Christians!!!?

Question

Do you REALLY believe that if you read something that purports to disprove your beliefs, you would lose your faith? Is your faith really that weak?
WHY are so many of you quite literally SCARED to look into possibilities(notice I did not say 'facts') that some, if not all, of what you believe may be mistaken?
I know some that have done well to educate themselves to many beliefs yet retained their faith, yet know others(lots of) that are genuinely afraid to read anything non-christian for fear they will lose the comfort of their religion and be led astray...do priests still teach not to look at both sides?
For a classic example, evolution. If those who doubt it's feasibility actually READ about it, they really would not look so stupid when trying to discredit it when clearly knowing little about the subject, save hearsay.

LOL. arewethereyet-two points. I am not an Athiest and I have read the bible many times, still do thanks. Keep working on your judgment...

:)

Dear oh dear...either christians have been told not to FULLY READ A QUESTION, or they simply do not know what an "EXAMPLE"

...is.

LMAO! THANK YOU, smiley.george. You prove my point explicitly. Humans from Apes? I suggest you read about evolution and not rely on hearsay(unless your afraid, o'course!)

:D

jeannie j...it seems you are yet another who cannot read a question, blinded by the light, perhaps?

:)

Jim B...you want evidence of what people I know THINK? How, pray tell, would you suggest I get this evidence to sate your insignificant self? Can you not socialise for yourself??? Your evidence is here! Read the responses! FEAR ABOUND!

seven, no, those quotes from M.L.King are not out of context and to those of us with intelligence(not to say YOU have none), they are relative to the question at hand.

Answer 1

Christians wont listen to anything! They refuse to look back at the birth of Christianity and see how wrong early Christians were! Barbaric, torturing, maiming, and sometimes murdering people who strayed from the religious beliefs. They still today insist on worshipping as they did 2000 years ago! Christians of today are more of a hinderance than a help when it comes to the salvation of the world! Christians have decided for God how he created for one thing. Judging the Creator! What a laugh! Like I have said before, I suppose evil atheists spent thousands of years planting fake dinosaur bones! Why is it so hard for them to accept the fact that they really dont have a clue about how the Creator created? If he chose what we call evolution, so be it! They remind me of little children who hold their hands over their ears when being told something they dont want to hear. They follow the Bible and dont even consider that the Bible was written by people who claimed to have spoken to the lord. The Lord DID NOT write these texts! How intelligent were these people? By the way smiley boy, They have already acomplished cloning of several different animals not to mention cloning of skin and the human kidney. I am sure that if they were givin 6 million years to make an exact replica of the evolution of apes it could be done. The whole idea of evolution is the process of time, and abnormalities in cells. I would suggest you open your eyes and read a little about science. Apes alone have been proven to walk the earth for 6 million years. The primate species has changed due to climate changes many times. This is proven! Show me an ark or two! I have seen absolutely nothing that proves the bible is nothing but a story! I have however seen great multitudes of proof that evolution exists beyond a reasonable doubt! Why cant YOU accept the fact that maybe the ALMIGHTY used this method to create? After all, God will never die and has a lot of time on his hands! Whats a few million years? By the way, to the fellow below me, I have done very much reading of religions! Maybe you should try it yourself! Most every religion on the face of the Earth Was invented by trembling, meek, humans that at some point or other killed or maimed disbelievers! I was raised as a Christian and all the years I went to Christian churches I got the same thing! I dared NOT form my own opinions of my religion. Someone must have done the same thing thousands of years ago or Christianity wouldnt exist today! Now go back to your tv, send much money to your favorite evangelist and watch him drive off in his limo!

