Ah, long time no see. It's been... what? 2, 3 months since I've posted anything? Well, life's slowing down, so it's time to rectify that.
Christianity is... an interesting religion. On one hand, it's theology is riddled with holes and contradictions, and yet it still manages to persist to this day. Why is this? Well, let's explore why.
Christianity has a very unique mind-set. Every faith believes that it's the correct one and will argue that theirs is the best till the cows come home, so it's not unique in that fact. What makes it unique is that Christians will attempt to convert non-believers. ISKON non-withstanding, they're the only ones who will actively seek out new members.
Even so, if it's such a flawed faith, why do people convert and/or stay? Well, that's the second-half of the mindset. Christianity is very much grounded in emotion. Yes, they have a theology, but for the most part everything is subjective. Missionaries often make converts during times of stress or high emotion, which is typically when rational/deeper thoughts are absent.
Once the individual accepts the faith, it's a self-enforcing loop. If they question God, then they're met with stiff resistance. They're told that God is not to be questioned, and that they need to repent of that sin. Doesn't matter what the person's point or question is, it's just swept away in another flood of emotional witnessing. Assuming the other person doesn't simply cast the believer's questions or concerns away, the individual is simply flooded with a spur-of-the-moment guilt. I've seen it happen happen previously. I've e-mailed a pastor with a list of theological loop-holes and contradictions. Several weeks later, he went through that very same list, almost word for word, and said that they don't matter. His argument was that God was merciful, and that you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. That we were spoiled brats for gaining salvation, yet questioning the All-Mighty God. People's reactions were exactly what he expected them to be: guilt, followed by a greater adherence to Christ, regardless of those contradictions.
Another mark against Christianity is it's holy text, the bible. I'm 100% certain that it contains Truth at some level, but it's deeply buried. It's full of contradictions, unanswered questions, and seemingly arbitrary edicts. Of course, one cannot really hold that against the bible. It's been written across several centuries, by many authors, in many languages, and edited by countless hands. However, even the simple-minded realize that because of this, the bible as-is is largely unfit for it's current usage and purpose. Even so, a re-write, or at least a condensation are not forthcoming.
I suppose I've been fairly critical of the faith, so some positive points are in order. What does the faith do right? Well, the one that jumps to mind is that it's simple. You suck, God's great, only way to not-suck and meet God is to love Jesus. It's short, simple, and understandable to basically everyone. That means everyone, even the simplest, is able to love and worship God to the best of their abilities.
That's all the rambling I'll be doing for tonight. Hopefully, I'll be able to post more reguraly than once every few months!
Naa Varain!
Christianity is... an interesting religion. On one hand, it's theology is riddled with holes and contradictions, and yet it still manages to persist to this day. Why is this? Well, let's explore why.
Christianity has a very unique mind-set. Every faith believes that it's the correct one and will argue that theirs is the best till the cows come home, so it's not unique in that fact. What makes it unique is that Christians will attempt to convert non-believers. ISKON non-withstanding, they're the only ones who will actively seek out new members.
Even so, if it's such a flawed faith, why do people convert and/or stay? Well, that's the second-half of the mindset. Christianity is very much grounded in emotion. Yes, they have a theology, but for the most part everything is subjective. Missionaries often make converts during times of stress or high emotion, which is typically when rational/deeper thoughts are absent.
Once the individual accepts the faith, it's a self-enforcing loop. If they question God, then they're met with stiff resistance. They're told that God is not to be questioned, and that they need to repent of that sin. Doesn't matter what the person's point or question is, it's just swept away in another flood of emotional witnessing. Assuming the other person doesn't simply cast the believer's questions or concerns away, the individual is simply flooded with a spur-of-the-moment guilt. I've seen it happen happen previously. I've e-mailed a pastor with a list of theological loop-holes and contradictions. Several weeks later, he went through that very same list, almost word for word, and said that they don't matter. His argument was that God was merciful, and that you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. That we were spoiled brats for gaining salvation, yet questioning the All-Mighty God. People's reactions were exactly what he expected them to be: guilt, followed by a greater adherence to Christ, regardless of those contradictions.
Another mark against Christianity is it's holy text, the bible. I'm 100% certain that it contains Truth at some level, but it's deeply buried. It's full of contradictions, unanswered questions, and seemingly arbitrary edicts. Of course, one cannot really hold that against the bible. It's been written across several centuries, by many authors, in many languages, and edited by countless hands. However, even the simple-minded realize that because of this, the bible as-is is largely unfit for it's current usage and purpose. Even so, a re-write, or at least a condensation are not forthcoming.
I suppose I've been fairly critical of the faith, so some positive points are in order. What does the faith do right? Well, the one that jumps to mind is that it's simple. You suck, God's great, only way to not-suck and meet God is to love Jesus. It's short, simple, and understandable to basically everyone. That means everyone, even the simplest, is able to love and worship God to the best of their abilities.
That's all the rambling I'll be doing for tonight. Hopefully, I'll be able to post more reguraly than once every few months!
Naa Varain!
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