Non-Christians--Who do you have more of a problem with--God, Jesus, or "Christians"?

Question

I ask this because I am a Christian who thinks that a lot of Christians are lost and don't get it. I'm curious to know if it's God that bothers you or the people who say that they represent him.

I get bothered a lot of times by people who say that they're "Christians" but act like they don't know who God or Christ even are. It ticks me off more than anything to see people say that they know God and then treat people like they're less than dirt. I also know people, though, who have a distorted view of God and think he's either out to get them or doesn't care.

So, which is it that most repels you from "Christianity"? God, Jesus, or people?

Answer 1

I've got nothing against Jesus, I think His teachings are wonderful. Your God is not my favorite, but I certainly don't despise Him or anything. Mary rocks! Christianity and most (sorry not all) of its teaching are great. Don't kill, turn the other cheek, peace and love and all that good stuff. I just don't like they way so many Christians (not all) seem to use their religion as an excuse to be bigots and war mongers and hateful to other people. It so sad to see some extremist group protesting at a soldiers funeral, or to see a Christian raised child bully a Jewish child cause they were told Jews are bad. And I'm tired of being told to read the Bible by people who obviously have not done so themselves. I'm tired of how judgmental and condescending so many Christians are. Its too bad there are so many bad apples making the good one look really really bad. Recently I got one of those silly online surveys from a 14 year old cousin who is being raised Fundie Christian, the first question was "What are you afraid of?" his answer was "Jews and fags" oh dear oh dear, he is only 14 and he is filled with fear and hate for his fellow man. It makes me want to cry.

Answer 2

I don't believe in any Deity so I cannot answer the question as stated exactly, however, I will give my opinion of what bothers me specifically about Christians.

Christian doctrine is that only those who take Jesus as their savior will be allowed in heaven. Christians believe even little babies who die cannot go to heaven because they have not been saved!

Christianity is an evangelical religion, meaning they are expected to spread the word all over the world with missionaries. It is very annoying, to say the least, when someone else tries to impose their beliefs on another person.

I think that what bothers me the most is that Christians want to impose their idea of morality on everyone else too! Why should they dictate behavior for all of us? They shouldn't.

Its all a big fairy tale. No religion has absolute proof that any such Deity exists and yet, turn on the news today. Watch the violence that is going on in the middle east and mourn the stupidity that causes war after war. It is religion.

Answer 3

Well I don't think it your God. I mean I have some issues and questions for him but I don't hate him or anything. I don't think it is Jesus. I have no problem believing that a man named Jesus, although that wasn't really his name, lived a long time ago. I have some problems with some Christians but that is only the ones that have closed minds and won't talk to anyone that isn't a Christian or the ones that try to make everyone a Christian no matter what. I think my biggest issue though it the religions themselves. I have questions with religions that no one seems to be able to answer or wants to answer. I have been to a number of different kinds of religious places and things just don't add up for me. I feel very lied to and/or uncomfortable there. When I have a bad feeling about something it is usually correct.

Answer 4

I have a problem with the people who follow Christianity. I have been subjected to the Christian and Catholic religions as a child. I am not ignorant to the religions. Nor to I abhor the religions myself. I have respect for other religions. However, through the teachings I have had, the experience, and the research I have done, I have realized that people often call themeselves "Christians". But, they have not even read the Bible, not the old testament more often. More than usually follow Christianity because their parents are Christians, or because of the people around them so that they can be accepted. As well, I do not like Christians or Catholics telling me that I am going to burn in hell, or that my child's soul will not be saved if I don't baptise him. It is a choice I made, and I do not believe in god in any respect. I doubted God when I was 7 or 8, and finalized my decision when I was around 12 or so.

Answer 5

Speaking from the view of a pagan shaman, mostly the people that call themselves Christians. I used to be one. As a pagan with multiple Deities in my beliefs it would be odd to have a problem with your God, the writings of man interpreted as the word of your God however I do find disturbing in some respects, much of it, if released today as an original work would be outlawed as hate speech/in-sighting riots/in-sighting violence. Jesus was a good teacher, and I think as a person, I personally might have liked him. But lets not overlook others that were great teachers as well, Buddha, Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Mohamed, Dr. King, etc...

In all, I think Christians believe they are trying to do good by the rest of us. The truth is though, we'd prefer to be left out of your "saving" rants.

