Why I'm not a Christian

Great essay by Bertrand Russell. I will compose a short post of reasons why I am not Christian.

I believe that Jesus wanted his followers to think for themselves and question authority. The problem arises when Christians became the authority and they stopped questioning themselves about what Jesus would believe. They looked into ancient texts and politically driven men who wrote very biasised writhings. Remember when the crowd was going to stone the adultress because that's what the bible said to do and Jesus stopped them. He was saying that the old laws from the bible are null and void and there's a new law of acceptance and forgiveness. So many Christians miss this message.

Well, I have to go to class so this is part 1 of my essay, but I will finish it when I get back...

Peace and love

 

Well... my train of thought was broken by my Spanish class. So on with the essay...

I feel that the normal Christian has been brainwashed to believe that the bible is truth. It is not that, but a story of parables, some with good themes and others that are bullshit. You have to pick which ones are true for you. It is not a handbook to live your life by. The words and deeds of Christ are. Stand up for what you believe and live your life as an example of others. Live in a nonviolent manner. Love one another. These are the teachings of a good man.

Another reason I am not a Christian is the absolute ignorance of its followers when it comes to the historical backgrounds of Christianity. They do not understand the times when it evolved and how it evolved. For instance, how many Christians understand what the four types of Judaic faiths that were practiced by Jews at the time of Christ? I'm willing to bet not many. This heavily influenced Jesus's methods of teaching. And another question, what is Jesus's real name?

Last, for this post at least, I am not a Christian because I see too many Christians disobeying Jesus's Laws. I would never be considered among those hypocrites. Some Christians discriminate against gays, people of different religious backgrounds, people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, etc. Jesus's Law was love EVERYONE, not just those who agree with you.

Peace and love

 

Most Christians don't even bother making an attempt to follow the teachings of Jesus. Most christianity these days isn't even about finding liberation/enlightenemnt whatever one wishes to call it. I feel like most people have families who are "Christian" and they don't even bother thinking about it for themselves becasue in modern consumerist society religion has virtually no importance

 

Right on! I think that if people as a whole would think for themselves, the world would be a very different place and that is why thinking is discredited by those in power.

Peace and love

 

Oh yea, its nuts. Even when I go to school they promote "thinking for yourself", but only within limits they set!

 

the majority of the world will always be ignorant. that's just the way it is.

 

Any religion will always be a poor substitute for the person who inspired it.

When the master passes, his disciples seldom obtain divine awareness themselves. Yet, they feel compelled to tell others of their master's teachings, so they begin to write them down. When this "holy book" is finished, it will only be as good as those who wrote it. People, who more often than not, are still spiritually blind themselves.

The message of Jesus can only be transmitted by those like him. Not in imitation of, such as religion, but of actual transformation of the inner self. You cannot learn your way to this feat. Its something that comes to you automatically when you have matured enough to realize it.

Jesus knew the way, and he told many, but the harvest has been few. They did not understand. You must look at his message, and not those who attempt to bring it to you.

Compassion for others, empathy, will light your path brightly. No faith required, because you can SEE where you're going.

No religion need apply to offer it's brokerage services.

You can do this for yourself.




x

 

I agree with you Xexon. Way to articulate yourself!

Peace and love

 

why i am not christian:

because no other person can do the work for me. if it were that easy, then what would the point be? somebody else has already covered all my sins, so no need for me to worry.

because the god of the bible is a cruel, sick god that i never really believed in, even when i was a christian, back in the day, when it was cool to be christian.

because i believe in a god of science, one which doesn't perform petty miracles for us to woo woo at. the church tellls the congregation to look at miraculous events, when the very fact that we exist and that the world is a perfectly harmonic balance of life forces. there's no need for magic tricks to see god's presence.

because the texts have been so distorted through time, we are only getting bits and pieces of the actual events of jesus' life.

because most christians describe the process of 'salvation' as a set of steps which must be performed in order. i can recall these steps because they are so ingrained into my mind from hearing it so many times. 1. realize that you are a sinner. 2. believe that jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world. 3. accept jesus christ as your personal lord and savior.. and so on and so on. as if it is something to be attained in the course of an evening. and then maybe bingo after the services.

with all that said, i will also submit my reasons for why i am a christian:

because jesus was a righteous dude. even though the accounts of his life tell us he said some things that contradict his overall message of forgiveness, love, redeemtion, and communication with god, his overall message was one of peace and forgiveness.

although his message has been dilluted and interpreted many ways for control, i think the original message is still under layers of changes and interpretation.

because christ was not a person, but the spirit that lived inside of joshua of nazareth. this is the same spirit that manifests itself in any individual devoted to his/her own spiritual development. the same spirit that existed in the buddha and other enlightened individuals.

