Closing off tonight with this for non believers: What?

Question

most turns you away from 1. religion? 2. God ? 3. Christ?

If you want we Christians to take you seriously, then please give a thoughtful and complete answer. Thanks and good night.

Answer 1

1. Religion. I haven't found a moral one. Also so far they all have conflicted with reality and reason.

2. God. So far I haven't seen enough compelling evidence for the existance of one. The bible god had a really poor moral system. If you would ever be able to look at it objectively, I honestly think you'd agree with me. Infinate punishment for a finite act... To say nothing of the hundreds of attrocities in the OT. Ordering his soldiers to murder pregnant women, etc.

3. Christ, for the most part led a very exemplary life. My main problem is that I doubt the veracity of the NT. The resurrection alone...JUST looking at the bible has literally dozens of discrepencies. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John disagree about key events on the most important day EVER in Christianity.

Answer 2

1) Religion is a system of control and manipulation. Its used by a few leaders to control and manipulate others. Look at the televangelists who con money out of old people. Theyre a perfect example. Of course, not everyone buys into their manipulation, but many do. Not to mention that religion has been an excuse for "lord-only-knows" how many awful massacres and horrible things.

2) I dont believe that the Christian God is real. I think its possible that there might be some kind of being out there, but in my opinion the Christian God does not exist. Cant be turned away from something that doesnt exist.

3) Nothing really. If Christ existed and the Bible is an accurate description of his life, then he was a good man, although maybe a bit delusional. I dont think the Bible is very realistic about him though.

Good enough?

Answer 3

First of all, there was never something that discouraged me from going to church or practicing religion, it all just never made sense to me.

What worries me most about religion is the aparrent requirement of certain beliefs. In a lot of religions, members must believe what they are told. Even if it's not actually required to participate in the church, many other members will surely look down on anyone who does not wholly conform to the religion.
I don't want to believe that there is a greater being controlling everything that happens on earth, I prefer to think I am in charge of every move i make. Truthfully, I have never felt His presence, nor needed to, and so I have never had any reason to believe in a God. I am a firm believer in evolution, and even the theory that a being created the big bang, then sat back and watched from there is questionable to me.
I don't doubt that there was a man who has turned into the legend of Jesus. He probably was a very spiritual man who was leading a religious revolution. Many people may have believed he was a prophet or in some other way connected with God because of his new messages. Because he was killed, he became a saint in many people's eyes. I think he can be compared to the legacy of John F Kennedy. He was a popular man, though not a spectacular president. His death shook the country and the world, and has almost been martyred because of it. Many people consider him the greatest president, even though he only served three years and made a number of mistakes. I don't think there was anything out of the ordinary about Jesus Christ, but after his death, people wanted him to be something more because they couldn't cope with his death.

That was really long, but I hope it was a worth while answer. For me, and a lot of other non-religious people that I know, lack of faith is not because I hate God or religion, but just because it has never meant much to me.

Answer 4

The way all religions have said thought shall not kill. And then we have religous wars. Statements that have been made in various religions that have proven to be totally untrue.
The format that religous groups take up they say that we are all equal etc etc etc and the Pope and certain Shakes etc are held in peoples minds as the link to God.
If there was a God why hasnt he acted his creation is doing so much that he has told it not to do and he does nothing to stop this. If he is as all powerfull as people say then the world would be perfect. He has already set everything up in time as he wishes then he wouldnt have made Eve eat the Apple and would have not put the snake in Eden.
There are far too many contradictions within religions that can be percieved in diffrent ways. If God existed why would he allow so many variations of religions all working for him to have wars against one another.
If God exists nothing he does makes any sense and religion cant explain it. The only other solution to the puzzle is there is no God. And Science as far as I can see has proved this.

Answer 5

#1. Religion is too confining and controlling and completely non-sensical.

