Museum of Christianity

http://www.michiganatheists.org/events/caro/caro.html

My question is simply this ~ given the depravity, magnitude, and multiplicity of christian atrocities throughout history, how can christians lay any claim to decency, or be in any way certain that Satan is not the founding deity that they historically worship?

 

well some christians believe that other deities are really just Satan coming to mislead us. i was offended by that belief, so i guess i won't say the same thing to them.

and i know a lot of christians (i live in the US, after all). many are decent people, i just don't agree with them about God.

 

The acts of men throughout history reflects on them as people, not their religion. I can call myself a buddhist and go out on a killing spree. That makes ME a crazy murderer; it doen't make buddhism a philosophy that endorses murder. Christianity forbids the use of violence, except in defense of oneself or another. The Crusades and the Inquisition were more for glory and power than God. The holy wars praised by islam are not glorified by Judeo-Christianity. Our war comes at the end, and the outcome of that war was decided millenia ago. Christians cannot claim decency. Any who do aren't Christians, as all Christians know and accept the fact that the sins of our fathers are alive in all of us. Men are men, and 1000 years ago they still lusted for the same things they do today. By putting on a robe, they thought themselves absolved from any wrongdoing. Just because a man may kill in the name of God, does not mean God supports him. Free will is a bitch ain't it?

 

ok, are you saying

1) that the "holy wars praised by islam" are a part of islam, and denounced by Jews and Christains
or
2) that the "holy wars praised by islam" are not glorified by the Abrahamic God [God of the Jews, Christains, and Muslims]

 

Because satan doesn't exist?

 

Here's my take on it. Most or all religions were founded on something good, like a mystical experience or on a prophet. That or it's ancient, sort of always having existed (like archaic beliefs in Africa, or the Americas. Judaism even might qualify, I'm not sure if it has a known origin. Hinduism too).

The problem is, men are often confused. We "follow the devil" which is to say we focus on worldly things like money, power, status, sex, drugs, whatever, rather than focusing on the "godly" things. I don't believe there is a devil, as in a spirit-man trying to make us sin. It's just human nature. Thus, since religion is practiced by humans, and humans are easilly confused or corrupted, we "worship the devil" rather than "god".

 

The point I'm trying to make here is best given as a metphorical example ~

Let's suppose that Charles Manson decided to start a religion, and in order to do so he needed to quell opposition from those who believed in goodness. So he and his group go about slaughtering everyone and anyone who oppose their view. Along the way people ljust as crazy as Charles are attracted to him and go along for the ride so they can kill and slaughter and be powerful as well.
That is basically how the christian church was founded and cemented into being.
My question is, what kind of people follow such an example?
Christians of today are in denial of the fact that their religion was founded and forced upon to world by sociopathic maniacs.
Whether or not 'satan' exists is a moot point. But the fact that christianity was founded by incredibly evil people should be cause of serious concerns to christians. But it is not!!

 

wow it's so awesome when other people can make sense of my jumbled thoughts. Thankyou, this is right on.

 

The people who did those things did not do what christianty tells you to do. You cant judge the religion by the people failing to understand or act upon it.

 

the horrors of christianity did not really begin until the Roman Empire converted and it became the state religion. Before that it was just a strange new cult spreading through the empire. It was not "founded" by sociopathic maniacs.

 

That's quite some take on history - and not really that accurate.
For one thing, Manson was a homicidal psychopath, there is no evidence really to suggest the same of Jesus. He didn't tell his followers to go out and kill, so far as I'm aware. I find it hard to see why you say he was 'incredibly evil'.
The same goes for the apostles, with the exception of Paul, who only ceased being a homicidal maniac when he converted.
It then became the religion of the Roman Empire, and so far as I know, once again it wasn't spread by force. In the case of Britain for instance, there was no attempt at any kind of forcible conversion.
All that actually began in earnest centuries later when christianity had long been the established religion of all of Europe. The conquest of the Americas is probably the blackest chapter in the spread of christianity.
But the fact that the church went off the rails doesn't mean the founders were evil or ill intentioned. It all became very corrupted. It became an instument of political power and so on, but that seems to be the fate of most institutions that get big.

 

For goodness sakes!!

The allusion to Charles Manson is a metaphor for the creators of the Christian Catholic Religion ~ murderous lunatics from inception until the 18th century.

 

Pretty naff metaphor then.

 

Maybe you should study the actions of early christians and clergy!

 

History is a dead subject. Neither you nor I may affect it; and it in no way rules any of our lives. No one is responsible for acts perpetrated in the past, and no one needs to apologize for the actions of other people.

I live in the present: my Christian walk is a thing of the here and now. I'll make you a deal, MrRee, if you'll try not to stereotype all Christians under the banner of some private pet peave, I'll try not to lump you in with all the other morons who just want to pick a fight.

 

That simply demomstrates how absolutely stupid you and christianity can be Daniel Herring! ~ To suggest that your christian roots are irrelevant is the same as saying Jesus is irrelevant. You can either you accept that christian history is one of murderous insanity, or pretend that it never happened, but not both. Obviously denial is yours and christianity's preference in the matter, because the truth is as described in my posts above & elsewhere (& truth is what you are obviously not interested in, so Lies then must be your preference!) ~ a religion originated by murderers, maniacs and psychopaths. The following of such a religion speaks volumes about mindless masses, and I'll make no deals with your kind.

 

that's what most people do in here. It's not a forum for CHristians, it's a forum for people to put Christians down. bet that doesnt happen a whole lot in the other religion forums.

nope, we're special. notice all the threads, posts and topics? Makes you go hmmmmmmmmm

 

MrRee, If all your power of rhetoric is no more than to try and turn my argument back on me, you lose. You are an absolute moron. Jesus is not irrelavent but you are. I'll reoeat: None of us are responsible for the past. We are accountable only for our present actions. What we most cling to speaks of who we are - in your case, since you cling to all things dead and gone, your nature is death rather than life.

 

I have done so, and I see a mixture of good and bad. It is never black or white when it comes to history, or very rarely, and only in the case of particular events.
To seek to paint the history of christianity as all bad or all good is simply ridiculous.

 

Again you demonstrate your lack of basic intelligence, which is obviously why you unquestioningly follow folklore above fact. No claim was made about who or what is RESPONSIBLE for the slaughter. That's just your cute manipulation. Once again I will point out that the christian religion was founded by sociopathic maniacs, and anyone who would follow in the footseps of such a disgusting premise is, like yourself Daniel Herring, a fool.