Are you unchurched. Please respond.?

Question

Hello,
I am doing some reasearch for a Seminary assignment and I am looking for honest feedback from someone who has never really gone to church, and/or chooses not to in their adult life. I really would like some detailed feedback and I would appreciate your honesty. Thank you.

1. What are your views of God?
2. What is your impression of Christian people?
3. What do you think about Jesus?
4. If you believe in a heaven, do you think you will go there after you die? If so, why?
5. If you don’t believe in a God at all, what do you say the meaning of life is?
6. If you had a platform to stand on and if everyone was willing to listen, what would you specifically tell Christians?

These responses are great! I wish I could give everyone credit. I have two more topics I will post. They are for people who've stopped going to church, and for those who are unhappy with their church but are still there.

I look forward to reading more from all of you. I sincerely appreciate all of you who've taken time to respond.

Answer 1

I was churched my childhood and most of my adulthood. I chose not to go to church after losing my faith, which was not a choice.

1. Imaginary.

2. Depends. Xians are much too diverse to generalize. For most, they're like most people on most issues, save their religion.

The fanatics, OTOH, act holier-than-thou, insist that everybody live by their rules, cannot wrap their heads around someone having differing beliefs (therefore, anyone claiming not to believe must be lying), and when reality contradicts (their interpretation of) the Bible, they reject reality. They have a dangerous tendency to believe what they want, without checking sources.

Many Xians get sharply defensive about their religion. (I don't know if this is peculiar to Xianity. It's true of Muslims, but i don't know about other religions.) They also tend to exhibit a narrow-mindedness about religious matters even if they're open-minded about everything else. This comes from Xian premises that many Xians erroneously believe are held by everyone. (E.g. life without a higher power must lead to dispair.) As far as i can tell, they are *completely* unaware of their blinders.

3. Generally a nice guy, but short-tempered and a bit full of himself. He was quick to make both friends and enemies; he preached love and forgiveness, but didn't care how many toes he stepped on. He seemed to live for righteous adversity. His biggest flaw was condemning unbelievers, especially after exhorting his followers to love their enemies. And lastly, he was, more likely than not, fictional.

4. N/A (I don't believe in a heaven.)

5. To leave the world a better place than you found it, and enjoy life along the way.

6. To the fundamentalists: Stop getting your information about evolution, 20th century despots, Roman Catholics, and the Bible from apologists. They know absolutely NOTHING about science, 20th century despots, Roman Catholicism, or critical scholarship. Go to the source documents and you'll be shocked at how the apologists have lied to you. Get your information from the proper source, e.g., learn evolution from a biologist, not a preacher. Stop telling us unbelievers what's in our heads or why we don't beklieve; you can't read or minds. Read Matthew 7:1.

To the Dominionists and Reconstuctionists: Stop getting your information about American history and American law from apologists. They know absolutely NOTHING about American history and American law. Keep your damn religion out of my government and your nose out of my bedroom. The world does not pirouette on your religion. Stop whining, we're not persecuting you.

To all Xians: Learn how to entertain an opposing point of view without having to believe it. Never ASSume that you know what a non-believer thinks. And don't call us; we'll call you.

Answer 2

1. What are your views of God? I don't believe in god. I'm an atheist.
2. What is your impression of Christian people? Some good, some bad...just like any other group.
3. What do you think about Jesus? I think Jesus was likely a man and possibly a great man who lived long ago and had followers. I do not believe he was the son of god.
4. If you believe in a heaven, do you think you will go there after you die? If so, why? I don't believe in heaven.
5. If you don’t believe in a God at all, what do you say the meaning of life is? The meaning varies by person. To me, it's to be the best person I can be so I'm remembered as a good person for as long as possible.
6. If you had a platform to stand on and if everyone was willing to listen, what would you specifically tell Christians? Don't just talk the talk, walk the walk. If you call yourself a christian, act christ-like.

Answer 3

1. There is no God, not the Old Testament blood-lust sacrifice one anyway,
there very well may be "something" creative force or what have you, but none that the human imagination, much less ancient opinions have been able to touch on.

