Why Attack Christianity?

[RevJP]

I was just wondering about reasons for what people do. I understand why Christians evangelize. Our faith tells us that we have an eternal soul and that the eternal dispensation of that soul is determined by what happens here on earth. Eternal life, living with the almighty God is based on our faith and acceptance of Him and failure to accept Him as Lord results in our eternal seperation from Him. The choice is clear, eternal glory, or eternal suffering.

So we are commanded to spread the Good news, to allow everyone to accept Christ, and we do so for the sake of their eternal soul, altruistic? Perhaps, but we do it out of love, His love working through us.

So what I am really wondering about is why non-believers need to attack our faith, or feel the need? narrowing it down a bit, why would a non-believer come to a Christianity discussion forum to denounce that faith, or try to persuade those there that their faith is wrong?

I'm really wondering at motivation. We understand the motivation of the Christian for spreading the Word of his/her faith, but what is the motivation for the non-beleiver to attack it? What do they gain or lose? What reward hinges upon them being successful or not at convincing someone to abandon their faith, or to turn away from considering adopting that faith?

If my faith is wrong, and there is no God, no heaven, no hell, what do I lose? In this life nothing, in eternity nothing? As a Christian I lose nothing. For the rabid non-beleiver however, the answer is quite different is it not? If their view is wrong and there is a God in heaven and a devil in hell, what do they lose?

So I'm wondering at why....

[juliod]

So what I am really wondering about is why non-believers need to attack our faith, or feel the need?

Short answer:

Because of the great harm that religions do to the individual, to society, and to the world in general.


Yes, religion does some good to some people at some times, but nowdays the good of religion is massively ourweighted by the harm. To me, religon is synonymous with hatred, bigotry, violence, racism, sexism, xenophobia, oppression, sexual perversion, and the root cause of an untold universe of human suffering.

DanZ

[RevJP]

Okay, but to what end do you attack the Christian faith? What purpose would you or any non-believer have for seeking out areas where you know Christians are and do what you do? Your answer falls short of actually providing an answer.

Additionally, not wanting to derail the topic at hand, your feelings regarding 'religion' are incorrectly placed. You place the blame for the foibles of man on religion when you should, and probably already do, realize that mankind will do what they do, religion is often times just an easy 'excuse' for them being what they are. Nor do you take into account all the non-religious harms done by man, to man, or at least you fail to acknowledge it.

[spetey]

I'm with juliod. Of course great harm (and great good) can be done by both religious and non-religious people. But in my view, supernatural religions such as Christianity inherently encourage dogmatism, which is fantastically dangerous (as I argue on this thread). For example, in the US too many Christians vote on important societal issues based on an unreasoned religious position (issues like stem cell research, abortion, gay marriage, capital punishment ...). This harms many who do not share the Christian worldview.

So I think the most important thing is to get people thinking about their positions, and trying to provide reasons for them. And if you can't provide such reasons, you should give the position up, instead of continuing to hold it anyway--just as a racist should give up racism when provided good reasons against it.

People come to this forum wondering whether there is good reason to believe in Christianity (for example) or not. I wish to let them know of the good and important reasons not to believe.

Meanwhile, I think all the good things about religion can be had without the dangerous supernatural dogma--for example, in an organization like the Unitarian Universalists, which welcomes atheists for spiritual and ethical reflection.


spetey

[Arch]

I'm really wondering at motivation. We understand the motivation of the Christian for spreading the Word of his/her faith, but what is the motivation for the non-beleiver to attack it? What do they gain or lose? What reward hinges upon them being successful or not at convincing someone to abandon their faith, or to turn away from considering adopting that faith?

So I'm wondering at why....

I am going to try to answer this question very honestly and sincerely and hopefully you can accept my answer as given. I think this is a very good question not sure if it was asked before but still very good and could lead to some very decent discussion if not taken off into the usually circular debates that show up in these forums.

First let me say this I feel no one needs to leave Christianity or any faith of their choice. But I do feel that the religious zealots need more religious and philosophical tolerance.

I contribute religious intolerance to many of the woes, conflicts and divisions that exist in humanity today. People who tend to believe themselves and their doctrines to be 100 percent correct with out even the slightest chance that maybe some of even all of it could be erroneous are almost always religious intolerant, thus add to the chaos plaguing the world today.

Showing people that their is a chance that their doctrine could be erroneous or at least is on a matter of FAITH and not fact to aids individuals in learning not only more about the doctrines they profess, but more about others. Education has been proven to bridge gaps and lowers intolerance.

Religion is not spirituality. Religion divides people have something to believe in like the advancement of humanity or hope for a cure for children diabetes unites people.