Answer 2

Christians are disouraged from thinking, as a matter of policy. Science, logic, reason, and critical thought have long been regarded (by religious people) as the enemies of religion. Considering that those are the tools of highly intelligent people, it should not come as a huge shock to learn that intelligence (or lack of it) has some connection to religious belief. In fact, there are about 40 studies, conducted over the past 80 years or so, that reveal a statistically significant NEGATIVE CORRELATION between intelligence and religiosity. In plainer language, that means that they found that the more intelligent a person is, the LESS likely that person is to be religious... or, reciprocally, the LESS intelligent a person is, the MORE likely that person is to be religious.

If you think about it, those findings make a lot of sense. Intelligence tests mainly provide an indication of reasoning ability and problem solving ability... logic, reason and critical thought. These are the very qualities that see through religion, and recognize it for what it is; i.e., religion cannot survive the glaring light of reason and critical thought. This was well understood by important figures in religious history. This is why the early church destroyed all the 'tainted' (non-canonical) writings, which were in conflict with dogma... Greek philosophy, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, engineering... all the good stuff. By this means, Christianity dragged humanity directly into the Dark Ages.

Just to illustrate the point, let's see what Martin Luther, the 'father' of protestantism, had to say about 'reason' and secular knowledge:

"Reason must be deluded, blinded, and destroyed. Faith must trample underfoot all reason, sense, and understanding, and whatever it sees must be put out of sight and ... know nothing but the word of God." ~ Martin Luther

"Reason is the greatest enemy that faith has; it never comes to the aid of spiritual things, but -- more frequently than not -- struggles against the divine Word, treating with contempt all that emanates from God." ~ Martin Luther

"There is on earth among all dangers no more dangerous thing than a richly endowed and adroit reason... Reason must be deluded, blinded, and destroyed." ~ Martin Luther

"Reason should be destroyed in all Christians." ~ Martin Luther

I noticed that 'arewethereyet' is very misinformed, based on her presumption that atheists do not (or are afraid to) read the bible. Most atheists are far more knowledgeable about the Bible, Christianity, and the history of Christianity than are most Christians... INCLUDING preachers.

"A thorough reading and understanding of the Bible is the surest path to atheism” ~ Donald Morgan

Answer 3

Can't speak for other Christians but I read non-Christian writings quite regularly. I rather enjoy being challenged in my beliefs. Yes, I know that some people don't like to be challenged that way. They want to stay in their "comfort zone" and not get bogged down trying to figure out why they believe the things they do. That is not to say they are ignorant...they have knowledge, its just not as deeply rooted.

Relative to your example on evolution, I find it a bit contrary to what you were saying from the outset. The feasibility of evolution is not an established fact in any way shape or form. How a mutation can add new genetic code ("DNA drift") is nothing more than theory. Some scream loudly that its impossible...others scream just as loud that it is possible. The bottom line is that evolution requires "faith" despite the "observable evidence" that it is supposedly based upon.

BTW: the responder above me is a good example of your question. He obviously would do well to read some history relative to the birth of the Christian faith....

BTW2: responder "DuckPhup" is also an example of someone trying to reinforce his own beliefs without being challenged. His quotes from Martin Luther paint the picture that Luther hated logic. Nothing could be further from the truth! Had "DuckPhup" actually READ the book (and I believe it is titled "The Bondage of the Will") he would know that he is grossly misrepresenting Luther on the topic via the quotes that he cites.

RESPONSE TO ASKER: you wrote: "seven, no, those quotes from M.L.King are not out of context and to those of us with intelligence(not to say YOU have none), they are relative to the question at hand."

Wow! You are extremely refuting your own point. Those statements were NOT made by M.L. King. They were made by Luther the 16th century reformer. Yes, they were out of context. I've read the book. Luther's attack on logic is pertaining to ascertaining the "mysterious of faith"...the indiscernable (God's nature, Heaven, etc). In Luther's day, logic was viewed as master. His point was that logic/reason is a servant...not a master. Logic can only take us so far in our understanding of things outside the physical...things outside the physical realm are imatters of revealed faith.