2. Christians are good when they are useful: (charitable), and annoying when pious, self-righteous and preaching......I notice it when one is ignorant, yet smug at the same time.

3. Jesus was a peace loving hippy type who thought out of the box for a Jew back then, probably from some long trips to Tibet perhaps, got kind of a God complex after he found a following.

4. There is no after-life, it's a wishful thinking fairy tale, akin to the fantasy of being a vampire.

5. To be, to live. The universe has many mysteries that we could not possibly ever know, perhaps it has it's own reasons.
It is probable that life is very abundant all throughout the universe.
Life is just something that the universe does: of course that's true because we are proof.
We are all made up of the same cosmic dust when brought down to the smallest molecule. Perhaps the universe is "God"..

6. Nothing at all: believe what you will, and I will believe as I will, but don't dare condemn me. Keep your fairy tales to yourselves, stay quiet and revel in the thought of how special you are and how damned everyone else is.

Answer 4

1. What are your views of God?
I have no views on something that I don't believe exists - its like asking for my views on Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny.

2. What is your impression of Christian people?
To each his own - If you choose to believe that, then that is your prerogative. Don't expect others to though just because you do - the whole "witnessing" thing is really annoying.

3. What do you think about Jesus?
See answer one

4. If you believe in a heaven, do you think you will go there after you die? If so, why?
See answer one

5. If you don’t believe in a God at all, what do you say the meaning of life is?
To exist and to be happy within yourself. To love and be loved.

6. If you had a platform to stand on and if everyone was willing to listen, what would you specifically tell Christians?
See answer two - don't preach to me about your beliefs when I am happy with mine.

Answer 5

1. God exists but really doesnt take too great of an intrest in earthly things.
2. I wish they would be more open minded about other possibilities on the subject of religion.
3. Jesus was a human just like the rest of us, but I imagine he was quite charismatic and therefore developed a large following for his bieliefs.
4. I will go to heaven because of my personal relationship with God. I dont need a book written by men to tell me what that relationship should be.
5. n/a
6. Take a deep breath and relax a little bit. Look at the world from all points of view to try and understand where the other guy is coming from.

Answer 6

Once upon a time, I was Catholic... anyway...


1. I am a Pagan, so, I believe in many Gods and Goddesses opposed to one, and I think the view of the Abrahamic God has been extremely misconstrued by the rewording, inserting, and removing of books into and from the Bible. So, for the Abrahamic God, I really would have to agree with the Gnostic view... and that that God's really overworked.

2. They're people. At times, a little thick headed, a bit close-minded. But still people.

3. Great guy. Loved to party. Good heart.

4. I don't believe in a Heaven.

5. I believe in many Gods and Goddesses. You left out a way for Pagans to answer! And the meaning of life, to me, is to live life.

6. Reality and Truth is subjective. Sure, sometimes different perceptions of Reality and/or Truth belonging to different people will be very similar, but, it is still subjective. And don't ridicule a religion (or lack there of) until you hear about it from them or have read one of their (religious) texts.

Answer 7

1.)Can't prove his existance. Yet, at the same time, you can't disprove his existance either.

2.)They are people. I don't judge based on someone's religion.

3.)Same as I do with God. Can't prove his existance, but you can't disprove his existance either.

4.)I don't know where I will go, or if there is a heaven. Because I believe that you cannot be 100% sure of what will happen after you die until you've experienced it.

5.)I don't believe, but at the same time I do. It's complicated. Kind of how I answered 1 and 3. But, I don't think you can put the meaning of life into words. Plus, it might be different for different people.

6.)HELLO!!! I don't know. I don't really care what people want to believe. I have a whole "live and let live/whatever floats your boat" type of attitude. I really wouldn't say anything to just Christians.

Answer 8

YOU ASKED AND THIS MAY BE OFFENSIVE TO SOME.
i am a Pagan and hold views that will be contrary to most expressed here.


1. What are your views of God?

i think that he is a vindictive bully. and any god that has to threaten me with burning in hellfire for an eternigy is not a god worth worshiping.

2. What is your impression of Christian people?

some are ok some are not. dont knock on my door, and i will not be rude to you.