 

I'm not a Christian because some Baptist people said so. Also because I believe:
Animals have an afterlife too,
Women can be religious leaders,
Men aren't meant to dominate women,
Humans aren't meant to be the masters of nature,
Our place in our next afterlife is based on our actions in this life,
and many more...

 

Wow-- who knew that so many people on this board actually didn't like Christianity? I mean, up until now, I had been totally thinking you all loved the good book, but apparently I was wrong.

Who needs Jesus when we have enlightened folks such as yourselves! I feel I truly must refer to you as the soldiers of the spiritual revolution-- your fresh and engaging perspectives on Christianity not only shed light on the religion itself, but also fill me with the sense that you have definitely done a lot of unbiased, objective research and have come up with an appraisal that will no doubt be well-regarded in spiritual and academic circles for decades to come.

In fact, I think that instead of having The Bible, we should just take everything that everyone has been saying over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again right here on hipforums and call that the New Bible, because it is definitely and without a doubt the most incredibly worthwhile collection of comments in the entire world, and you should all be very very proud!

 

The trouble begins when you write this kind of stuff down.

The path to God is not something the written word can ever capture. Its something that must forever remain living and fluid. The only way to transmit this message is by one on one dialog with those who actually live the path.

There is no other way.


x

 

I'm not Christian because I don't condemn those who disagree with my personal belief system. I respect others more than that, if they know why they're doing what they're doing.

Peace and love

 

Recipe:take one large building,1 or more humans familiar with ancient lore,(preferably with the ability to frighten via said lore)schedule for adherants to show up to building,several containers for collection of lucre,hundreds(preferably thousands)of supplicants willing to part with said lucre( hippocrites welcome,as long as they're very afraid to die and will continue to buy way into heaven and part with lucre.)Mix well and soon you will have a mighty fine and profitable business life.And all you have to do is TALK!Tasty,huh?

 

I understad what you are saying.
I AM a christian and I dont even like to be accosiated with those types of 'christians'. In the wonderful words or Ghandi
' I love your christ, but i dont like your christians, your christians are not very much like your christ'.

And as for the bible, it IS a book to live your life by, but not out of complete blind faith. some of it has some pretty nasty stuff in it, which is not to say that God aproves of these things, but is to demonstrate how we as humans make mistakes and do some aweful things to each other, but God still desires to have a frienship with us.

I often see people in churches using the bible to back up their message, without reading the resot of the story and its not really waht the bible is saying at all, and there will be a whole bunch of people listening to this one guy tellig them waht the bible says without even reading it????

I have been a christian for many years now, and if it wasnt for my personal experiences with God, the way that some 'christians' have treated me and acted I would have turned away. But through alot of crappy stuff that has happened I have learned to gain knowlege from these experiences, prayer and the bible - not from my own logic, but asking that God reveal to me what the message is really saying, not what I think it is saying.

One thing I would like to say is that people get things wrong, there are some aweful examples of christians out there and there are some really amazing sound minded ones too, they are so refreshing to meet, life and joy just oooozes out of them. The fruits of their actions and words will tell you which ones they are.

You sound as though the reason you are not a 'christian' is becasue you have had bad experiences with so called christians in the past. I would encourage you not to let that stop you draw close to God if you wanted to. Dont let them ruin it for you, becasue when you truely experience God it is so precious.You dont haveto lable yourself a christian anyway. Jesus never said he came to make christians, he said he came to make disciples - 2 very different things in my opinion

 

I am not Christian because I don't believe in bullshit ceremonies that don't mean anything but a way to gather and gossip.

Peace and love

 

I dont believe in that either and I am a christian

 

The only REAL christians I've ever met, never said they were christian at all.They lived honest,clean lives and it was accidental that I even found out they called themselves christians.This is not directed at anyone--just sayin'.Of course I'm sure they didn't approve of my wild-ass ways--but I never heard anything from them.

 

that is very encouraging to hear scratcho, as i just said, the fruit of their words and actions will show you who they are.
People like that are nice to come by.
accepting and loving everyone, whoever they are, even if we dissagree with them, the best thing to do is to love them as Jesus would.

How is anyone meant to see God working in peoples lifes, if Gods children cant even accept someone amoungst their wild ass ways ;-)

 

There are no real Christians. Not really.

The message of Jesus wasn't designed to outlive him. It was only a valid path as long as he was alive. Upon the death of a master, that door closes. This is the way it has always been.

Christianity sprung up from the desire of well meaning people to perpetuate what he was saying. They themselves did not understand it too well, so they ended up as historians rather than leaders with spiritual sight.

The blindness of Christianity is a result of the blindness of the authors of the NT. They never realized what Jesus realized. All they had to go on were the words they could remember him saying.

You have to have spiritual sight, to be able to write from that point of view.

People who follow religions are blind themselves and cannot tell the difference.


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