Why is the world hostile to Christians?

[Neonanocyborgasm]

Simple enough. Take me for instance, I'm a fairly young guy, have a normal job, wife and two kids. I have BBQ's, birthday parties, watch football and baseball, and drive an average joe car. Everything about me has middle America and average joe written all over it except one thing, I'm a Christian. That is a believer in Christ who tries with God's grace to live a life pleasing to Him and according to His will for me. So the question is "Why is the world hostile towards me?"

I know the biblical answer, but would very much be interested in the views of "unbelievers". Not necessarily hostile ones either, just in general.

The idea of Christian hatred is a fantasy invented in the minds of Christians to satisfy their notion of being martyrs for the faith. Christians are no more hated than any other religion (although these days, Muslims appear to be hated more than others). Of note, I did not see any examples in your post of hatred against you because you are a Christian. I would find it nearly impossible, in fact, for Christians to be hated in the U.S., where they make up more than 80% of the population. If they are indeed hated so much, they must not need to worry about it.

 

[Irish Caesar]

So, it follows that people who have found their own reasons for responsibility and doing the right thing would be more likely to do so than people who are told that they'll go to Hell if they don't do the right thing.

This is a pretty popular line among atheists as to why religious folk have no moral high ground. Do all y'all atheists honestly think that the only reason Christians do good things is fear of Hell? If you think this, you're way off base in many cases. Sure, some people might act strictly out of fear of Hell, or jail, or anything else...but I'm sure that you have reasons for not killing people other than fear of jail.

 

[shadow2k]

Rofl. Yeah, responsiblity from within. The prisons are loaded with those kind of people.

Ah, here's the misconception. People who commit crimes and go against what are generally perceived to be moral values... They don't care that it's right or wrong, or simply believe that it is right.

How many convicted felons claim god told them to do it? Who are you to say they are lying? God has told man to perform all sorts of atrocities in the past, according to the bible. Why is it any different now?

 

[shadow2k]

This is a pretty popular line among atheists as to why religious folk have no moral high ground. Do all y'all atheists honestly think that the only reason Christians do good things is fear of Hell? If you think this, you're way off base in many cases. Sure, some people might act strictly out of fear of Hell, or jail, or anything else...but I'm sure that you have reasons for not killing people other than fear of jail.

I tend to put it more on the word of god. All the "laws" of the bible are based on it, right? Yet when god told the Israelis to commit atrocious acts, they did so, believing it was right.

In the OT, god tells you not to do certain things (you know, the old Jewish laws of keeping kosher, etc...). In the NT, suddenly they no longer apply. Jews did not keep kosher necessarily becaused they believed it to be morally superior, they did it because god told them to. And Christians stopped doing those same things...again, because god told them they didn't have to do it anymore.

I guess you could argue the underlying agenda of obeying god to get into heaven or avoid hell, but that's not always the case. If there were no heaven or hell to worry about, many of them would still follow the word of god.

Heaven and Hell come into play more when they know something is right or wrong, and are merely weighing the options.

 

[toh6wy]

This is a pretty popular line among atheists as to why religious folk have no moral high ground. Do all y'all atheists honestly think that the only reason Christians do good things is fear of Hell? If you think this, you're way off base in many cases. Sure, some people might act strictly out of fear of Hell, or jail, or anything else...but I'm sure that you have reasons for not killing people other than fear of jail.

I kinda thought this would come up... but in any case, religion is still extrinsic rewarding - if you do the right thing, God will look favorably upon you, as opposed to if you do the right thing, you'll maintain the standards you have set for yourself.

 

[Shaihulud]

Incase you forgotten, Both Judaism and Christianity both worship the same God since they are both Abrahamic Religions.

How about the Muslim god, they are one and the same guy as well, right? You wouldn't be against a Muslim would you?

I don't think that the world is hostile to Christians, i am a Christian as well and notice a disturbing trend towards fundamentalism. It is a belief that is not compatible with people of other faith, therefore there is a backlash.

 

[xyourxmomxcorex]

Why?
1. I went to a far-right repbuicaln neocon chriaitan school. I was treated like a freak and outcast, even though i was a chraistain, because i didnt belive the "right way"
Because i wasn't aredenlty pro-war, and stuff...
And i have a morbid intrest in the occult, whenever i would ask a question about it to teacher i would end up seeing the principal.
Also, me and my group of friends were called stoners and goths, even though a few of us were straightedge and defently not goths, because we dared to be ourselves. I was the only person in the group who wasnt a Chraistian, btw.


