Are Christians harmless?

by gumby 245 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  gumby

  You people have been busy on this thread while I was snoozin.

  What made me ask this question?

  My partner at work has a brother-in-law who was a christian along with his family. They were relatively happy and no real problems. Then he began to miss church. Then he began to drink. Then he started drugs agai. Then he cheated on his wife. Now his children and wife are screwed up and they are divorcing. It screwed up that family and the surrounding family.

  Would he been better off as a cxhristian? Was his life before going wacko better than now?

  Yes...I realize going wacko is not the only option for those who leave their faith.....but in many cases it seems christianity works well for those who live by it's rules when they cannot seem to keep sane without it.

  Gumby
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  LittleToe

  Narkissos:

  ...inasmuch as death ("the Cross") is at the very centre of it...

  Yeah, but look at that statement in context. The tenets of the Christian belief system are not suicide and murder.
  You can hardly read that into Jesus statement of "taking up your cross", nor in the various creeds which followed.
  If we're gonna get historical about it, you have plenty of ammunition to level at certain historical manifestations of "religion", but that's another story, and proves false to the ethos.

  Terri:
  
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  ozziepost

  when they cannot seem to keep sane without it.

  Gumpatroniser!!!
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  LittleToe

  Gumby:
  Surely that's a different topic entirely?

  Would it not be better along the lines of:
  Does leaving a setting, where social mores act as a restraint on your life, have a detrimental effect on the human psyche?

  Alternatively:
  Does stopping church make you a b*st*rd?
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  codeblue

  If a Christian is happy: so be it.

  If a non-Christian is happy: so be it.

  Have respect for the person that is happy with their life. If is isn't broke, don't try to "fix" it.

  Codeblue
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  LittleToe

  Ozzie:

  Say, LT, how's about we kick this one along and make it a "hot topic", eh??

  I'd say we succeeded in that, wouldn't you?
  I would
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  funkyderek

  Personally, I've got nothing against Christians. I do think Christianity is an unnatural practice but as long as they don't publicly flaunt it, I don't mind. What they do in the privacy of their own homes is their own business.

  Derek of the "Some of my best friends are Christians" class
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  Farkel

  : Here's the deal..............if believers can live a happy, good, healthy life, and take this to the grave with them..........should a non-believer try to mess all that up.....or leave well enough alone?
  
  It's impossible to paint all Christians with the same brush, of course. I will assert though, that people who honestly believe in ancient superstitions and miracles and mold their lives accordingly are not living an entirely "healthy" life. But to each his own.
  
  Farkel
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  FlyingHighNow

  And what criteria will we apply to those of other belief systems or even claimed non-belief?

  By what standard are you to be judged? Your own? It's illogical.

  The title of this thread is: Are Christians Harmless? I said in my post that I feel religion, and I further add to clarify religions of many different kinds, have caused much, much harm in this world. But this thread asked are Christians harmless. That is why I said what I did about Christians and the ifs.

  We, all of us, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Pantheists, etc., etc. are to be judged by the power that put us here, if he/she decides we need to be judged. I know many kind, loving and generous Christians. I also have known my share of judgemental, small minded, cold hearted Christians who hurt people in Jesus' name. My point is that the latter behaviors are not harmless.

  It's illogical

  To who? Christians?

  Flyin'
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  JamesThomas

  For ages there have been groups of people who believe that the most significant, glorious and truest of being, that which they worship as the MOST-HIGH, is more than willing to practice mass slaughter and wholesale destruction of men, women and children -- for what it somehow considers as loving and righteous reasoning.
  
  I can not imagine how looking up to a Most High, that is so low, and forming ones own identity around it, can not, in some way, mar the soul and open the door to rationalizing ones own inhumanity to man.
  
  
  j