Why are People Christians?

Dominick,
While I’m not here to represent Christianity, I do think that you should know that your posts show very little tact in genuinely trying to understand and address Christian belief.

Your posts are insulting, rather than truth seeking. While I think it is rational to think that there are absurdities in the Christian religion, your characterization is what they refer to as a strawman.

To make your case to the unconverted (I mean those who are Christians) you need to do a better job at treating your opponents with respect.

As for trying to understand why people believe in Christianity, here are some possibilities that you haven’t addressed:

1. There are qualitative differences between the proposed God and your The Big Purple Barney Monster

2. Christianity (not necessarily it’s modern American instantiation) is founded on the principles of love and service, and treating people as intrinsically worthwhile (as opposed to being valuable as a matter of function). Many people find these aspects of Christianity attractive.

3. In a world that judges people based on their looks and abilities, Christianity tells people that they are loved by the being that created the Universe. That’s a poweful thought. Some people are attracted to it.

4. Christianity tells people that this life is not futile. That despite hardships and decay, Christians believe that they will live forever. Some people find this attractive.

5. Christianity tells people that they need not feel guilty about their mistakes. That they are loved and forgiven by the being that made them. That’s a powerful though (if true), and many people find it attractive.

6. Christianity gives people a clear purpose: to dedicate their lives to serving God and others. Many people are attracted to systems of belief that give them clear instructions for life.

So there I’ve listed 6 reasons why people find Christianity attractive. I’m not saying that you need to find them attractive, nor that they are compelling reasons for believing the truth of Christianity. But I do believe that, all things considered, there are very powerful and rational reasons for being a Christian…at least much more powerful and rational then you make it out.

Oh, and one fundamental mistake you make: all religions are, at their core, ways of life. They are not meant to be lists of propositions. So has it occurred to you that some people find that Christianity works as a way of life?

Personally, I didn’t see much of a problem with this post and the sarcasm level. While it was a little high, I would have taken more offense if the poster was someone who was not familiar with Christian doctrines/beliefs.

I believe that people are Christians in the most basic sense for two reasons - Ease of Use/Convenience and Fear.

If your parents are Christian and you are born, you become Christian by default. Most don’t bother to change or to seek answers on their own. It’s easier to go with what has always been. However, if something better came along and swept the nation, I am sure many Christians would convert to be in the majority.

As for fear, well, you know what they say about what happens to people that do not believe. The Christian religion has a way of bullying people. You have to do these things and if you don’t you will suffer eternal wrath. Of course, in this instance it is ridiculous, but that is the message.

Ryan - I found your answers interesting why someone would become Christian. Honestly, I assume the answers will change based on religious belief. Non-Christians will come up with answers against the religion and Christians will defend. Your answers painted Christianity in a positive light for the most part, though I do not know that I agree with a lot of the basic, fundamentals that you listed.

1. One could say there are differences or not. Barney, for all intents and purposes, is a solid, physical form that people can see, touch, taste, smell, and hear. God is based on faith and The Bible. Much of the latter is something that has been discredited by Historians, Anthropologists, and Archaeologists.

2. I am assuming you are referring to the Christianity that was early enough to see Jesus alive and preaching. If that was the case I would agree. Otherwise, the hostile takeovers that occurred in an attempt to force people to become Christian in the Ancient World would hardly be considered worthwhile or loving. The only problem now becomes believing that Jesus believed these things. It would have to go on faith. After all, there is not a shred of proof that suggests that Jesus lived in the way it was written.

3. It’s true that some people seem so weak that unconditional acceptance of a deity is more important than the betterment of oneself. It’s hard to take something serious when they tell you that you will be loved unconditionally though the majority of people following that same religion will be the first to judge you based on your looks and abilities. Judging is human nature and people will do it. However, if a person holds those beliefs they should at least attempt to live by them.

4. If a person lives their life based on the idea that they will live forever or that religion makes life worth living, they do not need religion. Instead, they need mental help. Additionally, many of these hardships are created by religions and varying beliefs.

5. While it is a powerful thought it allows people to sin and not learn a lesson in doing it. If you are making a mistake repeatedly and every time you make it, someone is there to forgive you and tell you that said mistake will not effect what happens to you in eternal life then you are free to make that mistake without true remorse or understanding of your actions.

6. Shouldn’t that purpose be living and becoming a better person? The problem is that many religious people (I’m not singling Christians out in this instance) become so extremely religious that the purpose they feel to their God and others becomes skewed. This tends to pull them away from service and create a new category where they serve their Gods for their own purpose.

Ryan,

My intention was not to offend by this post and save for the part about the Mible and The Barney Monster I was not being facetious. I was genuinely questioning the validity of belief in Christian doctrine. If you find me to be overly abrasive I can’t help that. That’s just my style, I guess.

As a “former” (or what I like to call ‘recovering’) Christian, with a lot of experience with different forms of Christianity, I have not found one group that seems to believe Christianity is as you listed it.

I’ll address each point you make and give my thoughts/opinions on them by listing them as you did.

1. Ashtyn makes a valid point that I did not consider. Though I wasn’t meaning “Barney” when I said the Purple Barney Monster (I just meant a whimsical, non-real figure). The actual Barney costumed character can be seen or felt. Perhaps I should have said something like the Loch Ness Monster.

Both God and the Loch Ness Monster share these things in common: People believe in both with no solid proof of their existence, people have claimed to see both at times when others haven’t been around, and there is no solid proof either the Loch Ness Monster or God exists.

That was my point by the Barney Monster part. We have no proof of God’s existence, yet people believe with blind faith nonetheless.