Answer 4

I think it's important to look at what Christians study before making such an assumption. As a Christian, I study many things both in and outside of my beliefs, because I am interested in truth. I've studied intently about evolution for the past 11 years. However, it still has no serious scientific base, and so it's easy for me to reject it.

I think it's a valid place here to bring up science and religion and their history. Before Christianity came on the scene, Science didn't really exist, with a very small number of notable exceptions (like Aristotle). In pagan societies, people were taught that the physical world was bad, only the spiritual world was good, and so that people should not concern themselves with the physical and look to the spiritual. Philosophy became big, but science was seen as fruitless.
When Christianity arose, a new thinking took hold. This physical world was created by God, and God makes good things. Therefore to understand God better, people studied what he had made here in the physical world as well as philosophy. Both were now seen as equally important. Early scientists all credit God with having made the beauty they saw and examined. Many scientists today still credit God with beauty that they see.

You do see fear particularly among cults though, which have little solidity to their beliefs. Jehovah's Witnesses, Moonies, and many New Age movements discourage people from going outside of their beliefs to seek knowledge, and they are brainwashed into believing that everyone is out to deceive them, rather than searching for truth as well.

I know that nothing will ever cause me to lose my faith in Christ. I have nothing to fear from what I would learn in the world.

Answer 5

I completely agree.. It seems that many non-educated christians are afraid to challenge their faith as if they are scared that they will end up being non-believers? You can't argue a point unless you know boths sides. And who cares if someone elses opinion differs from yours. That is where FAITH comes into play. If you have faith, then there should not be an issue. Goes to show how ignorant some people really are and how robotic people are (evangelicals, perhaps). Follow the many, blindly. Makes for a great country we live in, huh? Ha. The down fall to our country, more like it. As soon as evangelicals can learn to be "christ-like" and not condemn, judge and hate, then maybe the cringe-factor to that religion will disappear.

Answer 6

I don't see why if so.

I agree that they have no right to try to disprove what they don't understand.
As far as what I believe as possibly being mistaken, I have a small group at My church that actually encourages us to "test" everything we believe in, Because, If you don't truly understand what you believe and are certain that that is the truth, then why hold on to it so closely?

So , Yeah, very good question.

( I'm a christian)

SIDE NOTE: I apologize for some christians who " claim the faith" Only for the reputation. Some of us ARE real... Just stay on the look for us.

Answer 7

Actually, I believe that there's nothing wrong in reading other 'ideas' about the world's beginning and beliefs of other religions. I know I am strong in my faith that if I read a book over evolution, that it's not going to change what I feel and what I believe it. The people that feel that just reading about evolution and other religions is wrong obviously have a problem with how stable they are in their faith.

Answer 8

I will believe in evolution when science can duplicate it, if they can clone a sheep, from a sheep, or a human, human from a human, then why can they not create a natural process of evolving an ape in to a human, they don't even have to go to something that crawled out of the ocean. Get real, show me some real science, not just theories and speculation.
you talk about Christians trying to shove their religion down your throats, and then make claims that can not be proven nearly as clearly as Christianity, I have probably read more non christian books than you have and i still have my faith intact, try reading christian book and see if your faith is still in tack.

Answer 9

I have read some information by scientists on both sides of the debate. The creation scientists make a lot more sense and base their findings on facts.
Evolutionists simply believe a different "religion", even admittedly so.
Just because you are deceived, why should we follow you with your scare tactics?
If you could show me some transitional fossils, besides SUPPOSED "ape to man" fossils, I might believe you. After all shouldn't there be miilions of such fossils abounding? And isn't it strange that evolutionists chose "human" fossils for their target?

Answer 10

Look a billion years ago there was no religion- In a billion years there will be no man made religion- In 5billion years there will be no solar system- Who is man to on this insignificant solar planet amongst billions to decide who god is. Such is the superiority complex of righteous religions.

PS 1000yrs ago according to the christian belief the universe revolved around the earth.
How many more times will religion change it's tune to brain wash society and adapt to fit the next generation of mankind