2. Many are intorerant and hypocrites
Jerry Fallwell and Pat Robertson would be funny if they wernt so sad.
Fallwell condems homosexuality on his site, yet he has had gay affiars.
Robertson has all these essays on why "goths" are evil, when real gothic culture is probaly one of the most tolerant and accepcting of any subculture, and more stuff on why rock n' roll and metal/grindcore is also evil and you are sinning for listening to it...blah...blah...

This is what made me reject the faith, it made no sense. If Jesus was a tolderant and loving person (well, i dont yet know if Jesus was God or just some nutcase, but if he was the way ive guessed based on the data ive gathered, he would not approve of the current state of Christainty. He hung out with outcasts and losers, and was nice to even those who hated him. Christains ive known (minus my very small group of friends at my elementary school) are biogits, intolderant and just plain *******s who anyone who wants to be themselves or chose to belive something else.

 

[Irish Caesar]

I tend to put it more on the word of god. All the "laws" of the bible are based on it, right? Yet when god told the Israelis to commit atrocious acts, they did so, believing it was right.

In the OT, god tells you not to do certain things (you know, the old Jewish laws of keeping kosher, etc...). In the NT, suddenly they no longer apply. Jews did not keep kosher necessarily becaused they believed it to be morally superior, they did it because god told them to. And Christians stopped doing those same things...again, because god told them they didn't have to do it anymore.

I guess you could argue the underlying agenda of obeying god to get into heaven or avoid hell, but that's not always the case. If there were no heaven or hell to worry about, many of them would still follow the word of god.

Heaven and Hell come into play more when they know something is right or wrong, and are merely weighing the options.

To be a Christian is to follow Christ Jesus--to try and emulate him. And since he says, "I give you a new commandment: love one another," "Love your neighbor as yourself," "Love one another as I have loved you," etc., the message seems fairly clear to me. Yes, such things happened in the Old Testament...but as I consider myself a follower of Christ, I am more inclined to follow his words when there is any conflict between the two Testaments..."

I kinda thought this would come up... but in any case, religion is still extrinsic rewarding - if you do the right thing, God will look favorably upon you, as opposed to if you do the right thing, you'll maintain the standards you have set for yourself.

But whether you are an atheist or a Christian, I would imagine you still feel good when you do the right thing...you don't have to wait until you receive your "eternal reward."

 

[silver 2039]

I dislike extremists or fundamentalists of any sort not just Christains.

 

[xyourxmomxcorex]

I just hate many Christains because of my experiance with them.
Ive been called a goth and satanist at the youth group i went too, its just so disgustinly hypocritical

 

[shadow2k]

To be a Christian is to follow Christ Jesus--to try and emulate him. And since he says, "I give you a new commandment: love one another," "Love your neighbor as yourself," "Love one another as I have loved you," etc., the message seems fairly clear to me. Yes, such things happened in the Old Testament...but as I consider myself a follower of Christ, I am more inclined to follow his words when there is any conflict between the two Testaments..."

I'm not talking about the difference in the two really. Just merely pointing out what you said...to be a christian is to follow christ. If christ tells you tomorrow to do something you believe(d) is morally wrong, then what? As a "true" christian, you do it. The right or wrong of it is based only on his word.

God did this any number of times in the OT, I doubt I really need to list examples. It's reasonable to think christ will do this in the future based on that alone, without having to go and pick specific parts of the bible out to prove my point. Most would be argued away with circular logic anyway. Christ/God says it's right, and so it is. Yet, on some level, you lived 20, 30...80yrs or whatever, believing in your heart that it was wrong on every level.

 

[Archbob]

Its quite simple, they are jealous. We have divine right and they don't.

J/K But seriously, I think its mostly because of misunderstanding and morons like Pat Robertson.

About God telling you to do something morally wrong--well he can't because he's God. What precisely is right and wrong? Do we know?

If God is indeed a higher being, he knows what is right and wrong and therefore whatever he commands is right.

