Am I the only one that resents the exclusivity of Christianity?

Question

By exclusivity I mean their belief that if you don't believe everything they do, you deserve to be tormented for all eternity in Hell. It is impossible not to resent somebody for holding that sort of belief about you. Don't Christians realize this belief does more harm than good?

Answer 1

Robert

Those are extremist telling you this.

Yes I am a pagan, but I have many Christian friends and they would never tell me or you such cruel mean things. Yes they may pray for you at home and not tell you but they will not bash you or belittle you.

Here on Y!A you will get that because teens and kids feel they can act as adults and hide behind a username and be more brave and say the things they do to get you rattled up.

TRY TO IGNORE THEM, You can always tell a real Christian by an extremist. a Real one will not judge you they will let God judge your and turn the other cheek, that is what their religion preaches. IF they attack you, then they are either frauds hiding behind Christianity or they are zealouts and just very insecure.

I know it is hard to believe due to Y!A but most Christians are moderate in the USA and will not tell you such things, but here they can because they are not either real or they are just kids trying to get at you.

if you live in a democratic nation then you have the right to believe anything you want to and as ive said before i may not always agree with someone but i would fight and die for their right to say it.

that being said, dont blame the Christians for the acts of a few zealots, we Pagans and even the Atheists can be just as cruel and rude back, but again I say its kids and teens or zealots on both sides. the moderates like us are just as plentiful within christians, so try not to hold it against the whole faith and remember its just either kids or extremeist so what does thier opinion matter anyways!!

hope that helps!

Answer 2

You're not alone. But look at the answers to your question, too... seems to be a lot of people that think they have an exclusive lock on the truth.

Orthodox Christianity doesn't quite state things as you express it, but there's a lot of mud-flinging among some of our brothers and sisters, and I'm sorry about that. We believe that faith in Jesus as the self-sacrificing priest is the one path to spiritual completion and salvation (salvation is a Christian concept that is a bit bizarre I admit.)

We don't really care about the effects of our beliefs upon others since for us, we've found an absolute truth. That belief doesn't give us license to patronize or terrorize anyone, and those who do should be held accountable by their co-coreligionists.

Thinking that one faith has the sole path to heaven or perfection or whatever is a pretty standard theme in all faiths. The variation is on the creeds of the faith and the results upon those failing of faith.

Grace and Peace and some due apologies.

Answer 3

How does this belief cause harm to you?

I'm a Christian and I don't believe anybody goes to hell. Does that make you resent Christianity a little less? And I was NEVER taught that people who didn't subcribe to my faith, or no faith at all, deserved to burn in hell

You find it hard not to resent Christians as a group, under the false assumption that we all think alike on every issue.

It's also hard not to resent people who imply that all Christians all think the same way.
Stereotyping usually does more harm than good.

Answer 4

My definition and your definition of exclusivity are two different things. Exclusivity means that not just any body can join. that is is exclusive for just a few.
Christianity is for ALL who open their hearts and minds to Gods word and excepts Jesus as their personal savior. It is your choice if you decide against it. But that doesn't mean that you don't have the choice. What does it matter to you if we think that some one who has not excepted Jesus as their savior won't go to Heaven. You don't believe there is a Heaven or a hell, so why worry about what we think. Some atheist think that if we don't believe that it is crazy to believe in God then we are stupid. But I don't hold that against you.I am sorry that you resent Gods word, because it is Gods word you are resenting, not the people who believe it. My belief doesn't do any harm. How can it harm you if you don't believe it. Just ignore us when we say you must be saved to inter into Heaven Or is that the problem, deep down you are beginning to question your belief and you are not wanting to, so you attack us?

Answer 5

If you don't believe in a hell than I am really wondering why you are bothered by all the exclusivity from the Christians. What should it bother you that they think you are going to hell.

Unless of course you believe them. In that case I can see why you would be bothered by their exclusivity, you don't want to go to hell. You actually want a peace in knowing that you are going to Heaven.

By the way my beliefs (yes I am a Christian) do you no harm, except maybe convict you. And they certainly don't harm myself.

Answer 6

Not all Christians hold such exclusive beliefs. The problem is that a lot of us don't understand that when Jesus said that those who believe in Him will have eternal life, it was because He was the only One preaching the immeasurable value of 'agape' (brotherly and sisterly love). At one end of the spectrum, there are the conservative evangelicals who believe in the ultimate authority of the Bible, and at the other end there are the ecumenicists who don't try to impose their beliefs on non-Christians but, instead, get on with the business of practicing love and charity, unconditionally and non-exclusively.

Answer 7

First off not all Christians believe that you have to believe everything they do or you deserve to be tormented forever.
I do not resent anyone for their beliefs, except when they twist God's word into a license to kill anyone who doesn't believe as they do. The Jews are the chosen of God, says so in the Bible. I may not agree with other people's views of their religious beliefs. But they are free to believe as they wish as long as they don't seek to destroy anyone because of theirs. I have a problem with that.

Answer 8

I don't think they do. Other wise they would not toss that at everyone who offers a different view on the world and creation. If they were true Christians then they would try to persuade others to practice Christianity by showing the good and loving sides of the religion....rather than saying I'm right, you're wrong and you're going to burn in hell for it.No wonder so many people choose to take the other path.

Answer 9

you got it all wrong, there is no such thing stood anywhery in he holy bible; just read it and you will find out; on judgement day, everybody will be assessed by their deeds, not by their religion; these are the words spoken by Christus Jesus, our Lord- and whoever has ears, hearest those words
by the way, Christianity is a concept, a way of living with tolerance and forgiveness, most of the details in the scrips are metaphoric i.e. can only be understood in their historical context more than 2000 years ago, when people were crucified left, right an centre for banalities and petty crime,
as they were still sent in 1830ies to australia by the crown, not because they commited murder, but bcause they were sopoor, that the stole a loaf of bread ore stole a paitrof shoes,- the murderers were hung and disembowelled at High Gate in London! and by the way, the pope is not the sole representative of our God on this earth, he has appointed himself and interestingly, he decends from Petrus, who has, as you should know, betrayed our Lord thrice, according to the scripts. perhaps you should read the works of franz of assiesie,rather than the productions on Jehova's wittnesses.
just think a bit independently, before moving into fundamentalistic nonsense, there are many Christian people around, who repect other religions and their fellow citicens, but it must come from both sides, throwing bombs and thinking, this would open the gates to paradise with 17 virgins, this is just not a tolerable option.
"everyone will have their reward"- for theit deeds,not regarding their religion!!

Answer 10

it would be exclusive, if everyone was not invited into the joy of knowing Jesus, and His salvation. If we said, "you are not aloud to participate in our religion, or you cannot get into heaven at all no matter what you do," then yes it would be exclusive. If you do not believe as we do, then according to your belief you will not be in hell, so why should it bother you so much. I just share my faith, because I want others to be apart of the body of Christ- I am not telling people they cannot be- that is when something is exclusive.