Am I a 'traitor' to the world of nonbelievers?

Question

When I was a tow-headed boy in a Deep South cotton-mill village, oh so very long ago in a Jim Crow city, I could not and I did not buy into the prevailing state-sanctioned hate. Believe me, my open feelings did not make me a popular lad, and on the day I turned 17, in 1953, I got the hell outta there. But to the point: I am a lifelong nonbeliever in gods and all that, yes, but the teachings of Jesus, though borrowed from long-ago religions, are of deep interest to me. I'm thinking, Jesus, yes, but the genocidal god of a murdering tribe of Bronze Age desert nomads, no. Am I, then, a traitor to by brother and sister nonbelievers everywhere?

I neglected to say that one of the gentler things said about me back then was that I was a "trailor to my race." But history was on my side then...and, dare I say it, in regard to my atheism, now.

Answer 1

just because some of your beliefs may coincide with christianity, doesn't mean you are christian.

Answer 2

You are only a traitor if you do not think.

Who are you betraying anyway? There is no 'church' doctrine to rebel against. Just a loose collection of people who have generally come to the same conclusion independently.

If after careful thought you decide that Jesus is reported to have said some great things then more power to you. I would agree with you.

If after careful thought you decide that the world was created 6000 years ago and that the biblical flood story is true, then that just makes you either privy to some information the rest of the world doe not have, or ignorant. I still do not see that as being a betrayal, except maybe to yourself.

Answer 3

In a world of stiff dogmas one belief-system does not tolerate another belief-system, consequently you are a genuine "traitor" to the world of nonbelievers.

Anyway, nonbelievers may not necessarily be blunt blank minds, and they may glowingly examine whatever life-texts that they get in their hands. So you may have to find a way to by-pass their intolerance and so also reflect a bit longer about the wisdom, or the possibility, or the advantage, of "tolerating the intolerant".


Going thru the Gospels with all their admonitions is not so good for my mental digestion and for the glow of my soul, but I found (find) some occasional pleasure and corroboration in the poem-lines of the Bhagavad Gita, and even more in the iterations of The Epic of Gilgamesh and his friend Enkidu. But I also feel that I am doomed to go further, much further, and I don't even know where. I just hope that I may do it glowingly.

The blunt admonishing power-seeking leaders (and their acolytes) of stiff religious or mundane belief-systems, or nonbelief-systems, will always deem you a traitor and will wish that they could burn you to death and doom you unto something like the scorching fire of ever burning Hell under the sharp fork of ever grinning Satan, as they in the Christian world of past ages eagerly did with heretics and their books, and witches, and rebellious souls, and bright philosophers, and sincere scientists, etcetera.

Jesus was pretty intolerant sometimes, and unable to get a family, wife and children of His own. In this way He cleanly disobeyed the Holy Law of God which says that we, God's predilect semitic people, shall copulate, multiply and so overpopulate the God-promised land and so all the Earth.

Jesus is reported to haughtily have declared "those who are not with me are against me". Jesus is also reported to spitefully have shaken the dust off His sandals and gone his way at a village where the sceptical inhabitants did NOT want to hear of His holy message. He did indeed iteratively verbally threaten sinners, scandalmongers, unrepenting souls etc. with the fire of the Jehennah, or burning in Hell if you please. He is also reported to bluntly have cursed to death the innocent fig-tree for not bearing any fruit when He walked by and was hungry. Jesus violently expelled those men who were selling souvenirs at the holy temple door; He did indeed not acknowledge that those poor family fathers were trying to earn some money to bring home to family.

Etcetera.

Your "brother and sister nonbelievers everywhere" may not necessarily have to see or deem you as their traitor if they really love you and do not wish to keep you as their hostage or robot.

Good luck unto you!

Answer 4

The bronze age desert nomads are computer literate homeowners now. Our previously genocidal god has grown up as well.

Religions change and, in that growing, every now and then there is something worth learning. Looking for that doesn't make you a traitor. Or a believer.

Answer 5

No, you are not a "traitor." Even if Christ's divinity cannot be conclusively proved, even if Christ's physical existence cannot be verified, the Biblical Christ was still a profound voice for change within human culture. Whether He was real or fictional, His wisdom regarding human nature was profound. I think it's perfectly reasonable to cherry-pick the obvious wisdom while ignoring the blatant superstition. Being an atheist, you're free of the religious requirement for total unquestioning blind faith.

I'm left wondering whether you reject all gods, yet accept Christ's promise of eternal life in Heaven, with God -- or have you accepted reincarnation -- or do you prefer that this is our one and only life. The choice, of course, is yours alone to make.

Peace and Love.............

Answer 6

Surely 'traitor' is an entirely inappropriate term here? In what sense have you 'betrayed' anyone or anything? What were you trusted to do or be, that you promised to do or be, and later went back on your word.

It's as though you were suggesting that being pink meant you were a traitor to brown people.You're simply a consistent, committed atheist, from what you say. You've not betrayed anything.

Believing in the accepted teachings of Jesus is quite widespread among humanists - though it should be noted that those who do this tend to cherry-pick from all he's supposed to have taught. The key message of 'be nice to others' is hardly original to JC, after all.

CD

Answer 7

No way.

The beauty of being a non-believer is it's just that non-belief, not belief.

There are many brilliant philosphers and philosophies to which one can subscribe. I believe in many of the teachings attributed to Jesus, but I don't believe in them just because Jesus said them. Anyone could have said them and they would remain true. Look at Ralph Waldo Emerson, a Unitarian - he denied the divinity of Christ, but still followed his teachings. Look at Thomas Jefferson and the Jefferson Bible. Jefferson, a diest, tried to write a book on the philosophies of Jesus Christ but he removed any mention of divinity or the supernatural.

I would say most major religions have beautiful teachings that can be extracted and applied to modern life. Look at the Jains:

"Do not injure, abuse, oppress, enslave, insult, torment, torture, or kill any creature or living being."

You don't have to be a believer in Jainism to realize that is pretty solid creed. I, like Sam Harris, would dare say it trumps the 10 Commandments in its goodness.

Answer 8

I don't think so. Jesus, I believe was an ascended master. He was well versed in many other religons. His teachings did borrow from them. He also was a healer and did magick. I believe that if more christians actually follow his original teachings and not those of the others, their religion wouldn't be so pushy.

Answer 9

You're not a "traitor." Much of the philosophy attributed to the Jesus in the Bible is good and makes good sense. There's nothing wrong with saying, as Gandhi did: "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ. " I suppose that YHWH could be inserted into that quote in place of "Christians" for you...

Answer 10

Of course not. Just because we don't believe Jesus is a god doesn't mean we can't agree with some of the stuff he's said to have said.

Answer 11

Naw... you don't believe in any Gods... Jesus... well he was probably a real person... but I doubt he did everything that the bible and other things say... but who knows he could still be interesting to you... go for it... I myself find Buddha extremely interesting...