Why is it that Christianity ?

Question

offers, or doesn't offer that makes unbelievers so critical and angry about? Years ago if one was an Atheist or Agnostic they at least appreaciated Christians for being truthful, upstanding citizens. Now it seems they are hated, and sought after..Why?
My answer is Because Christianity has fallen apart over the years..(I am a Christian)..and can no longer be respected?? Is that it?

Answer 1

The various failings of individual Christians and the various scandals experienced within the Catholic church, and within the various Protestant groups (Jones, Swaggert, Baker, et al) all serve to embolden those who don't like anyone telling them what to do, or how to live.

Non-Christians fail to realize that while Christians are no better than anyone else, Christians are closely and faithfully aligned with the One who certainly is ... Jesus Christ ... and that makes all the difference.

Christians have also failed to effectively transmit the message of Christ in ways that overfed, sinful, and generally disinterested humanity can truly appreciate and understand.

In the end, it's Christ that deserves our love and respect, not Christianity.

If we were truly living as God would have us live, than others would quickly recognize that fact, and seek to imitate it.

Answer 2

It's the "holier than thou" thing that irritates everyone. I think some Christians have a different definition of "truthful, upstanding citizen" than a lot of non-religious people. My definition of a truthful, upstanding citizen is someone who is generous, tolerant, kind, and caring. A lot of Christians' definition of a truthful, upstanding citizen is just someone who reads the Bible, as if that alone makes them a better person than the rest of us. I hate to generalize, but it's true: A lot of Christians DO come off as "self-righteous" because they've supposedly discovered the Lord. Many of them act way more proud than they should, gloating about how they've gained access to the VIP lounge (heaven) and all the other sorry suckers of all the other religions are doomed to an eternal suffering. Statements like "Fine, go ahead, follow the wrong religion! See what God cares!" don't help much either.

Didn't Christ preach humility? A very good percentage of Christians are ANYTHING but humble. And I'm sorry, but just the fact that you have "the Lord in your heart" (whatever that means) does not by itself make someone a better person than me or anyone else. Kindness, tolerance, a giving spirit... that's what makes a good person. And you know what the interesting thing is? That kind of person can be found in ALL faiths: Atheist, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist... hell, probably even Scientologist, too.

Answer 3

I think this depends on which country you call, "home." If you are an American Christian then the entire world will disrespect you due to guilt by association - with George W. Bush.

Mister Bush, in my humble opinion, is one of the world's greatest Christian hypocrites. If he were truly Christian, he would be doing all he could to "love his neighbor," instead of being the architect of Muslim genocide. Granted. Given the events of Sept. 11, 2001, he had reason to be pissed. But can you imagine what the world would be like today if he had only invaded Afghanistan, did all he could to find Bin Laden and bring him to justice, truly aid the Afghan nation and people in rebuilding their home post the Taliban, then left Sadam and the Iraqi people alone? Instead,

We all know that the world is in an unbelievable mess, it's far less safe for people from the west and Americans in particular, and the war in Iraq rages on.

How can the world respect Christians when this particular member of the faith behaves so abysmally - in such an anti Christian manner?

The same can be said for the Pope. So many bridges being torched. I believe we all have reason to fear the outcome if Bush is allowed to remain in office and if the 1 billion Catholics continue to take anything the Pope says as reasonable.

Answer 4

As society evolved,a substantial portion of the bible no longer became relevant.There are some great passages in the Bible, such as Matthew 7:1,but people began to use some of the more antediluvian passages as an excuse to further their own agenda, and it's been that way for hundreds of years.Frankly, allot of people are sick of the people who use religion as an excuse to persecute others.

Answer 5

christianity has always had its problems, but they have become more evident with the advancement of society,

For example segregation was an issue that the christians brought to the carpet and they thought blacks and whites should be seperate, they also thought women should be suberviant to man, now that gays are more vocal so are christians with thier old fasioned prejudcies, people are learning to move past the bigotry of the past, but the only way to do so is to abandon the religion that constantly advocates division and hatred towards others.

Answer 6

Christians seem to have become self-righteous and sanctimonious and it is synonymous with being a right wing conservative these days.
They want everyone to live as they do by their rules.

It seems to be more of a political movement than a religious movement.

