[mattatca]

What is the biggest objection you have towards Christianity?

Probably there are loads of different reasons why people don't believe the claims of Jesus but if you could just pick one what would it be and why?

Matt

[Xotol]

No evidence to support the Christian God. That's it.

[mattatca]

(Original post by Xotol)
No evidence to support the Christian God. That's it.

I guess you mean not enough evidence surely? Because I'd say that Jesus is the evidence you are seeking that the God of the bible exists and that he was present in our world. I presume you are not convinced then by this argument? On what grounds?
Matt

[Martyn*]

My objections towards Christianity would be the same as Nietzsche's vehement objections towards Christianity as outlined in his Antichrist: the consideration of the weak over the strong; as much as it created a new spiritual horizon for Christians under oppressive circumstances, it also closed off the ability for people in a different age to create another spiritual horizon, its morality of pity, the longing for a fictitious 'after-world' foregoing this world in a nihilistic sense, the "will to nothing" in Christianity, an almost complete inversion of everything that esteems life, it's cunning theology. Christianity is a religion of negation.

[amime]

(Original post by mattatca)
On what grounds?
Matt

On the grounds that your 'evidence' is subjective.

[Norton1]

I could never trust any religion which thinks of homosexuality as a sin but puts the clergy in dresses.

[Ignoramus]

The biggest problem with Christianity today is that its social teaching has not evolved at the same rate as that of the rest of society. As a result, it is seen as archaic and backward by many people, and a whole generation of people are as such largely unexposed to the reality of Christianity, both good and bad. Instead, they are presented with the opinions of many hyperbole-inducing media commentators, popular atheist writers/debaters, and the views of religious leaders who a) are difficult for them to connect with b) are often not particularly representative of much of their following.

It's not surprising that young people in this country are largely uninterested in Christianity. I think that's a shame, because Christianity has the potential to be useful in diverse ways, to people of different metaphysical persuasions. But currently, the opportunity to present Christianity to the public in a radically different, new and interesting way (as I would like to do) simply doesn't exist.

[Gofre]

(Original post by mattatca)
I guess you mean not enough evidence surely? Because I'd say that Jesus is the evidence you are seeking that the God of the bible exists and that he was present in our world. I presume you are not convinced then by this argument? On what grounds?
Matt

Except there are no contemporaneous extra-biblical sources which attest to Jesus' divinity. There's a few which talk of a man named Jesus who was crucified, and I believe some make reference's to his claims of being the son of god, but none corroborate the accounts of the miraculous events he supposedly performed.

[Mequa]

(Original post by Xotol)
No evidence to support the Christian God. That's it.

That, and the dogma about people coming back from the dead and being born of virgins, which it is frequently made not only a virtue but a duty to believe.

Frequent insistence that the bronze-age mythology of Genesis should be taken literally and thus should trump modern science which contradicts this ancient mythology.

Dogmatic belief in the inerrancy of said book which contains the above mythology.

Insistence on martyrdom as a virtue and duty, giving a self-destructive ethic of death.

Condemnation towards sexual impulses acted out outside of Church-ordained marriage as a form of social control promoting the breeding of more followers, and control through instilling guilt.

Promotion of a culture of serious and widespread hypocrisy.

Promotion of unsubstantiated hope, and nihilistic anguish among those long-term believers who come to a realisation that they can no longer believe such hope.

Belief in eternal torture of all non-believers, combined with the belief that this is right.


If there is a God, he's most likely facepalming that so many of his creation still hold doggedly to such blinkered superstition even after entering the space age.

[NJA]

(Original post by Xotol)
No evidence to support the Christian God. That's it.

What would you accept as evidence?

[NJA]

(Original post by Norton1)
I could never trust any religion which thinks of homosexuality as a sin but puts the clergy in dresses.

Do you know what sin is?
Do you know what is right / good by God?

Who told you God wants clergy in dresses?
Why did you believe them?

If you don't know the answers to those basic questions, can you really "trust" your own judgement?

[Maker]

Fit Christian girls who won't let you touch them.

[Hravan]

Animals don't have souls so therefore there's no chance of seeing my dogs again in heaven.

(Got to understand, I was about 6 when I started to really question Christianity... Although back then I didn't understand the concept of my dogs not having souls so I thought they were going to hell. )


Other issues are how women are viewed in Christianity, the views on homosexuality and the fact I really don't see how their god can be viewed as an merciful, loving god.

[NJA]

(Original post by Hravan)
Animals don't have souls so therefore there's no chance of seeing my dogs again in heaven.

You cannot make one hair on their body, God gave them to you.

The kingdom of heaven will include the Earth for 1000 years, and will include animals without disease & violence.

Isa_11:6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

Only your rejection of the gospel will give you no chance of seeing what it will be like.

(Original post by Hravan)
(Got to understand, I was about 6 when I started to really question Christianity...

Or what you think is Christianity.

