why do some approaches to Christianity make it seem like it's a ploy to make you act perfect all the time and that even if you do one thing wrong you'll go to hell if you don't ask for forgiveness? because that's the feeling i get sometimes. and plus, this seems very repellent.
2007-05-28 08:34:43 · 16 answers · asked by My sweet & labyrinthine. 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Christianity is a business. They manipulate you in any way they can to make you step in line and fork over your hard earned cash.
2007-05-28 08:39:11 · answer #1 · answered by cityofoak 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Christianity is not a ploy to make you act perfect all of the time. As humans, we are all sinners. Sin entered the world with the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve ate fruit from the only tree in the Garden that God forbid them to eat from (see Genesis). Man is created with free will and the right to choose between right and wrong. Becoming a Christian is acknowledging that you are a sinner and accepting that Jesus came to Earth as a perfect being (Hypostatic Union - both God and Man), died on the cross for our sins (and the sins of the world) so that we can be forgiven. All we have to do is to believe in that. That does not mean that we are immediately perfect from that point on. Every Christian alive struggles with sin on a daily basis and if a Christian tells you otherwise, they are sinning by lying to you. The part of "acting perfect" is the hypocritical part of the church. As a Christian, you should strive to do better in your life and make Christ the center in all you do, this is where the change comes into place, but it is a gradual change that happens over time, not immediately. I hope this helps a little.
God Bless.
2007-05-28 21:29:13 · answer #2 · answered by witchadidja 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You said some approaches. Why not go along with the approaches to Christianity the do not seem like a ploy then?
2007-05-28 15:39:10 · answer #3 · answered by ignoramus_the_great 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I know what you mean. I used to think that way too.
the interesting thing that I discovered is that God has tried to communicate with all of humanity via writing (ie the bible) worse yet he had other PEOPLE write it FOR him. let me give you a little scenario.. you tell someone something important... they in turn tell someone else, then it gets passed along to half a dozen other people... by the time it gets back to you, it's all messed up right? well I believe that something smilier has happened with God's word. people have over emphasized the importance of being perfect, when all God REALLY wants is a relationship with you, and for you to be able to get along with other people. check out the first and second commandments... Jesus has made a point to emphasize these two above all others. the rest of the bible is just the "icing on the cake" so to speak
2007-05-28 15:44:29 · answer #4 · answered by Andy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most religions were the gathering of those with similar beliefs, organized, codified, and then moral codes developed from those beliefs. Those moral codes were the necessary development of such organized religion to keep civilization alive. Without them, we likely would not be where we are today.
It's easy to say we would have come up with laws and such without religion, but take a moment and imagine...
...if you could remove all moral compulsion from every person in the world, would YOU trust them to behave based on reason? Are we that evolved, yet? You would trust your neighbor to act in as enlightened a way as you would?
Religion is the brakes on society falling apart. We may have better ways, but until we can raise the educational level and intelligence level of our society sufficiently, I'm grateful for the moral codes of religion, even if I don't need it myself.
2007-05-28 15:44:24 · answer #5 · answered by mckenziecalhoun 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm sorry that ppl have not presented Christianity accurately, if you call it a ploy. Christianity isn't meant to be a ploy, it's the truth. The truth is, God exists, and He is just. As His creation, He has set rules for us to follow for our own protection, and if we break them, then we're punished for it by eternal separation from Him in hell. However, He doesn't want that to happen, so He sent Jesus to die for us, so that anyone who follows Him will be forgiven of their sins and go to heaven.
2007-05-28 15:40:43 · answer #6 · answered by STEPHEN J 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I don't know. All I know is, when I started going to church, it was explained to me that when you accept God into your life and ask for forgiveness, you are forgiven for past and future sins. Now, how much you sin afterwards can sometimes tell whether you actually are a Christian, or how long you have been one sometimes.
2007-05-28 15:43:01 · answer #7 · answered by Curtis B 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sweety...a few fanatic Christians believe themselves to be perfect and above reproach, able to speak for God. They grow out of it usually.
I am a sinner, a Christian and someone who knows they will never be perfect, but God loves me anyway. I am not going to hell because I make a mistake because Jesus died for my mistakes and set me free to be in a state of grace.
The Ol' Hippie Jesus Freak
Grace, Peace and Love in Christ
Peg
2007-05-28 15:41:24 · answer #8 · answered by Dust in the Wind 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I feel the same which is why I started practicing wiccan. Just follow your heart and ignore the ignorant. I just wish them well on their journey through life. They won't see the truth or hear the truth until after they die.
2007-05-28 15:38:32 · answer #9 · answered by Water Witch 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Those who approach Christianty that way don't understand the entire concept yet. They have grasped one point while overlooking or understating the love of God and His desire to help us avoid errors as well as forgive us when we do make mistakes. God knows we will make mistakes He just asks that we get closer to Him so we do them less often as we grow.
2007-05-28 15:41:00 · answer #10 · answered by kaehya2003 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