Answer 6

"So, which is it that most repels you from 'Christianity'? God, Jesus, or people?"

the Abrahamic death cults of desert monotheism (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) are rooted in the myths, superstitions, fairy tales and fantastical delusions of a group of ignorant Bronze Age fishermen and peritatetic goat herders, which are asserted to represent infallable cosmic 'truths' pertaining to essential elements of existence and reality. To any person who is capable of exercising reason, logic and critical thought, these so-called 'truths' are patently nonsensical.

Your use of the word 'repels' does not accurately reflect the situation. The 'beliefs' are merely unbelieveable... nothing 'repulsive' about that. I guess that Christianity's practice of actively prosletyzing to recruit new victims by instilling its doctrine of willful ignorance and delusion could be considered repulsive... although I don't think that word is harsh enough. It is contemptable... an abomination.

Jesus?... there is nothing 'repulsive' about the moral messages that were put 'into the mouth of Jesus' by the authors that created that fiction... although those messages were the product of Greek Stoic and Cynic philosophies. But the way that the story of Jesus has been twisted, subverted and perverted into an instrument of fear and coercion is kind of repulsive.

People?... Well, the people who actively prosletyze are certainly repulsive... but mostly in the sense of realizing the extent to which they have been deluded, which is profoundly troubling to anyone who has any sense of affinity for humanity and its potential fate. The fact that such willful ignorance and delusion is so pervasive in the USA leads rational people to worry whether we are on the verge of being dragged into a new 'Dark Ages'.

Answer 7

I know it's probably been said before, but I think it's more the people than anything. I mean, the religion itself is a bit too controlling for my liking, but the people are the worst. There are some Christians out there, who are a perfect example of Christianity and they are simply wonderful people to be around. But others...like the ones who jump on your **** if you don't worship thier "Lord and Savior", yea I hate people like that. If they wouldn't shove Christianity down people's throats all of the time, more people would be open to being around them in general.

Answer 8

Christians....and here's why:



Biblical Documentation of Why Republican Conservatism is Evil--

1-Unaccountability
1Sam16:7; 1Cor1:10; Eph5:21; 2Kings12:4-5; 2Kings12:9-12;
2Kings12:7; Ps82:1-8; Job1:6-12; job2:1-7; 1Ch28:8-21; 1Ch29:
1-9; 1ch2:6
2-The BIBLICAL definitions of wisdom/righteousness!
Matt10:16; Ich12:32; Ich14:2; 1ch17:1-6; 1ch21:2-14;
1ch22:1-5; prov1:5; prov8:14; prov11:14; prov12:26;
prov13:10-20; prov 15:22; prov16:28; prov17:9; prov19:20-21;
prov20:5-18; prov21:30; prov22:11-14; prov24:6; prov27:6-10
3-Affluence
1Kings3:12; 1kings9:15-28; 1kings10:3-24; 1kings11:1-28
1kings12:1-19; deut11:13-17; isa1:23; isa2:7-8; isa3:5-26;
isa5:8-30; matt13:22; 1cor10:12-13; 1pet1:13; 1pet5:8
4-arrogance
ex6:1; ex8:15; ex15:1-18; 2ch26:16; eccl2:1; 1sam14:12-17;
rom12:3
5-abuse of authority
ex4:16; ex6:13; ex7:1; ex39:14; lev10:1-3; num12:3-13;
num20:22-29; deut4:5-6; matt8:5-10; matt28:5-10; 1cor4:21;
1cor5:5; 2cor13:10; tit1:13
6-feelings of "superiority"
ps68:5-31
7-church/state
gen2:23; gen4:8-26, gen12:1-3; jud21:25;
1sam2:1-10 2sam5:22-25
8:4-7 7:12-16
11:13
16:7-13
17:46
18:23
ez6:6-10; rom13:1-7; ep2:14-22; 1tim2:1-2
8-nondiscernment of Christians following the Republican right
1John2:1-29
3:3-24
4:1-21
1cor2:15
phill2:5-18
1cor2:14-15; 1cor3:1; 2cor5:10; num16:1
9-government [what it is and isn't supposed to be]
ps2:1; rom13:1; 1sam8:4-22; isa3:4-15; prov8:5-16; 1tim2:1-7
gen18:16-33
10-materialism
luke16:8-12; luke 9:10-13; 2cor8:1; 2cor9:1; 1tim6:6-19;
malachi3:5-9; ps62:10; ps52:1-7; james5:1-6; ex20:17;
heb13:5; matt13:22; matt10:8; rev3:17; deut8:11-18;
prov3:9-10; acts20:35; acts5:1-11
11-character assassination/mudslinging
neh6:5-7; 1tim6:6-19
12-overconfidence
prov14:6; 2tim2:22; 1cor10:12; num20:2-13; jud16:1
13-properity philosophy
luke17:7-10; 1tim6:5; john14:15-23
14-misleading the public
lev11;44-45; lev26:12; hosea1:9-10; hosea2:23; jere31:33;
deut18;22; 1pet1:13-16; 1pet2: 9-10; 2pet3:3-13;
ez36:28; ez11;2-4; ez12:21-28; ez18:2
15-GOD'S standards/values!
lev19:2-37; lev20:6-8; ez18:5-29; gen6:1; jud4:1; jud16:1;
jud13:1; dan1:1; 1kings19:1; 1kings21:1; 2ch29:1-2; 2ch34:1-22;
2ch39:1-2; 1tim3:3; james1:2-8; ps11:5; ps82:1-4; ps37:3-6;
matt7:12&21; job13:15
16-stubborness
james4:6; jere43:12; jere44:16-17
I am a Liberal Christian and not one the ones who many align with "right
wing" Christianity...you might call them "Bible-thumpers"/despots/radicals."
However, here are the scriptural illustrations of why they are diluded
in following like sheep the republican party....why they are turning to
the very fascist-like faction they are choosing to turn their wills/lives
over to. I've been contending all this all along...Please don't judge
our whole religion because of these jerks....you can bet Christ himself
is looking down and likening them to the San Hedren.