Religion is just another bias, not unlike racism that allows a group of people the luxury of feeling superior to others. This superiority complex just like racism leads to disconnection, intolerance, discrimination and sometimes even the subjugation and killing of those who are not included in your group.

I also don't like the foundational views on women that the Christian doctrine held or most religious views on women.

Religion is one of the most powerful tools used to control the masses. Christianity just happens to be one of the largest an d influential on these religions.

Christians in our country try to use their views to control the actions of other citizens. To impede them from their American rights to live as they will as long as it doesn't harm anyone else.

They seek discrimination against homosexuals and often even Muslims.

The belief that other people are pagans and thus less than those who believe in Christianity allows many to falter when dealing with issues of humanity in countries or with people that aren't Christians.

Ancient tribe persecuted and enslaved with no remorse people not of their faith, even the bible gives information on how Israelites can enslave people that aren't Israelites.

Slavery was put upon pagans by Christians and entire Christian countries were involved in the African slave trade.

Christians have waged wars against countries far across water under the thought that they were saving pagans.

Christians murdered each other in early Europe on a grand scale for disputes in Christian doctrine.

As a good idea or as a theology Christianity is fine it has a lot to offer. but what it has to offer is no greater than what other theologies doctrines and teachings have offered in the past. However as an absolute truth and undeniable fact, the only thing undeniable is the terror caused by believing that one has the only truth and way for living.

This is at least speaking for me why people not attack but express their discontent for the religion.

And let's not make Christians the victims here, many are simple rebelling against the constant judging and invasive ways of Christians they have met.

Constantly, questioning and probing into your beliefs and then judging you or getting upset for answers you gave to questions they asked. People are tired of bible toting hypocrites (not saying anyone here is that) promoting so called truths and doctrines they themselves haven't even really studied or looked up.

Stating unexplainable facts and statements and professing an unrelenting belief in a book that most of them haven't even read in its entirety. Some haven't even read a fourth of it but profess it to be totally true.

Tell me how can one profess something to be totally true when they haven't read the whole thing and why haven't they read the whole book in order people have been Christians for their whole lives or 10 20 30 years but yet haven't read the one book they say holds theirs and your salvation.

OK I am rambling now, but these are the reasons people have such a view of Christians and Christianity.

In my community I see the current doctrine of Christianity as destructive. It takes away a person being responsible for themselves. It produces inertia and complacency. People rather wait on a savior that people have been waiting on for 2000 years than get up off their hinnies and makes changes in their own lives and in their communities.

[fidelis]

Sometimes, I think people attack what they do not know. They become threatened and a basic instinct when we are threatened, is to attack.

[trs]

If my faith is wrong, and there is no God, no heaven, no hell, what do I lose? In this life nothing, in eternity nothing? As a Christian I lose nothing. For the rabid non-beleiver however, the answer is quite different is it not? If their view is wrong and there is a God in heaven and a devil in hell, what do they lose?

That is horribly defective 'logic'.

[spetey]

Sometimes, I think people attack what they do not know. They become threatened and a basic instinct when we are threatened, is to attack.

Sometimes and about some things this is the case, surely. But why think it's the case with atheists who question Christianity on this thread? Three of us now (juliod, Arch, and I) have given good reasons for questioning Christianity that are not at all like the reasons you guess (that we're ignorant of Christianity, and would rather attack than learn what we do not know). Myself, I'm well aware of the tenets of Christianity, which is why I reject it--and it looks to me like juliod and Arch know what Christianity is, too. Maybe we know Christianity and therefore question it. This is a hypothesis I suggest you consider.


spetey

[stevencarrwork]

If my faith is wrong, and there is no God, no heaven, no hell, what do I lose? In this life nothing, in eternity nothing? As a Christian I lose nothing.

Another Christian who does not believe the Bible.

1 Cor. 15
17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.

If you are wrong, you are to be pitied more than all men.

[Lotan]

Why attack Christianity?

First of all, I think that your question is flawed, unless you consider the expression of views that don't agree with your own to be an 'attack'. If I say that science shows that the earth was formed 4.5 billion years ago, is that an 'attack' just because you are unable to believe it?
Christianity , like Islam and Judaism, is essentially propaganda; not knowledge really, just a facsimile of knowledge that cripples rational thought. Worse than that, it's old propaganda, increasingly at odds with a modern understanding of the world. Believers, in order to demonstrate their zeal (and no doubt, to avoid inevitable cognitive dissonance) embrace all sorts of pseudoscience and revisionist history in order to defend their beliefs. So, if you would like to know why I choose to debate, the short answer would be that I am trying to 'attack' ignorance.