Does it annoy/disappoint you when someone claims they are religious, but doesn't know the basic details?

Question

Example: A question about 'why do we fall in love?', and someone answers 'because Jesus made it that way'.
Now, I may not be up to scratch on my theology. However, doesn't the basic tenet of Christianity state that Jesus of Nazareth was the son of God - meaning that God created 'love' and not Jesus.

A quick and dirty example, but you get my meaning.

(And can I at least get some reasonable answers, instead of people behaving like I ran over your puppy...)

Answer 1

Yeah. I am not at all religious but I know the tenets of the faith better than many adherents. Once, I had to spend all day with a women coworker. All day long she talked about Jesus this, and Jesus that. Finaly, peeved, I asked her what her religion was. She said that she was Lutheran. I told her in that case, since she belonged to a Trinitarian faith that she should pepper her language with words like God and the Holy Spirit, not only for variety's sake, but also to not be so Christ centric. She said "I don't know about all that: I just love my Jesus."

Answer 2

NO

It disapoints me when they know the words but don't understand the meaning behind them.

Take, for example, the rudimentary concept Jesus saves and all you have to do is accept Jesus as your personal lord and savior.

Were it only that easy, and if it is, what is the need for a Bible for Churchs or Liturgies! I mean, you accept and then you go off and live life. That's it, right! That's all there is no it!

You're born Jewish, you're the chosen people. That's it. You need do nothing further. It's automatic.

The Bible, on further readings, shows these things are not absolutes. The whole concept, for example, of the Book of Life. No where in the Bible does it defintively state that all Jews and all Christians will be listed in that book.

Hence, there is more that you have to do then just Praise God!

Answer 3

Over the course of my life I have become used to it. Nowadays I just find it slightly amusing.
edit: I really like angk's answer.
I am not a historian but I read a lot of history just because I enjoy it and her answer sums it up very well. I find that an awful lot of people have a very simplistic take on bible history and little to no understanding of the sources of the text or when it was developed. They will make false claims about its historical accuracy without the slightest clue that what they are saying is wrong. If you try to explain it to them they just can't follow it.
I know that I don't have the knowledge that several of the people here have but I am at least willing to check out what they have to say. Even I am still able to learn.

Answer 4

Thank you. I agree. Not only do I "claim" to be a Christian, but guess what?! I really am!!! I also go to church and read my Bible! Can you believe it? Yes, it is very annoying when someone answers a religious/spiritual question with an answer that doesn't even make sense. Or someone says that they are a Christian (or even just religious), but they answer a question completely wrong. I am not saying that I know everything, because I don't. But, I am not going to try to answer a question that I really don't know the answer to, just to gain 2 stupid points, or to try to sound smart.

Answer 5

OK, i don't believe Jesus was the son of God and all that stuff, but besides that Christians believe that god don't intervene so how will he be able to put a love spell on two people without intervening?

Answer 6

Hi there,
I think that these people tend to be within the simplistic phases of
practicing a particular faith, religion or denomination however, have not evolved spiritually enough to become young scholars...

I think that as long as they feel linked to an authority higher than themselves and malicious intent , they are on the right track....
Don't let the fact that they are moving slow bother you, only if they are standing still....
We all evolve spiritually at different rates.....

Answer 7

I have a bachelor's in history, which was focused on the history of the Church. I am not a Christian--I just find it fascinating.

Now, I don't expect all Christians to have my knowledge of their religion's history. But when someone starts going on about how Catholics aren't part of the Christian church (or, in one memorable case, gets offended when I call them a Protestant even though they clearly were one--didn't know what it meant and took it as an insult), it drives me crazy. I know history past 2000 years ago isn't taught in churches, and world history isn't much taught in American high schools anymore, but really. This is the history of your religion. Please get the basics down.

Answer 8

Some religions teach that Jesus IS God - and that DOES annoy me! But, yes, I do get your meaning. If a person claims to be "religious" then they should KNOW what that religion teaches!

Answer 9

Yes, quite. I have actually had people tell me things about Jesus, or things they think are from the bible that to my knowledge are absolutely false. Most Christians don't even know that that they are promised yes answers to all their prayers if they are true believers.


Matthew 21:21:
"...If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

Answer 10

It does not really annoy me because there is no certain level of being religious. Indeed I know people whose faith is very strong though they're not very educated in our terms. We just have to respect each others point of view even if it disagrees with what we believe.