Answer 9

Christianity doesn't repell me at all. It simply was not the path for me. I have no problem with the religion itself. I have no problem with Christians, save for the ones who use the religion as an excuse to push their twisted hate-filled agendas on the rest of society. I think Gandhi put it best, and to paraphrase him: I have no quarrel with God or Jesus. It's a few members of Their fan club I can live without.

Answer 10

I believe very few (though definitely some) people have issue with the man/myth known as Jesus of Nazarene. He was a pretty cool, chill, groovy guy. He had his share of temper tantrums (parable of the Fig Tree anyone?) but generally dispensed some good advice for most other than followers of Kong Fu Tzu (who believed in the middle road and justice on earth).

"God" as an entity is encountered in most religions, not simply Christianity. The "Christian God" or "God with No Name" is differentiated from other "Gods" mostly because of his son, Jesus Christ. Also, there are apparent paradoxes present when talking about the Christian God. At once judgmental and merciful, at once all powerful yet allowing all to govern themselves... it's a lot for a non-Christian to take.

That being said, most of what drives me away from Christianity is what drives me away from every religion: archaic rules that are difficult to change. When you believe in something benign, such as the savior coming down from heaven to grant you peace if you are kind to your fellow man, by all means, please believe in that. The world needs more kind-hearted people, no matter what the motivation. However, we are presented with sticky situations such that the intolerance of some rules such as the Jewish and Christian commandment of "Thou shalt not kill" has led the human race to a crossroads when talking about oh, abortion. Or war. It seems that Christians are always willing to make exceptions when it best benefits their beliefs instead of when it best benefits their people. It becomes ok for people to kill during the Crusades because it is in the name of the Lord. It becomes ok to kill people in foreign lands because it is in the name of freedom. But it is not ok to "kill" a fetus in order to save it from the drudgeries of a wasted, unholy life. A life where a mother will not consistantly make the choice between drugs and her child. It is also not ok to kill a fetus when it means saving the life of another, say the mother. The inflexibility of the twenty commandments (yes, twenty) as well as the rules of many religions leaves us with predicaments that are not always as personal as abortion. How about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? It is rooted in more than simply politics - it is rooted in religion, in *belief.*

Hypocrisy abounds around us, my friend. If your belief in the Good News leads to Good Works, by all means you and I are brothers in spiritual arms. But if your belief leads to intolerance and prejudice, I'll meet you in the arena. =D It seems like you have your heart in the right place, and that's what matters!