Revealing the Christian mindset?

Question

As an atheist, I have no love for religion. As a former Christian, I have had a keen insight into the Christian mindset. I don't understand at all how Christians can fail to see the harshness of their religion.

In truth, most Christians are eagerly looking forward to the day when Jesus will return and consign every person who didn't agree wholeheartedly with their beliefs to everlasting torment. The Christian looks forward to that most Chrisitian of rewards: revenge.

Christians are morally weak people.
They have no volition to goodness, but have to be bribed with the promise of Heaven, and threatened with the torments of Hell, before they will consider decency.

I am not exaggerating here; as I've said, I know the Christian mindset, having been raised with it and lived it for years. It is the biggest disappointment to me that my girlfriend is currently involved in Christianity. I'm hoping it is a phase that will pass.

Christians, can you not see the hypocrisy?
~Jack

Now "Spike", all eyes can see that my posting is far too well written to qualify as a 'rant'.

Answer 1

So true.
I have the same background and totally agree with you!!
Please add to your list - have nothing to do with their lives other than to permanently torture others who disagree with them. and blindly ignore the truth.

Answer 2

No JB I cannot. While I do not doubt your experience is true it is not the same world round. You are right that Christianity and even Judaism are harsh religions. There are right ways and wrong ways. You cannot believe and practice the wrongs ways.

Every Christian I know eagerly awaits the return, but not for the reason you claim. The race is over and we have completed it. Also, where you say revenge I say justification or vindication. I do not delight in the suffering that awaits those that fail to see the truth. My goal in life is to fulfill my mission to help others see that truth.

People are morally weak. Christians, I believe, have an upper hand on morality, but are still people and therefore flawed and make mistakes. You say we are bribed and threatened, fine. What about Jail, Death penalty, wealth, friendships. Non Christians suffer from the stick and carrot for their decency as well. No one has pure motives.

I am disappointed in your girlfriend for being unequally yoked. Why don't you be a good moral lad and break it off with her? What do you see in her? She is a morally weak person that eagerly looks forward to the day when you go to hell and seeks her revenge against you. Also she is not decent or good. Perhaps you are heavenly and threatening?

Answer 3

As a devout agnostic I tend to agree with many of your points, Jack. Throughout its history, Christianity as with may other religions uses fear and reward tactics to recruit and reinforce. The proverbial carrot dangled before us...

This problem however is clearly an example of the corruption of society. It is not exclusive to religion as a whole and certainly Christianity has no monopoly on such politics. Many, dare I say, all other significant religions or mythologies are riddled with similar forms of corruption.

To suggest Christians as an entirety, are morally weak people is an ignorant statement. As a person who's lived and experienced Christianity and grown out of it, you certainly should know better than to make such sweeping generalizations. It sounds like your feeling somehow betrayed by your former belief system. You should feel fortunate to have experienced it and to have found a better way.

Sorry your girlfriend has strayed... She'll need positive encouragement from you to get through these dark times. If you merely give her a hard time about her spiritual beliefs she'll be less likely to want to follow your belief system. Everyone has the right to believe or not believe whatever they want. Just as you do.

Answer 4

Ok, you've not met many christians you could respect, fine, and I'll admit many christians are as you say, however you are sterotyping a fair bit.
"Christians are morally weak people.
They have no volition to goodness, but have to be bribed with the promise of Heaven, and threatened with the torments of Hell, before they will consider decency."
Thanx :-P, but I don't agree, I'm here to contribute to the greater good, to have tolerance and love for all things, and to accept what life has to offer, and I believe in Karma and re-incarnation, so I know if I do wrong it's coming back to bite me in the butt sooner or later, and not in some fire-and-brimstone-Hell either. I think you might do well to specify that you know the Religious Christian mind-set, rather than lumping all christians in one group, which is a pretty harsh judgement - Esoteric Christian Mystic

