So tell me... how is believing what you were taught to believe from birth considered thinking for yourself?

Question

For people who were spesificly told not to judge others by their savior, why do so many Christians carelessly tell nonbelievers that they are going to hell?

Oh, I'm an atheist. I had 12 years of Catholic schooling, so you understand?

Did I say all Christians? Doesn't look like it to me.

Answer 1

Are you asking two different questions here? It sounds like it, so I will answer accordingly. As for your first one, if you are ever in your life exposed to other ideas and theologies different than what is taught to you from birth, especially one that challenges your beliefs, then you have to make a conscious decision of which one to follow. I would consider that thinking for yourself. Regarding your second question, I know it will sound cliche, but it's true - human beings are flawed. Not all Christians go around telling unbelievers that they are going to Hell. A mature Christian would say that they do not have the power to condemn, only God does. Only God can really know someone's heart and where their faith stands.

Answer 2

Why do you so carelessly assume that all Christians were taught this from birth? I was not. I became Christian as a teenager without any parental say and have followed Jesus Christ throughout my life. It was my choice, no one told me I was going to hell!

Please don't assume all Christians are the same because of the ones you have come across. By doing so, you are also judging Christians, in that you are assuming we all treat non-believers the same. We are all very much different. Some may wish to say "you are going to hell" to try and save you; while others will show you the love they have for God and others by the life they lead.

I'm sorry you ran into someone who came across inappropriately. They do care about you, although they may have come across to strong.

Answer 3

Question #1
A. It gives a thinking person a starting point from which to investigate other belief systems. You should try it some time.
As it turns out, I didn't go back to my religious roots. I became a Christian.

Question #2
A. You are mistaking discerning with judging. "Judging" requires that the judge has the ability to condemn. Only God can do that. But according to Scriptures, we are encouraged to discern according to the Bible. We are also encouraged to warn people we care about when we discern they are in danger of God's judgment.

I know it just sounds like semantics, but perhaps you should read Matthew 7, and study it closely. There you will find the often quoted "judge not," and also the encouragement to discern the lives of those around us.

Answer 4

1. If a person TRULY believes, then they "walk the walk." Specifically, that means they're making daily life decisions based on their beliefs, which is clearly thinking for themselves. If they're not doing that, then they don't really believe.

2. Jesus didn't say not to judge people. In fact, he didn't speak English. The best translation of what he said was not to condemn people. That means that if someone does something wrong, you shouldn't hate them for it. He taught us to forgive as we have been forgiven.

3. Jesus taught us to judge right from wrong and to warn those we care about. Telling you you're going to hell isn't judging you, it's giving you an opportunity to change matters for the better.

3. Jesus also taught that people who don't follow him WILL go to hell.

Answer 5

Although they are the two of the largest religions in the world, the brother religions of Abraham are the only two religions that preach eternal damnation to the unsaved or to those who have not been brought into the covenant with god. Oddly, Judaism, the religion of Abraham, does not make much mention at all of the afterlife. (Christianity & Islam. The descendants of Abraham's wife Sara becoming the Christians through the line of David and Jesus and the descendants of Abraham's slave wife Hagar whom he abandoned in the desert of Beer-Sheba becoming the Muslim nations through Ishmael and Mohammed). Anyhow... so that doesnt realy answer your question but , i was never taught that when I was a youngster, I had to go finnd it out for myself.

Answer 6

It isn't necessarily. We're all hard-wired to believe what we're told as children -- don't cross the street, don't lick electrical outlets. Unfortunately, sometimes those instructions include, don't blaspheme the Holy Spirit or you'll spend forever in hell...

The fact is, we aren't all as open-minded as we think. We can't go through and question EVERY belief we were indoctrinated with as children. Questioning the patently absurd ones, like Christianity, is probably good though. Having said that, if I was NEVER introduced to irreligious thinking in society, I probably would have never questioned Biblicalism.

Answer 7

I consider these kinds of matters approximately announcing no to homosexuality and no to marriage among identical intercourse couples, no to start manipulate, no intercourse earlier than marriage, no to abortion and entire attractiveness of the ancient creeds of the church. However I am now not a Catholic in a proper feel as I used to be raised within the Anglo Catholic Church and so can't acquire the bread or the wine at mass - I simply sit down on the again or to the part close the wall. So although you probably did consider the whole lot it does not consistently imply you'll be permitted

Answer 8

Ha! Is that judging? Do you think if I tell you that you are going to hell unless you repent, that will make me a judge? Not that easy my friend. There is only one Judge. The Bible says that the Judgment has been given to the Son, which is Christ. And the Muslim Hadith also mentioned that "Isa Almasehu ibnu Maryam is coming back as the Righteous Judge (Haqama Muqsita).

We are not judging anyone, we are only warning people. If your house is on fire, and I as your neighbour do not warn you if I know what is happening, I could be penalized for being negligent or failing to save you if it is within our power to do so.

No my friend, we are not careless if we warn you about the danger ahead. The opposite is true. We are very careless if we do not warn you of mortal danger in front of you.

Answer 9

which is your question?

1) thinking for yourself.... everything that you are taught must be adopted into your life or not. If you don't adopt it as a practice or if you do, you have decided whether or not to follow that precept.

2)going to hell....Only God knows- In my opinion Christians should tell non-believers nothing but the positive elements of being a child of God -if they are non believers they are already familiar with what life is like without God. They can form their own opinions about hell later.

Answer 10

Why do so many atheists insist that it's idiotic to believe in a Supreme Being? Both accusations carry the same amount of water.
The real reason is that there are a lot of prejudiced idiots out there that believe only what they are told to believe. It has nothing to do with God or not-God; it's an individual prejudice.