 

[Irish Caesar]

I'm not talking about the difference in the two really. Just merely pointing out what you said...to be a christian is to follow christ. If christ tells you tomorrow to do something you believe(d) is morally wrong, then what? As a "true" christian, you do it. The right or wrong of it is based only on his word.

God did this any number of times in the OT, I doubt I really need to list examples. It's reasonable to think christ will do this in the future based on that alone, without having to go and pick specific parts of the bible out to prove my point. Most would be argued away with circular logic anyway. Christ/God says it's right, and so it is. Yet, on some level, you lived 20, 30...80yrs or whatever, believing in your heart that it was wrong on every level.

But why would Christ contradict himself? I mean, if I thought Jesus told me to kill people or something, that sounds pretty incompatible with everything I know about Jesus. The "God told me" defense wouldn't work, since God very clearly says to do the opposite...

 

[punkbass2000]

I guess the real question is, IMO, what makes you think you get to define who is and isn't a Christian?

 

[sanabas]

I didnt say they did, however, by implication, they are expected to have more personal responsiblity than non-believers are they not?

Why? You have a moral code you try and live up to, I have a moral code I try to live up to. Your moral code has apparently been adopted as a single thing from an external source (the bible/jesus/christ), without much input from you. Mine has come from multiple sources, with a lot of input from me. There's only an implication that you're expected to have more responsibility if you're assuming that your preferred behaviour is different to what your moral code says, and therefore you have to change your behaviour as your moral code is unchanging. You also need to assume that when my moral code and my preferred behaviour differ, that I won't modify my behaviour, I'll simply adjut my moral code to fit.

Is that a fair description of how you see atheists' moral codes? That you have the responsibility to conform to a particular code, but atheists & 'non-christian christians', don't have that same responsibility, as they only pay lip-service to having a moral code, and they'll change that code when necessary?

 

[MobBoss]

How many convicted felons claim god told them to do it?

Not many, unless of course you mean the ones that think of Tupac or Biggie Smalls as their gods.

 

[MobBoss]

Why? You have a moral code you try and live up to, I have a moral code I try to live up to. Your moral code has apparently been adopted as a single thing from an external source (the bible/jesus/christ), without much input from you. Mine has come from multiple sources, with a lot of input from me.

Sanabas, stop right there. I havent always been a born again christian you know. I have plenty of my own "input" that helps form my own moral code as well. However, when I find that my moral code and the moral code of the bible at odds, it is usually my moral code that is wrong.

Is that a fair description of how you see atheists' moral codes? That you have the responsibility to conform to a particular code, but atheists & 'non-christian christians', don't have that same responsibility, as they only pay lip-service to having a moral code, and they'll change that code when necessary?

I think, that without a higher power, that people in general are mean and petty and selfish and ultimately fleshly/sinful. As Curt would say, they are "sheeple" and will wander and do whatever they feel like according to their own needs and purposes - without a higher power. With a higher power, we catch a glimpse of what the human spirit is capable of and the heights that it can attain. Which, in a lot of ways, makes up for all the other crap. However, I feel that people who say they base their morals on their self, typically only look out for #1 - themselves.

 

[shadow2k]

But why would Christ contradict himself? I mean, if I thought Jesus told me to kill people or something, that sounds pretty incompatible with everything I know about Jesus. The "God told me" defense wouldn't work, since God very clearly says to do the opposite...

You don't want to ask me why he contradicts himself, because you won't like my answer. But this whole discussion probably belongs in a different thread.

For the record, I don't dislike anyone based purely on their religion. Although I may have issues with some of their beliefs, just like they'll have issues with my lack of faith in their beliefs. It's not the religion itself that bothers me though. You can believe anything you'd like.

 

[DBear]

[parodying the Artoo-Chewbacca chess scene in Star Wars]
"Let him have it! It's not wise to upset a Muslim!"
"But sir, no one worries about upsetting a Christian."
"That's because Christians don't go around bombing things when they lose. Muslims have been known to do that."

 

[shadow2k]

Not many, unless of course you mean the ones that think of Tupac or Biggie Smalls as their gods.

Ever hear of the Crusades? Do you know all of the atrocities commited in your God's name? Frankly, I think if he did exist, he'd be embarassed by it. As opposed to your stance that it never happened.