2. I don’t know what you know about the historical aspects of Christianity, but when it was becoming popular, the Christians FORCED the polytheists to convert. Otherwise, they would kill them, rape them, pillage their villages, etc. They called them “pagans” as an offensive way to describe them since pagan was a word that meant pauper or poor farmer…It was the ancient version of the modern day words “hick” or “simpleton” and is one word many followers of the Ancient Hellenic religion dislike for its negative connotations.

Christianity is one of the most violent religions historically. The early years brought on the crusades, which were also fought to force Christian beliefs and doctrine on nations that did not wish to convert to the “new” religion. Even the story of Jesus, the pillar of peace and love for Christianity, has a violent ending, so your belief that Christianity is meant to be a peaceful, loving, accepting religion or was at the beginning is nice in theory but incorrect nonetheless.

3. I don’t know what kind of Christians you know, but the Christian religion has some of the most judgmental beliefs and followers I’ve ever met. Sure, God loves you unless you’re gay and unwilling to deny that and repent. God loves you unless you sin in this way or that way. While a minority of Christians believe their Heavenly Father is forgiving to those who want it even up until the end (but why should gay people have to be forgiven if that is who they are?), the majority of Christians believe that he is unforgiving and you will go to hell if you are not saved or repenting.

4. Christians believe that they will go to Heaven. Reincarnationists believe that you will technically “live forever” by returning to a new body after you die. Many Christians do not believe in reincarnation (though some do). This isn’t a new concept. The Ancients believed in the longevity of “life”. Once you died you either went to the Underworld, Elysian Fields, or you ascended to Mount Olympus and became a God. This is just a stolen concept Christians took from the Ancient religions, but then again, no big surprise there.

5. Actually, in my experience, Christianity and guilt go hand in hand. Catholicism, for example says you must feel guilty and you will not be forgiven until you unburden your guilt for what you have done through confession and then pay for your misdeeds through recitation and prayer. Christians are supposed to feel guilty for being human. Don’t have sex if you aren’t married. If you do…you should feel guilt and remorse. Forget the health benefits associated with it or the fact that it is natural once you hit puberty to become sexually active.

Feel guilty for doing this or that. Sometimes you might be forgiven and sometimes not. It depends on what group of Christians you ask. Unfortunately, instead of saying…hey…take responsibility for your actions, Christians say…hey get saved then you start over with a clean slate, or hey “repent and ask forgiveness”. God will forgive if you ask.

6. Shouldn’t people dedicate their lives towards being good people, helping others, learning from their mistakes, and enjoying life? People don’t have to have God in their life to do this. They just need common sense.

This post was extremely aggressive and narrow minded. Also many of the facts were inaccurate! I’m a theology student at the University of Manchester. I began writing my dissertation on the basis of discussing how religion is a creation of society, obviously discussing the works of marx, durkheim and weber to name a few. However with the changing of my title to “what makes Christianity attractive”, (not a paper trying to prove the existence of God or the superiority of one religion over another).. i think that this may be of some interest to you… providing of course that you are interested in a genuine answer to your question, as opposed to just having a little rant about religion as it seemed to be. I will forward a completed copy if you are interested?

btw… “Feel guilty for doing this or that. Sometimes you might be forgiven and sometimes not. It depends on what group of Christians you ask. Unfortunately, instead of saying…hey…take responsibility for your actions, Christians say…hey get saved then you start over with a clean slate, or hey “repent and ask forgiveness”. God will forgive if you ask.” you realise that this asserts that people do take responsilibity for their actions, that the wider context of actions needs to be considered and that with an ever growing accepting society, Christianity offers people a method of thinking that makes people stop and actually consider the implications of actions instead of accepting something because it is legal. Also many of the features of christianity that you have attacked are in fact common sense. It is common sense not to have sexual relations with numerious people before marriage, specifically not forgetting the health benefits as you have told us to. …. i am confused as to whether you are disputing Christianity and its beliefs or just the belief in God???!!! In which case you need to dispute all religions then.

I look forward to your reply.

It isn’t that Christians say do not have sex with multiple people before marriage. It is do not have sex at all. Save yourself for that one special person and if you end up not being compatible in bed (and trust me it does matter) you should stay in the miserable marriage, start to resent one another, possibly even have an affair (but lie about it) because divorce is wrong, too.

I don’t know what is so common sense about that. There are health benefits. An orgasm a day can truly keep the doctor away! In some instances, anyway. I don’t see anything practical about any of the monotheistic religions. If there is only one God, who made that God?

If God made Earth, who made all the other planets, the universe, the universes beyond the Milky Way, etc.? It makes absolutely no sense and is somewhat selfish and narrow-minded to say there is only one, there is only one planet with life on it, etc. With as vast as the universes are and as many planets as there are, it is impossible to think we’re the only living things out there and the Bible only says God created the Earth so there is no verification about the universe and other planets, so something else had to create those.

You say most of what I wrote is inaccurate, yet you fail to point out what you believe is inaccurate. I was raised in the Christian religion. I have first hand knowledge of some of the ways Christians act and what they do. Furthermore, being saved IS a cop out. You can say people take responsibility by starting over, but c’mon! Most of the people in prison claim they are saved and that because of that God forgave the triple murder they committed or the raping of children they used to participate in. They don’t have to repent if they’re saved because God gave them a fresh start.

Being saved is a way to say let’s forget I did bad crap and I don’t have to take responsibility for it this time because I’m going to say I won’t do it again. The sad part is that people do bad things again, especially if they feel there are no consequences to their actions.

In my town (where I grew up), all the people that were saved were out smoking, drinking, having promiscuous sex, and then used the “well I’m saved so Jesus will forgive me” line as an excuse for their misdeeds. Either you are hanging out with the most devout Christians in the world or you see Christianity through rose colored glasses.