#2. God is.....the Creative Energy or the supreme power. (religion attempts to define the undefinable)

#3. Christ is the spiritual master, teacher and ultimate example of humans are capable of being. Christ is the way to the truth the light. If we could all achieve the standards that Jesus set for us....we would all be perfect humans. (religion reduces Christ to a sacrificial lifeless form and forgets the example of a good man's life lived).

I don't require to be taken seriously be religious people. I believe in God and Jesus Christ and I'm very comfortable with my non-religious belief.

Good-night.

Answer 6

I can't believe that the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament) is anything more than myth. If the God of Abraham (Jehovah/Yahweh) is real, then we live in an insane universe ruled by an insane creator. What sane god would condone slavery? What sane god would kill all of his creation, including innocent babies, because of the crimes of some people?
Fortunately, if one looks at the Hebrew Bible as just the myths of the ancient Hebrews, it all makes a lot of sense. Other cultures had similar myths.

Every religion built on top of the Hebrew Bible is built on myth. Even Christianity. There is no objective evidence that Jesus performed any of the miracles attributed to him.

We've had enough dark ages due to religion. It's time humanity grew up and stopped believing in grim fairy tales.

Answer 7

1. Hypocrasy, inability to change with new information or cultural development, the arrogance and condescension handed to non-members, refusal to accept facts in favor of superstition, insistence on domination of member's lives, the passing on of misinformation as truth, the fear tactics, the idealized xenophobia...

2. I turn away from your god for the same reasons you turn from Amun-Ra, Zeus, or Amateratsu. I do not believe that there is a divinity because there is no evidence for one. I will not accept "just have faith" as a compelling reason. Moreover, the character of the mainstream Christian god is--in my view--an vindictive, self-obsessed tyrant with a fragile and mountainous ego. Even if I were presented with evidence of his existence, I would regard the Christian God as an entity unworthy of respect, let alone worship.

3. Jesus of Nazerath was, at best, a charismatic thinker and teacher. He was a rebel against Judaic religious law, and was deified after his death by those who idolized him.

What really turns me off? His followers. See my answer to question 1.

Answer 8

I don't care if you take me seriously or not, but I'll answer. The idea of a group of men writing a book based on myth, inaccuracies, and outright lies, simply to try to keep people in line with a promise of reward after death bothers me. It bothers me that, with all the scientific knowledge we now hold, people continue to cling to that book, with it's stories of giants, talking snakes, genocide, and magic tricks. It bothers me that people use it as an excuse to legislate the morality of the country. I bothers me that people use God as an excuse for everything - how good their life is, how sucky their life is, why they're rich, why they're poor, why it's okay to bomb an abortion clinic in the name of Jesus but not have an abortion...It bothers me how exclusionary and intolerant it is, even though Christians claim God loves everyone. The bible gives people an excuse to be hateful and nasty, and that's wrong. And please don't say I obviously know nothing about Christians - my soon to be mother-in-law is an Evangelical who believes Hurricane Katrina is the work of God, and New Orleans had to be smote because of all the blacks, gays, and immoral people who lived there. I deal with that mentality daily. Wanna know why I don't like it most of all? It turns people into mindless braying sheep with no ideas of their own, their minds closed to anything but that book and The Word, treating other people like something they stepped in when they find out you don't believe what they do. It's the PEOPLE in the religions I can't stand.

Answer 9

It's kind of more complex than that. It's not really something I can just sum up in a couple sentences. There are a lot of reasons.

The concept of Hell. Biblical contradictions. Scientific developments which in my opinion have disproven parts of the Bible. The implausibility of so many of the concepts in the Bible. The concept that God cares more about a person's religion than their character. The existence of thousands of other religions. There are a lot of reasons.

Answer 10

1, religion, i am not turned away from religion. i am turned away from the Abrihamic religions.

2, God, he allowed and even encouraged the wholesale slaughter of several groups of people. my ancestors happened to be one of them. and the simple fact that i refuse to give up the worship of my gods means that your God rejects me. so the feeling is mutual.

3, Christ? actually i like most of his teachings. but i am with Gandhi. i like your Christ but i do not like your Christians.