Answer 5

I'm sorry if the Christian faith failed you somehow, but you truly do not know what your're talking about. Perhaps you've been involved with apostasy in the name of Christ.
Christians are looking forward to Christ's return. That's about all you got right. It's because in that day we will have no more pain, failures, sins, contentions, etc. The things of this world will be over for us. With that feeling and desire is also a bitter one.....the ones we leave behind. It's a feeling of failure to win them, a feeling of doom that they will have to go through now. Not that they can't still be saved, but it will be a horrible time to live on earth. Why would anyone, Christian or not, rejoice that that would happen to their friends or loved ones? Revenge? That's very warped...does it come from hurts within your own experience?
I don't have any idea why you have come to such harsh conclusions about Christianity, but please don't blame a valid faith for what someone in your life did to you in the name of Christianity. There are many who call themselves Christian, but in the end the Father will say "I never knew you".
I will pray for you and your girlfriend that you discover the truth and that God will favor you with a manifestation of His great love for you.

Answer 6

First, you either are a Christian or you never were. Nothing personal, just an observation.

Second, if you really were a Christian, you'd understand the "mindset" a bit more realistically. Maybe you looked forward to Christ's return with the idea of getting revenge on those who didn't believe, but real Christians look forward to spending eternity with Him knowing that everyone had the same oportunity. Real Christians mourn for every person that doesn't choose God.

Possibly you had to be scared into behaving. Maybe your rebellious nature just refused to submit thoroughly to your parents' biblical discipline and nurturing. Real Christians follow God's Word because we want to show our gratitude for our salvation and because we love Him. Real Christians raise their children in a manner that prepares them to be submissive to God's plan for their lives.

If you really love your girlfriend, let her find a true Christian that will exhort her & uphold her so she can become the woman God wants her to be. Don't poison her search just because you lost faith.

Answer 7

Wow....if that was the mindset you experienced as a Christian, I see why you have rejected your previously wicked ways ! However, the mindset you describe bears no resemblance to my Christian beliefs or those of most of the Christians I know. I don't know a single Christian who is "eagerly looking forward to" anyone's torment. I'm not saying they don't exist. But that kind of interpretation of Christianity is, thankfully, the exception....not the rule.

Thus, you should probably correct your statement to say "I have keen insight into one abberant manifestation of the Christian mindset" I would never generalize about atheists the way you have generalized here about Christians.

Answer 8

Christianity is not the problem here, religion is. To be a Christian means to be Christ like - and Christ does not and did not advocate such behavior among his followers. True followers of Christ desire for the world to be saved not destroyed by vengeance. On the other hand, people who are religious, tend to stress keeping and enforcing rules and regulations that they themselves are not living by. It is obvious that these are only people who call themselves Christians. Their actions seemed to have caused you pain that I also pray that God will heal. Overcome evil with good. Trust in the Lord and do good.

Answer 9

Thank you for your opinion and for what YOU have experienced.
Not all Christians are alike, please don't generalize.
I do not seek revenge, I have absolutely NO desire to see anyone go to hell.
I am not BRIBED to do good, I am a good person who has faith in God. I do not do this for a reward, sure I would like to spend eternity in Heaven with God, but that is because I love God and wish to be with Him.

I think people have a right to their own lives, thoughts etc. I try not to generalize and glop people into one big box. I am open-minded and a generous and thankful person.

so before assuming you know how ALL Christians are please take a moment and get to know some, whom you haven't been exposed to before apparently.
I am surprised that in the years you were a Christian, that you never met a single person you couldn't fit into that box eh?

Answer 10

You sound like a very angry person who has a great deal of resentment towards Christians.

God is not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance. No Christian looks forward to the day when anyone would be lost. If we did, we would never tell anyone about the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

I also pray that God strengthen your girlfriend in her faith.

Answer 11

I can understand what you are saying about bribery. It doesn't make any sense to those who have felt God's power, but you can believe what you want. As a former Christian, as you say, you never met God. And this is evidenced by your lack of desire to come to Him. Fine, you go your own way and be satisfied that the call of God is so self-centered. It suits you.