3. What do you think about Jesus?

great teacher, taught great lessons/ copied form the Pagan god Mirthas in so many ways that it was not funny.

4. If you believe in a heaven, do you think you will go there after you die? If so, why?

yes, i am faithful to my gods.

5. If you don’t believe in a God at all, what do you say the meaning of life is?

not applicable.

6. If you had a platform to stand on and if everyone was willing to listen, what would you specifically tell Christians?

stpo trying to pass your religion into laws that everybody has to follow. Jesus would not do that to people what makes you think that you ahve that right. worship your god and be happy. believe me we all know about hellfire and brimstone. the message is out spread forcefully acrost all the land masses of this earth. give it a rest and worry about your own families. we can take care of out own.

Answer 9

1. What are your views of God? Pre-bronze age mythology for non-critical thinkers who form convictions with no foundation of testable evidence.

2. What is your impression of Christian people? Superstitious, brainwashed, often weak minded. Fundies in particular are stunningly ignorant and illiterate in almost every regard.

3. What do you think about Jesus? The religion of Jesus, best represented in the modern church by Kingdom Theology, was about bringing the Kingdom of God into being on Earth, was very different than the religion about Jesus which Paul invented along with others who never knew Jesus but turned him into a Greek style demi-god after his death. He was not particulary unique, but his adoption by Constantine gave him a boost and a distinction that nothing in his life particularly merited and we've been burdened with the "blood sacrifice or burn in hell" conglomeration of Mediterranean and Persian religion ever since. Jesus would neither recognize Christianity, affirm Christology or any of the other Persian and Greek overlay that Paul and other Graeco-Roman Jews brought to the faith.

4. If you believe in a heaven, do you think you will go there after you die? If so, why? Like the Sadducees I consider the Zoroastrian notion of resurrection to judgment a bunch of Persian nonsense.

5. If you don’t believe in a God at all, what do you say the meaning of life is? We each choose this for ourselves, but ethical humanism contains all of the positive social values that help maximize benefit for the most of us, if we all cooperate and embrace the empathy and compassion that made us a highly survivable and dominant species. It may not be THE meaning of life, but praticing charity beats whatever comes in second by a mile.

6. If you had a platform to stand on and if everyone was willing to listen, what would you specifically tell Christians? By accepting a phony deified Jesus, one created to compete with pagan mythology, you've missed the point of what Jesus taught. We only have each other. If there is to be a heaven, we have to make it here. Jesus isn't riding to the rescue. Making all this better is our job, only we can do it and we CAN certainly do it. Paraphrasing St. John: Stop professing your love for a god you've never seen, until you start loving the people in front of you who you have seen.

Good luck with seminary. Hopefully it will make you an atheist too.

Answer 10

1. God is an entity that never existed.
2. Some Christian people are nice, some try too hard to bring shove their views down your throat.
3. a person who was once alive.
4. Depends on the definition of heaven.
5. There is no requirement of a god to have a meaning of life.
6. Be good and follow your heart and commandments properly, try not to act like the prophet who gave you the commandments. do not use god as your shield, it does not work.

Answer 11

1. God is a positive presence that is instilled when you are little and developing your values.
2. Christian people may go to Church, but I don't count this; it's what they do in their daily life.
3. Jesus is a legend that has been carried out over time. Not sure what I think; I think he was a true dude who became well known and his memory carried on for generations; but it's complex because Santa goes back a ways too, and look how many believe in this and have adults thrust it upon them, to live up to a lie.... then decide at 9 or ten its not true. yet there are thousands books, newspaper reports, Santa malls, cartoons, media, post offices all in on the propaganda to make you believe as a kid...... is the bible any different? How do we really know?
4. I want to believe there is heaven... but I think it's more like a presence of mind when you die, if you have lived your life in a good way you feel more at peace. I think that when you die, that it you are done. The heaven is really a piece of the heart in everyone you knew that helps you live on forever.
5.
6. Good one......... to truly take care of one another and take care of our world that we share in all ways (the people, environment, water, spirit, education, rights, equality......)