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The only reason why most Christian’s aren’t violent psychopaths is because of their fear of going to hell. And even then, it’s not enough to keep them still.
For the rest of us- there’s morality.
I'm biased (a Christian myself), but the Christians I know are not violent, probably because they're at least half-decent human beings who at least try to practice what they say they believe (which doesn't include deepfry oil).
I know a handful of nuts, some claim to be Christian, some don't. Of the ones that claim to be Christian, none I know actually seem to live anything close to what they spout off. As a general trend in my circles, they're the loudest about their faith, the most political/patriotic (either side, but usually right leaning), and most likely to force their beliefs on others. The ones that don't claim to be Christians are pretty similar, just less hypocritical (opinionated, but not religious).
The issue is that anyone can claim to be a Christian, and as a Christian it's not for me to judge and say if they really are genuine or not.
All that to say, this article is a great example of not living out a good Christian faith, at all.
Still though, those violent people exist and your belief system enables them.
As long religious superiority exists, so will the terror of religion.
As a follow on, I'll give a little more from my experience.
Where I grew up (child to expat parents in a very third world country), church is holistic - that is, we care for more than just people's spiritual state. Church organizations run the large majority of healthcare and education, and no one else will. We could get into the weeds about the value of the services provided, but the reality is it's between that or nothing.
The schools teach everyone, and the clinics treat everyone, not just Christians. This I believe is (just one) example of what being a Christian is about - loving others unconditionally. Anything that's contrary to loving others unconditionally is contrary to being a Christian. That doesn't mean anyone (least of all me) is perfect at doing this, it's not a yes/no distinction on "being a good Christian". What matters is where someone's heart is. But at the same time, if someone's heart is right, there should be outward signs of this.
For example, not trying to deep-fry people...
I agree, one of the failings of Christian culture (in many/most countries) is a false sense of superiority (edit: to clarify, there should not be a sense of superiority). It causes all too much hurt, and shields those who claim Christianity but do evil.
I believe this is especially pronounced in religious settings, but it's true for any power imbalance (family, church, school, government, work, etc). The thing is that any violence, abuse, and hate that come from Christians is so contrary to what we say we believe, it is that much worse - it undoes any of the (nonreligious, materially helpful) good that the Church does.
Without religion people will still find reasons to be violent or hateful. Let's not damn an entire group of people just because of the crazy few.
You really should get out of that cult. Don't even try to say it's "not" a cult.
At risk of taking the bait, I'm curious of other's experiences - is it all religion that's a cult, or Christianity alone? If so, is there a divide between Catholic/Protestant?
The only difference between a cult and a religion is size.
So all ~~(mainstream)~~ religion is a cult apart from size.
To me at least, the primary difference is time and size.
If the founder/god/messiah/prophet/messenger is still alive or died recently, folks call it a cult.
If the founder/god/messiah/prophet/messenger died a long time ago, folks call it a religion.
From my point of view it’s all the same, it’s just easier to add to the myth after a long time has passed. That and religions are widely accepted throughout wider culture as basic reality, and cults are considered fringe.
If those cults grow to represent wider culture, they’ll stop being called cults and instead be called religions.
This doesn’t take legal status into account or anything. It’s just an observation.
Any group that bends your mind into believing falsehoods and expects your loyalty is a Cult. No matter the religion, political party, etc.
Again, I'm curious. Personally, I have not found my loyalty as a Christian to be forced, it's of my own will. How can I ever prove (to myself or others) that it's of my own free will, and not being brainwashed? This applies to anything: religion, politics, sports, school affiliation, nationality.
So you have free will according to your belief system? You sure about that?
Then I guess God isn't all-knowing right? Because if he knew what you were going to do before you did it, then it wouldn't be "free will," would it?
You are brain washed. Just not willing to admit it.
This doesn't answer the question though - how can anyone know or decide for others that they are not brainwashed? I trust you've come to your own conclusion, as I've come to my own. It's a poor excuse to call anything contrary to what I believe as being brainwashed unilaterally.
No point in debating with you about your being brain washed. You are and you're the only person that can come to self realize in order to break away from the insanity of religion.
But you just made that determination for me? I'm confused, am I supposed to make my own decisions, or listen to others?
Religious people are brainwashed. That is a fact. No matter what I write back to you, you'll never agree. You need to wake up to reality on your own.
I'm sorry we can't find at least some common ground on this - clearly we both feel strongly about our positions, and I respect that. Thanks for taking the time to discuss anyway.
I'm sorry you're brainwashed. It's not your fault. Good luck escaping the false fantasy of religion.
Why are you a bot account?
Also, I hear you. You don't see it often but it's because it isn't reported when a Christian does good Christian things, like volunteer, help people, etc.
Just as the right sees the LGBT community and only eats up the horrible news, ironically the Christians are seen that way to the left. Neither side sees the other in good light.
This is a general statement and not a representation of all views.
lol Not a bot account, but you're right, opposing views feeds on the failures of the other, it's sad both ways. Sorry if I've been commenting too much!
he said that because you are marked as a bot. you should be able to change that in your profile IIRC
Thanks!
It's probably not reported when Christians do good Christian things, because those things are actually "good decent things". You don't have to be a Christian to volunteer, help people, etc.
I see plenty of reporting about volunteers, maybe because I live in a hurricane state. Very rarely does the report mention religion, because people of all faiths and people with no faith at all are out there saving people and pets.