does christianity dictate that you must be self loathing?

Question

you are told from childhood that you are a sinner and need to be forgiven. you are told you're not worthy of god's love. you are told you can never measure up to jesus, because he was perfect. you are told that jesus died on the cross for your sins.

what a sad, negative way to bring up a child. it sounds like the bullying you would hear on the playground.

christianity seems to dictate that you must be self loathing. it seems to beat down your self image.

i'm hoping to read christian answers proving me otherwise, thanks

Answer 1

I'm a Christian and I'm anything but self-loathing. I'm quite prideful, to tell you the truth.

I think some Christians look at things the way you put it, mostly the ones who fall into the fundamentalist camp. They see God as spiteful and judge mental, every time they mess up they are made to feel awful about themselves, etc.

The other camp believes that we're all human and we all make mistakes, whatever. We believe however that God is essentially love, he forgives us when we mess up, etc. I don't want to bog this all down with religious lingo but that's my perspective. I was brought up in a more conservative Christian household and I have never loathed myself.

Answer 2

From previous posters:

"Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. "

"It would take a very sensitive child to be offended by the fact that we are sinners and unworthy. I took it in stride. I think we all did. Just to accept it as fact."

"Christianity never teaches self-loathing. You are right in that we are taught we are imperfect, and sinful. I don't know how you twist that into a bad thing."

. . . is it just me, or is there a pattern here? o_O

So . . . it's not self-loathing to consider yourself a sinner because it's TRUE? Oh, *now* I get it.

I don't know whether to cry for these poor people, or try to convince them, or go bang my head against a brick wall for awhile. Which do you think would be less painful?

Here's a closing counter-qoute. Maybe some who stop by will actually realize there's an alternative:

"The world is good. Prosperity is good. Life is good, and we should live it with joy and enthusiasm.

We are free to shape our lives to the extent allowed by our skill, courage, and might. There is no predestination, no fatalism, no limitations imposed by the will of any external deity.

We do not need salvation. All we need is the freedom to face our destiny with courage and honor."

Drighten McNallen, Asatru Folk Assembly

Answer 3

I certainly would not call our faith one that is "self-loathing." As a matter of fact, its one that pushes the value of our lives. After all, Christianity says that:

1. We are made in God's own image.
2. We are of utmost value to the Creator of the universe.
3. God loved us so much that He would give His life for us.

I think those three statements show How much we are lifted up by Christ. Its true that we our faith says that all men and women are sinners and are in need of forgiveness; however, through Christ we are able to realize our full potential (partly in life, fully in Heaven). He restores our lives and gives us the ultimate gift of eternal life.

Here's another point: what you call a 'beating down of our own self image' is not so if its true. If it is true that our God exists, then it is true that we fall short of His glory. Then that would not be self-debasement, it would be fact. Once again, despite this condition, we are lifted up by God.

A genuine Christian who has given his life up to the LORD will not come across as self loathing. As a matter of fact, you're likely to see someone who is confident and joyful. Why? Because they've been reborn as a "new creation," one free from the sinful clutches of the world.

But one thing all of this takes is humbleness (all too often confused with self-loathing). Humbleness means that we are able to see outside of ourselves - to see that we are not the end-all be-all. It takes humbleness to know God; it takes humbleness to accept that maybe, just maybe, we are sinners and that we fall short of a holy, perfect and righteous God.

When we realize how holy God is, it is at those times that we feel the worst about our sin. It is in those times that we are humbled before a perfect God. Its a natural response.

But God always lifts us up, because of His grace.

Answer 4

I am not the only one in the world who grew up Christian. It didn't negatively affect me at all. I wouldn't want to be lied to. It's the truth. It would take a very sensitive child to be offended by the fact that we are sinners and unworthy. I took it in stride. I think we all did. Just to accept it as fact. We were more along the lines of, "wow, that's interesting. I can't believe He did that for us". I have a good self-image. I know that it is up to me to choose right instead of wrong. That power is in my hands. We aren't doomed to a life of sin and then Hell. We have the choice. God gives us that choice. God Bless.

Answer 5

God loves all of us while we were sinners. Nobody can or needs to earn God's love. God loves because He is love and His love is not based on our merits. When we know Jesus we can by faith live as He lives not having to rely on our own efforts to be righteous or holy. As Jesus is so are we in this world if we just believe. God freely gives us all things we do not have to earn them. A Christain is not called to debase himself but to consider himself crucified in Christ and is significant, secure and worthy in Christ.

Answer 6

Who says we're not worthy of God's love?

Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

We're also made in the image of God. We're God's children and he loves us. Why would we loath what God loves?

Answer 7

Yes, in a way.
You are taught that an "All-Knowing" god has instilled into you some form of "sin" because He put us (and a tree) into a garden knowing full well that something bad was going to happen to his babies and didn't do something to prevent it, like....oh......... MOVE THE TREE!
So, according to popular belief, we are supposed to take the responsibility of Him not doing something about the wrong He knew was going to happen by calling ourselves "sinners" and loathing/hating that part of us.
(Boy, what a bunch of brown-nosers)

Answer 8

I went to a Catholic school, and I felt enough loathing from the nuns that I saw self loathing as unnecessary

so i guess in that respect, they performed a great service

Answer 9

In my opinion the way religion imposes the 'sinner complex' is a form of psychologicl abuse.

Who would tell a child that they're no good?

It's no different. Sad actually that people buy into it.

Answer 10

Christianity never teaches self-loathing. You are right in that we are taught we are imperfect, and sinful. I don't know how you twist that into a bad thing. Clearly people are sinful and imperfect, so are you suggesting we lie to our children and tell them they are perfect? Things like that have led to the PC movement getting out of hand. No one wants to tell someone they "can't" do something, so we lie to them. How in any way, is that better? Christianity requires us to be aware, not to hate ourselves but to strive to please God. I don't hate myself, I know I am saved and I know when I sin, I am able to sometimes even prevent it. Again, that is negative how?