Why are many people here polarizing so much on Christianity?

Question

II have seen a lot of hateful comments on both sides. Don't you guys know every fool has a story to tell? In other words, other than hate, there are elements to each others world views that may indeed be true. For example maybe there is a higher power but it is not necessarily how some fundamentalists envision it. Learn to see some nuance. And also what is wrong focusing on the good passages? Love thy enemy. Judge not lest ye be judged. Mercy triumphs over judgment. No one should be able to say boo about this. & Christians even if you recognize an atheist why not recognized that the mind cannot proof the existence of God? This is not a bad thing. Faith is what you go by so please do not attack them indicating that some day the cosmic boogie man is going to get them. In short be kind to each other. No good is going to come out of attacking each other. At best you will get a sick joy, and at worse you will just feel sick. Personally I'm sick of it all so kiss & make up.

Archangeleon, a bit fatalistic don't you think?

cow_yorgurt_c, If there is something you don't get feel free to ask and I'll clarify. I suggest reading my question and details more closely first.

Proverbs2-2, That's the spirit!

Matt, If you have nothing nice to say it's best to say nothing. That is wisdom my grandmother gave me. I do believe we need to confront tough questions but it needs to be done in a respectful way. I appreciate your comments

Drive, now your being like them. Please try to strive for a bit of spiritual maturity. Everyone will be happier in the end, including yourself.

zim, I challenge you to read the book of Ecclesiastes and see if you can disagree with everything in the book. It is a book based on reason. I think you will like it. In the mean time even if you do not agree at least try to be respect, that is one of my points.

"Criticism is not the same as attack. Too often, esp. on boards like this, religionists construe criticism as persecution." Zim this maybe true but I have see genuine hate from both sides and feel it is time to say something. Please help to be a part of the solution.

Kara M, sweety it is not just non-Christians that are spreading the hate. This has more to do with whether are not you believe in Christian theology.

impossble_dream, you are right some people come just to get a cheap trill out of flaming someone. This surely is not cool. Get the pun? But one of my questions is why the atheists pick Christianity to pick on. Don't they know they are giving it credence to pay it so much attention?

cj_justme, even though we do not agree on everything theologically I appreciate your love and spirit, that is truly what counts, not whether or not we are intellectually right.

GypsyGr-ranny, thank you for your detailed post. Indeed it seems the worlds religions are evolving. It is a New Age perspective that we are moving into a Age of Knowledge and Unity. You may not have known your philosophy to be New Age as you can believe in many different religions and still incorporate this positive Spirit with the rest of your belief system. I’d sincerely like to believe you are right. And yes, my quest for truth is forever continuing.

GypsyGr-ranny, to answer your question I am not a Baha'i who I think are similar to Universalists. I do think Baha'is have a more functional outlook on life and highly respect them for that. I chose not to affiliate with any group by remaining spiritually independent. I do however visit various religious organizations and have been to the Baha'i temple in Chicago. It is a beautiful piece of architecture. Thank you again for your kind words and I am sure we will interact again.

zim, you made and interesting point here, "Because you're mostly reading posts from English-speaking countries where Christianity is the predominant religion. You're going to see atheists react primarily to what surrounds them. In Iran it would be about Islam." I would think this is true but unlike in America if you critize Islam elsewhere you could easily find yourself in Jail or dead. However your point is taken. But a counter point for me is to encourage atheists to investigate other points of view besides Christianity vs. Atheism. They have for whatever reason made this an either or issue. There is a tremendous amount of nuance out there if one cares to look.

Zim: "I WILL NOT have any respect for a belief system that holds that I deserve to roast for eternity because I don't hold those very same beliefs." I understand your sentiment and yes it is insulting but several things. First, not everything they believe is dysfunctional. In fact out of love many are trying to "Save" your soul. You should in the least respect their intentions. Second, if you do not respect them you make it hard for them to respect you; hence no true dialog or change can take place. The only thing left in such a case is, hate. Try to care for them as human beings as they often care about you simply because you are their neighbor.

Answer 1

Good point. Hating and attacking others will not convert them to your way of thinking.

Answer 2

The short answer to your question is that there can't possibly be a "meeting of the minds." Faith and reason are entirely distinct epistemologies (though I'd argue that there is no knowledge whatsoever in faith).

"Matt, If you have nothing nice to say it's best to say nothing. That is wisdom my grandmother gave me. I do believe we need to confront tough questions but it needs to be done in a respectful way. I appreciate your comments"

Criticism is not the same as attack. Too often, esp. on boards like this, religionists construe criticism as persecution.

"I think you will like it. In the mean time even if you do not agree at least try to be respect, that is one of my points."

I WILL NOT have any respect for a belief system that holds that I deserve to roast for eternity because I don't hold those very same beliefs. Sorry, ain't gonna happen. Of course you'll say that the moderates don't go for that cr-p. But who are the moderates to tell the fundamentalists that they're wrong? On what basis? Reason??

"But one of my questions is why the atheists pick Christianity to pick on. Don't they know they are giving it credence to pay it so much attention?"

Because you're mostly reading posts from English-speaking countries where Christianity is the predominant religion. You're going to see atheists react primarily to what surrounds them. In Iran it woud be about Islam. Giving it credence? Lost me on that one.

Answer 3

I feel it's because one of the main tenets of the Christian faith seems to be just that, faith. Faith means different things to different people, so of course you're going to have a myriad of different POV's even on the most trivial of aspects of the religion. Even the bible gets interpereted millions of ways. Some people see the book of Genesis as a metaphor for the Big Bang, while others really feel God flicked a light switch and that was that. Interperetation, that's what it all boils down to. people.