When fundamentalist christians pick and choose what they want to believe from the bible, whilst saying it is all the truth, that is when you lose all respect for them.
I don't see them stoning wal-mart workers for working on sundays.
The fundamentalists also have no respect for anyone elses beliefs, they deny freedom of religion

Answer 7

It's not the religion itself; it's the major surge in fundamentalism, and I'd say to a large extent the fact that said fundamentalism is currently running the US on purely Christian fundamentalist grounds. When religion bleeds into politics, the results are not pretty.

Answer 8

I think it is because christianity and Christians) have gone from being a petty, irritating annoyance to being a genuine and vital threat. Christian 'Dominionists' (Reconstructionalists, Theonomists) have largely usurped the local level political apparatus of the Republican Party, and are engaged in a sub rosa process to politically motivate moderate Christians under the false cover of religious issues such as morality and family values, under cover of front organizations like the Christian Coalition, the American Family Association and the Promise Keepers. The goal is nothing less than the takeover of all elective offices in the USA.

Their doctrine comes from the Bible, starting with the term 'dominion' at Genesis 1:28... “And God said unto them, [Adam and Eve] Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have DOMINION… over every living thing.” They interpret DOMINION as: “... a supremacy in determining and directing the actions of others or in governing politically, socially, or personally.”

They want to remake the USA as a theocracy... and they are succeeding.

Its most common form, Dominionism, represents one of the most extreme forms of Fundamentalist Christianity thought. Its followers, called Dominionists, are attempting to convert the laws of United States so that they match those of the Hebrew Scriptures. They intend to achieve this by using the freedom of religion in the US to train a generation of children via home-schooling and in private Christian religious schools. See: JESUS CAMP http://www.apple.com/trailers/magnolia/jesuscamp/trailer/ Later, their graduates will be charged with the responsibility of creating a new Bible-based political, religious and social order. One of the first tasks of this order will be to eliminate religious choice and freedom. Their eventual goal is to achieve the "Kingdom of God" in which much of the world is converted to Christianity. They feel that the power of God's word will bring about this conversion. No armed force or insurrection will be needed; in fact, they believe that there will be little opposition to their plan. People will willingly accept it. All that needs to be done is to properly explain it to them.

All religious organizations, congregations etc. other than strictly Fundamentalist Christianity would be suppressed. Nonconforming Evangelical, main line and liberal Christian religious institutions would no longer be allowed to hold services, organize, proselytize, etc. Society would revert to the laws and punishments of the Hebrew Scriptures. Any person who advocated or practiced other religious beliefs outside of their home would be tried for idolatry and executed. Blasphemy, adultery and homosexual behavior would be criminalized; those found guilty would also be executed. There are two conservative Christian pastors in Texas who have advocated the execution of all Wiccans. Ralph Reed, the executive director of the conservative public policy group the Christian Coalition has criticized Reconstructionism as "an authoritarian ideology that threatens the most basic civil liberties of a free and democratic society."

By failing to openly confront this insidious agenda, we have sown the seeds of our own destruction, while these religious wing-nuts are paving the way to Armageddon with gleeful anticipation.

"Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder." ~ Arnold Toynbee

http://www.religioustolerance.org/reconstr.htm
http://www.yuricareport.com/Dominionism/HistoryOfReconstructionMovement.html
http://www.yuricareport.com/Dominionism/Clarkson_RiseOfDomionism.html

Answer 9

I agree with what others are saying. Fundamentalists are now what people think of when they think of Christianity, as well as our "Christian" President and his unwise policies.

Meanwhile, there are many kind, wise, humble Christians who continue to find great peace and spirit through the teachings and life of Jesus. It is unfortunate the image of the humble, loving Christian does not dominate our vision of what being a Christian is all about.

Answer 10

Thanks for your question or shall I say statement
Well it is a fact now that people are "escaping" from Christianity to Judaism and Islam and other beliefs .

But me as a Muslim I have no right to hate you or disrespect you just because you believe in something else I am taught in my religion to respect others beliefs God clearly says "There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path."

and also says " And say: "The truth is from your Lord." Then whosoever wills, let him believe, and whosoever wills, let him disbelieve. "

I hope this helped you to know more about other faiths :) and if you want to know more please feel free to contact me on [e-mail]...peace