Enlightenment, spirituality, faith — there’s nothing wrong with these things.
Organized Christianity is a social climbing scheme for people who desperately want to get away with never needing to truly outgrow their dysfunction.
Er, wut?
Have you read anything about Christianity? Not just criticism, but actual dispassionate, objective learning, like a 300 level Religions of the World course?
I have (I’m not Christian, not religious at all), and what you’re espousing is completely antithetical to Christian thinking, and sounds more like projection of your own ethics.
Ifnyoure a Christian, you don’t have a choice about Judgement - it’s a fact for them. What you’re espousing has even been addressed (by the Catholic Church anyway), and even part of why Martin Luther protested, and why Protestant religions even exist.
You should educate yourself before condemning what you think other people believe. Because everything you’ve described is from your own head, not Christianity. And don’t tell me “Christian so-and-so said so”, then they’re wrong, and it’s very well documented and clear. Again, this specific idea is even part of the creation of Protestantism.
I highly recommend any of the courses on religion from The Teaching Company, available in your public library. Each one is roughly 30 lectures, each 45 min to 1 hour. It’s a recording of the college-level courses presented at places like Harvard. I know for sure there are close to a dozen courses in religion from TTC, maybe more.
smegger@aussie.zone 6 hours ago
This might have been better in unpopular opinions.
But I don’t entirely disagree with you. There certainly are some true believers out there, some are better people than others.
But there are also a lot of people who use their status as Christians to essentially cover up their true personalities, there’s a lot of people who believe that just because someone goes to church that they are a good person.
I was raised Christian, but left because I just saw too many people preaching one thing but then doing the opposite in practice. There’s a lot of hate attached to a lot of Christians and I personally believe that’s against the true intended spirit of the religion.
There’s also the general history of how the church was used to control and such. But that’s a discussion I really don’t want to get into.
I mean not to offend, but arguing with a strong believer is a waste of time. The basis of religious belief is to trust without evidence, but that goes against my personal belief that nothing can be proven to be true without at least some evidence.
smegger@aussie.zone 6 hours ago
Let me add this, if religion provides comfort or makes someone want to be a better person? That carries value still.
PalimpsestNavigator@midwest.social 4 hours ago
A less problematic person in some social situations usually results in bottled up emotions that become oppression when let out. Spirituality and faith aren’t bad things (I consider them essential to the human experience), but not the social climbing pyramid that is the white Christian church of the first world.