Answer 4

People come here often to get a rise out of people. I never come to get people angry, I come to shed light on some questions. Though sometimes some of the questions just aggravate me. There are intelligent Atheists and Christians alike but unfortunately I dont see any kind of intellectual discussion usually. Half the problem is that its hard to answer someones answer, you have to edit your original statement and hope they read it *sigh*

This isn't to say there are no intelligent people of any faith (or lack of) but it just seems its Atheists vs Christians most of the time.

Answer 5

Just because people care so much about what they believe in. And I agree that we should all concentrate more on loving and caring about the other "side" and less on judging and trying to prove the other wrong. Faith (or lack of it) is a choice. I choose to believe. As a Christian, I grieve for those who don't, because my religion, which is based on what the Bible says, teaches that anyone who does not believe will go to hell, and I care too much to want to see that happen to anyone. But it also teaches me to not judge. So for anyone who chooses not to believe, I will not attack you, but allow me the right to express my opinion, and practice my religion as I see fit. Love and Peace!

Answer 6

I think, because religion is evolutionary, like everything else in the universe. It has a springtime, when a Christ-like personage appears, a time of persecution and martyrdom, which waters the roots of the tree of the religion with blood, a time of persecution; followed by the summertime, when the followers really and truly LIVED the Teachings of the Personage, and the great religion is expressed in beautiful art and music; followed by
the autumn of the religion, when man begins to distort the true religion of the Divine Messenger by no longer trying to live up to the Standard of the religion, such as The Sermon on the Mount, of Jesus, and instead of obedience to the laws of the religion, adds his own dogma and rituals to the pure religion of the Prophet, in place of the obedience required, and, finally, followed by the winter of religion, when man looks around him and says, "God is Dead". When this time comes, the true religion has already fallen into division, schisms, sects and denominations each trying, frantically to update the true religion because, though it is, spiritually, still true and valid, socially, it is obsolete; so, man, himself tries to make it socially relevant to the time in which he lives. But, what man doesn't know is that God has already updated His OWN religion, by sending the next, in an eternal line of Divine Educators from Himself, to guide man to even greater and higher civilization. In the case of Krishna, the new Messenger was Buddha, in the case of Moses, the Messiah, His Holiness the Christ (Jesus said, when He (the Christ-part of Him) returned, He would come as a thief in the night. A thief isn't announced on TV and in the newspapers. He sneaks into the house, takes what he wants (in the returned-Christ's case, the human heart), and he sneaks out again, and no one knows he's been there 'til he's been and gone. (The Divine Messengers do the same. Only those who are tuned in to the new age, and are pure in heart discover He's been and gone.); in the case of Muhhamad, The Bab (the forerunner of Baha'u'llah--much like John the Baptist for Christ, but a Prophet in His own right); and Baha'u''ah. (Jesus said, many times, in the New Testament that when He returned He would return in the Glory of God, or in the Glory of the Father. If you read the New Testament in Arabic or Farsi, Glory of God translates to Baha'u'llah) the Prophet-Founder of the Baha'i Faith (twin educators, for a whole new 500,000 year cycle of mankind, which began 2 hours, 11 minutes past sunset, May 23, 1844.) Each time God sends His new Messenger, he unites the believers in the former religions in an even greater, more inclusive unity; thereby erasing the former divisions between the religions. The first Buddhists were Hindus; the first Christians were Jews; the first Moslems were Christians and Jews;the first first Babis were Moslems, Christians and Jews; and the first Baha'is were Babis, and consist of Moslems, Christians, Buddhists, Jews and Hindus, agnostics and atheists. Just God, uniting His flock in His all- and ever-inclusive way.

The elements which agree in all of the great, world religions are their spiritual teachings. What differ are the social teachings, given by God, which were the divine remedy designed for the age in which each of them lived, and the dogmas and rituals that man, out of his ignorance, and/or love for His religion, added.

I couldn't say better, what you say. I totally agree with, maybe, all of it. You sound like a Baha'i; are you? Baha'is are forbidden to convert or proscelitise(sp?). We are to offer the information for the free, independent investigation of the truth, as you would a gift, to a king. We don't MAKE Baha'is; we FIND them. They already exist. They just don't know what they are, yet. Baha'u'llah says when a true seeker investigates the Faith, s(he) should have neither love for it, nor hate for it in her/his heart/mind, and should investigate it with an open heart and mind.

I love your non-judgemental attitude, you have taught me to "see some nuance". I think you must have a very pure heart, and your comment about proof of God is so right on.

Love you, brother/(sister?). Thanks for such a fresh, healthy outlook. A pleasure reading you. You add to my hope for all of us.

I'm afraid this is too rich and I probably haven't written it very clearly. I'm a bit tired now. I've been writing for some time now, and don't have enough energy to edit it again. I hope you get something from it, and will contact me if you have any questions.

I pray for you, a wonderful seeker after truth, that you continue your discovery of your truth, since it is an on-going search, is it not? and continue to enlighten us with your wisdom and love.

Answer 7

i could say this is been on a par with Islam, and the non-theist yet the two absolutist ideologies like communism and fascism have rivalled those, despite if no longer having a similar millennial stamina. something that tries to get all and sundry to adapt or positioned up will polarise human beings, as many human beings hate having to provide up their freedoms, independence and lifestyle.

Answer 8

Yeah i know, i'm a christian and believe that people need to keep their comments to themselves because what you say can get you in some trouble!!!! Like it makes me mad that they say such bad things about religion....If you have nothing nice to say don't say nothing at all!!!! Good question by the way!!!!

Answer 9

People everywhere are polarized on Christianity. It's one of the reasons why people have been fighting throughout history. It's just something that humanity has to deal with.

Answer 10

Because, Christianity is a threat to sinful peoples way of life..they represent Jesus now and that makes them feel bad about themselves sooo they attack them and anyone else who is a Christian.