FOR CLASS PROJECT: Short questionnaire, please take?

Question

1. Do you believe in God?
2. Do you believe in the divinity of Jesus?
3. Are you a Christian?
4. Why or why not?
5. What (if anything) turns you off about Christianity or the Christian church (be specific)?
6. Do all roads lead to heaven (Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, etc.)?
7. Last, but not least, what is your idea of hell? Does it exist? If it does, expound on that. If it doesn't, what does God do with those who have caused so much pain to others?

I know these are hot-button questions, but they would really help me a lot for my anthropology course! Thanks so much!

-tj

Answer 1

1. I believe in the divine, but I am undecided as to the nature of it-whether it's God or a god, a number of gods, a state of being, or just an illuminating spark in everything around us.

2. I believe that Jesus was an exemplary man, an honorable teacher and that he brought rules for living and treatment of your fellow men that everyone, Christian or otherwise, would do well to follow. Divinity I'm not sure about. (Due to #1)

3. I don't identify myself as a Christian, although I was baptized into the Methodist church as a child. I share many beliefs with Christians, and that is, thus far, the closest fit.

4. I'm not convinced that Christianity has all the answers I want. I have this annoying tendency to get hung up on the fallible nature of institutions and the people running them, rather than focus on the ideas behind them.

5. I don't like the apparent hypocrisy of many Christians. To mis-quote Gandhi (he said something like this, but I'm not sure of the exact quote) "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians, they are so unlike your Christ." I am turned off by the apparent tendency to cherry-pick Scripture to justify beliefs that may or may not be supported by the actual intent of the authors, and I am turned off by the literalist Christians that believe that there could be no room for human error in the transcription or translation of the Bible.

6. I believe that all roads are equally valid, in the sense that they help their followers attain spiritual validation, a greater purpose in life, moral guidelines to live by, a sense of community, etc. I am not yet convinced of a reward or punishment after death, but if there is one, I would think that all those who follow their chosen path wholeheartedly, morally and faithfully would attain the reward, regardless of which path they take.

7. Again, not sure there is one. I do believe in the idea of karma, although I haven't defined for myself if it just takes place within one lifetime, or if it extends beyond death to an afterlife or subsequent lives. I have to hold on to the idea that those who cause pain receive some sort of punishment for what they have done, and the good receive some sort of reward, but I am not sure what form that takes.

Sorry my answers don't fit neatly into a yes/no box, but I tried to answer honestly.

Answer 2

1. Do you believe in God? Yes

2. Do you believe in the divinity of Jesus? No

3. Are you a Christian? No

4. Why or why not? The whole concept of three Gods, the idea of only certain people being 'saved', the idea of 'sin', lots of reasons.

5. What (if anything) turns you off about Christianity or the Christian church (be specific)? It's a rather hateful religion.

6. Do all roads lead to heaven (Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, etc.)? Sure

7. Last, but not least, what is your idea of hell? Does it exist? If it does, expound on that. If it doesn't, what does God do with those who have caused so much pain to others? Hell does not exist. If God exists, hell can not. No God could create such a place or allow anyone to be tormented eternally. That is NOT something a real God would do.

Answer 3

1. Do you believe in God? - YES
2. Do you believe in the divinity of Jesus? - YES
3. Are you a Christian? - YES
4. Why or why not? - Because Christ made the only way for us to be reconciled with our Holy God.
5. What (if anything) turns you off about Christianity or the Christian church (be specific)? - Pride, lack of love, "I can't wait to get out of here" mentality (instead of trying to share the gospel more and making the world a better place), clique-ishness, being brainwashed by the world and minimizing the power and objectives of God
6. Do all roads lead to heaven (Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, etc.)? - No
7. Last, but not least, what is your idea of hell? Does it exist? If it does, expound on that. If it doesn't, what does God do with those who have caused so much pain to others? - I believe it exists and is a place more horrible than we can imagine. It wasn't meant for people, but unfortunately many will end up there.

