think it meets ALL those criteria.

http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman

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