(Original post by Hravan)
Other issues are how women are viewed in Christianity,

or what you think is Christianity.


What are you? - that is your religion! What dictates you
"as a man thinks in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:5)
- Questions, mis-conceptions.

What religion is God?
"I AM that I AM"

What "religion" am I:
a new creation, a son of God, with an increasing revelation of what that mweans.

(Original post by Hravan)
the views on homosexuality

God views it as the same as anyone else not appreciating his way, how do you view it?

(Original post by Hravan)
and the fact I really don't see how their god can be viewed as an merciful, loving god.

exactly, you do not really see.

Until you accept that you have failed and are failing to fulfil your potential, through following your own self-will in pride and desire above all to see the love of God by receiving the infilling of his Spirit instead you are as I was, stumbling along, an accident waiting to happen, and not much to talk about in the meantime.

[RalphsDisciple]

I believe in the Christian God, I believe in Jesus Christ, and I accept all the teachings of Jesus Christ himself. However, there are many things written in the Bible that didn't come from him, but came from one of the disciples, or someone else, that I just don't agree with.

The hatred of homosexuals, for example, I'm not alright with that. I don't accept the whole idea that having sex before marriage is some terrible, heinous sin that you should go to hell for. There's a whole load of stupid things in the Bible that I find to be really quite ridiculous.

One of the things I struggle with most is that idea that if you repent for your sins, no matter what you've done, you'll be forgiven but if you don't repent, you'll go to hell. That tells me that if Hitler had repented before he died, he'd get into heaven, but if someone stole some food to feed their starving kids and couldn't repent because they weren't sorry, they'd go to hell. That seems baffling to me, as does the whole concept of hell. That's probably what I find most difficult about Christianity, but I can't help my faith. I was raised an atheist and had a religious experience of sorts that changed my mind. I can't make myself stop believing anymore than someone who doesn't believe can force themselves to. I just have to accept that I don't know all the answers and the God I believe in knows what he's doing much more than I do.

[mattatca]

(Original post by Martyn*)
My objections towards Christianity would be the same as Nietzsche's vehement objections towards Christianity as outlined in his Antichrist: the consideration of the weak over the strong; as much as it created a new spiritual horizon for Christians under oppressive circumstances, it also closed off the ability for people in a different age to create another spiritual horizon, its morality of pity, the longing for a fictitious 'after-world' foregoing this world in a nihilistic sense, the "will to nothing" in Christianity, an almost complete inversion of everything that esteems life, it's cunning theology. Christianity is a religion of negation.

Thanks for this comment... very interesting food for thought. You think it is more an theology rather than a revelation of truth? So you don't think Jesus is who he says he is etc?
Matt

[mattatca]

(Original post by amime)
On the grounds that your 'evidence' is subjective.

That is very true, but all things are subjective in some ways. I guess it is just working out whether it is MORE or LESS trustworthy than the other options. We make this assessment all the time in life, is someone or something more trustworthy than something else etc.

I just think Jesus and the claims he makes alongside everything in the bible brings a pretty huge weight of evidence.

Matt

[mattatca]

(Original post by Norton1)
I could never trust any religion which thinks of homosexuality as a sin but puts the clergy in dresses.

Fair enough, but do you see if that is the main reason for lack of trust that you are looking at one specific and one external... neither of which are 100% central to the claims of Christianity.

Matt

[silent ninja]

That Jesus didn't write the Bible...

...and it's the most revised, editted and re-written book probably in history. How can you rely on it's authenticity when different and contradictory versions of the same book exist?

[mattatca]

(Original post by Mequa)
That, and the dogma about people coming back from the dead and being born of virgins, which it is frequently made not only a virtue but a duty to believe.

Frequent insistence that the bronze-age mythology of Genesis should be taken literally and thus should trump modern science which contradicts this ancient mythology.

Dogmatic belief in the inerrancy of said book which contains the above mythology.

Insistence on martyrdom as a virtue and duty, giving a self-destructive ethic of death.

Condemnation towards sexual impulses acted out outside of Church-ordained marriage as a form of social control promoting the breeding of more followers, and control through instilling guilt.

Promotion of a culture of serious and widespread hypocrisy.

Promotion of unsubstantiated hope, and nihilistic anguish among those long-term believers who come to a realisation that they can no longer believe such hope.

Belief in eternal torture of all non-believers, combined with the belief that this is right.


If there is a God, he's most likely facepalming that so many of his creation still hold doggedly to such blinkered superstition even after entering the space age.

That was a lot of major reasons, it sounds like you wanted to add and add to the reasons you felt Christianity didn't hold true. I think it is fair to say that generally you were questioning the beliefs which is good, yet you seem to think it is ridiculous to believe in this whereas I think it is very sensible... there are many good counter arguments for why we might believe such things.

I'd recommend 'If you could ask God one question' which would cover a whole range of the comments you made.

Matt