Answer 4

1. Do you believe in God? YES
2. Do you believe in the divinity of Jesus? YES
3. Are you a Christian? YES
4. Why or why not? He's the Savior and Son of God
5. What (if anything) turns you off about Christianity or the Christian church (be specific)? Apostasy, they changed a lot of Christ's True Gospel
6. Do all roads lead to heaven (Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, etc.)? No, just the TRUE Christian (LDS) Church
7. Last, but not least, what is your idea of hell? Does it exist? If it does, expound on that. If it doesn't, what does God do with those who have caused so much pain to others? Yes, but only temporary punishment before being assigned to the lesser degree of glory in Telestial or Terrestrial Kingdoms. You can't go from Hell to the Celestial Kingdom.

Answer 5

1. Do you believe in God? NO

2. Do you believe in the divinity of Jesus? NO

3. Are you a Christian? NO

4. Why or why not? Many of its fundamental teachings strike me as innately harmful and damaging; its followers tend to be close-minded and bigoted; and its theology is flawed.

5. What (if anything) turns you off about Christianity or the Christian church (be specific)? Its core teachings, ranging from obedience to God to original sin to universal love, I believe are both psychologically and emotionally harmful -- and something that should never be taught to a young child as being an absolute truth.

6. Do all roads lead to heaven (Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, etc.)? All roads lead to the same place yes: everything dies.

7. Last, but not least, what is your idea of hell? Does it exist? If it does, expound on that. If it doesn't, what does God do with those who have caused so much pain to others? I don't believe hell exists. But my idea of hell would be a Christian's idea of heaven.

Answer 6

1) Yes
2) Yes
3) Yes
4) I'm Not Brain Dead & am able to read, finding no flaw in Scripture!!!
5) Christianity needs NO Help from Sinful Man & yet Sinful Man has set up "Religions" which cause Strife & Fighting in trying to "Capitalize" & "Cash In" on the "Warm Fuzzy Feeling or Rosy Glow" of the Emotional Experience of the Christian individual.
6) NO!!! Christ & Christ ALONE is the way to Heaven!!!
7) Hell is Real and is a place of Constant Torment, Pain & Suffering whose fires are NOT All Consuming for Eternity. Causing "Pain" to Others, is not the Issue! Faith in Christ alone is the determining factor in where a persons Eternal "Resting Place" will be. John

Answer 7

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. I used to be an atheist for 20 years, but then I had a kind of personal epiphany about 6 years ago that convinced me that God was real. Since that time, He has worked in me to turn me around 180 degrees from what I used to be like. The old me is dead; a completely new person has taken her place.
5. I believe most Christian churches today are apostate. That means they have lost their "first love". They no longer preach the Gospel and they compromise with the World. They are steeped in error.
6. No.
7.Hell does not currently exist, according to Scripture, but will at the end of the Millennium, 1000 years after Christ's Return. At that time, the wicked dead of all ages will be resurrected to damnation, and fire will fall from Heaven and consume them instantly. They will not be tortured forever; they will cease to exist. To believe that sinners burn forever in Hell is a damnable doctrine that teaches that sin is stronger than God! Such a teaching has done more to drive people away from Christianity than anything else.

Answer 8

1. Yes

2. Yes

3. Yes

4. I was raised as a Christian

5. What turns me off about Christianity is the fact that supposedly everybody who has repented goes to heaven despite the atrocities they comitted.

6. Yes

7. I do believe Hell exists and that it will be like Dante's Inferno with demons and circles of hell that will be fit for each sin.

Answer 9

1. Yes, I do.
2. Yes, I do.
3. Yes, I am.
4. Because I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and God, himself.
5. To which Christian church are you referring? As a Catholic, I have a hard time with priests not getting the choice of marriage and with women not being able to be priests, among other things. With the Evangelicals, I have a hard time with their sense of superiority and with their belief that Catholics aren't even Christians.
6. I don't know. Maybe
7. I believe that hell is the lack of the presence of God for eternity, so, yes, I believe it exists but not in the traditional sense.

Answer 10

1. Define "God." I'm not a Jew, Christian, or Muslim.

2. No. I do not even beleive in the historical Jesus.

3.No.

4. Because the belief system is stupid, full of holes, and hateful.

5. Based off an alleged human sacrifice, hatred of difference, nonsensicality [God can not possibly be all he says he is], etc.

6. Heaven is a Christian thing. I'd say no. Different people want different things in an afterlife, such as snuffing, or such.

7. Hell does not exist. God doesn't do anything.