Christians: How can you not understand Atheist morality when you are cherry-picking Christianity?

Question

Most Christians want to overlook things like Jesus saying all the old laws still apply today and that those that don't stone to death their disobedient children are hypocrites. Then Christians wonder how can Atheists get morality. Simple, we do the same thing you do: We find philosophies (in your case only one) and we cherry pick what works best for ourselves and in our modern society?

Again, How can you not understand Atheist morality when you are cherry-picking Christianity?

Answer 1

Everyone has the ability to behave morally. It is not something that is unique to one group of people. As for cherry picking anything; people do that in all walks of like. Like cherry-picking christians only to ask this question. What you have condemned a particular group for is exactly what you are guilty of doing.

Answer 2

That's a pretty broad statement. Most Christians that I know don't 'cherry pick' the Bible. By the way, Jesus came to fulfill the law - He elaborates in Matthew chapter 5. You will notice, if you read it, that it is not just following the letter of the law, but rather where your heart is when doing so. An example being adultery - Jesus says it's not just the act, but the lustful intention. Jesus fulfillment of the laws regarding sacrifice means that we don't physically have to go to temple and take an unblemished lamb for sacrifice - He has done that. But He doesn't let us off the hook - we are still to lead a life pleasing to God.

We do not follow the Jewish laws, taking a bull that has gored someone to death and stoning the animal to death, because Jesus fulfilled the law. The adulteress that was to be stoned to death, He forgave. But then He admonished her to stop sinning.

As for judging your morality, it is not up to me to judge you - that's between you and God. I have no doubt that there are atheists that are very moral people. Their morals are defined by their life experience and the society in which they live. Please know that the concern most Christians have for those who profess to be atheist is for their eternal soul - they are not telling you about Jesus to be mean or self-righteous - they are truly concerned with your welfare, as am I.

Answer 3

Bringing your children up in the Lord doesn't exactly mean to throw rocks or stones at your children. Just like spare the rod ..spoil the child doesn't mean to go down to the local hardware and buy a pipe to beat your child with. It means to teach your children to live in the truth and love which is God's will. If a child is willfully choosing to disobey parental guidance it is our job to deal with it. Do you realize how many children are not seeing parents obey God's instruction to parent....and that includes discipline. Disrespecting a child in that manner by not discipling does nothing but cause chaos so calling discipline obsolete is just lip service. It is also sending a daily signal to our children that if they exercise their free will and act on the choice to break rules adults will do what is right and not give a rip what society says. Yes, it surely is confusing to teach children that rules broke at school means time off from school.

The root word of discipline is disciple which means teach/train. We don't send our children to school to eat candy and color for 13 years+. There are rules in school and most that don't follow them, for some reason - hello - are sent home to their parents.

Others take a different approach which is another manulative tactic to use kids to create more money coming in down the line. Around here new laws have passed to make it easier to arrest teens that are skipping school and just last night it was broadcast that the parents will take the blame via fines, neglect charges, etc. Common sense tells us the child is already willfully disobeying their parents and school authority ....now lets tell them again they don't have to take responsibility for their actions -no we can do anything we want and get our parents in trouble with the law. It's suggestive peer pressure, in fact, just another way to prosper on family breakdown law makers know they are manipulating to happen via the press etc.

I don't get into cherry-picking.

Answer 4

Atheists are no more moral and probably not less moral than the rest of the population.

Living a moral life is not the key to eternal life.
That means something to me, but you do not believe in eternal life, so that means nothing to you.
If you do not believe in God or heaven or hell, then you will see everything we believe in as foolish.

I can tell you this, I lived about half my life without a personal relationship with God, and the only way that this world makes sense to be is through the filter of the Bible.

We ought to happy to leave it at that.

I consider unbelievers to be pagans, as does the Bible.
I believe in letting pagans be pagans, so what is wrong with that?

I am not telling you how you should live, and that is not what the group is about.
It is about sharing what you do believe with others, and Atheists seem to be ultra-sensitive about that.

It is tempting to amend my answer to address each response, but that is considered chatting and costs me points so I will refrain.

grace2u

Answer 5

Just for your info..refering to the stoning the disobedient to death, thats not for anyone toaday. Thats why its called the Old laws..the new laws dont say that. How do you figure Christian cherry-pick things? Dont you think that its diffuclt on Christians as it is without you giving them a hard time. Your doing to Christians exactly what you dont want Christians to do to you.

Answer 6

first of all, Jesus never said that all the old laws still apply today.
He said that

"For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Matthew 5:18

Jesus Christ was Himself the fulfillment of all the law - this is what the NT teaches. The law was fulfilled in Jesus Christ and His perfect sacrifice, etc. No need to stone disobedient children. (and no need for disobedient children to get stoned to find out what life is all about - if you catch my meaning).

Second, you are right, though. Christians do tend to cherry-pick. We tend to treat scripture like an all-you-can-eat buffet - pick and choose - and that is wrong. But this is not to say that God doesn't emphasize certain scriptures to certain people (thus, churches and denominations are born).

The mark of a Christian is one who allows the word of God to change them and not one who attempts to change the word of God.

But God blesses His children, uses his children in His kingdom, despite our foolishness.... His word will prevail!!!

Christians need wisdom, discernment, and, most of all, humility when studying the scriptures.

god bless

Answer 7

in terms of morality, we are not that much different. we are still human beings, therefore we still have similar goals. we are separated on most issues but argueably we still want what we think is the best. the difference is our spiritual nature. christians are in the now for what awaits them after life. athiests are in the now because of what precedes death, they don't have a spiritual nature.

the old laws you speak of refer to the laws of moses, to which still apply but are no longer essential to your salvation. the old covenant was replaced by the new covenant with man that jesus made when he died on the cross. jesus is essential for salvation, not laws.

you are spinning the context of the bible for your gain. who is cherry picking?

christians are not perfect, and will never admit to being so. everyone is a hypocrite, christians only admit it.

Answer 8

Christian morality is based on an absolute standard of good and evil. If there is a moral law, there must be a moral lawgiver.

The atheist does not believe in a moral lawgiver. How can you say that morals can be decided by "what works best in our society?" Is that what the Germans believed when Hitler was murdering Jews, gypsies, and the handicapped? Who is to say he was wrong if that was what was considered best for their modern society? If you do not believe in absolutes, then how can laws be made in the first place to define what is right and wrong?

By the way, Jesus didn't say that all the old laws applied. Read the Bible before you make comments that make no sense.

FIERY:
Hitler's parents were Catholic. It does not mean that he was. His philosophies of racial cleansing were based on the obvious moral results of believing in the theory of evolution.

Good people will be good and evil people will be evil. - How do you define good or evil if there is no standard by which to measure it?

Answer 9

Well, they do follow Jesus, who cherry-picked his morality. That's what upset the religious establishment of the time so much. (If the story has any real basis)

Answer 10

Can't answer this, don't agree with you on your observation of the Bible, i'm a gentile Christian, you know the fight the Apostles had over circumcision of the gentile Christians or not? The answer was no, so that washes the idea that we are under the Law down the drain.