Why aren't you a Christian?

[Eudaimonist]

Why aren't YOU a Christian?

I could answer this in a number of different ways, but I'd have to say that my philosophical path is the result of what could be called a rational enlightenment or an intellectual awakening, since this is how it was experienced.

We all need to make sense out of our life experiences, and when I look at my life and the universe honestly and rationally, the "story" that these tell me is that we live in a wondrous godless universe in which good people can earn their self-respect and find a measure of happiness and fulfillment.

So, first, I'm not a Christian because Christianity doesn't ring true for me. Really, this is enough reason.

Second, since it is worth mentioning, I'm not a Christian because I don't need Christianity for anything.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[ChildishFears]

I'm not a Christian because it doesn't make any sense to me if the bible is taken literally. A lot of the stories in the bible appear to be engulfed in mythology and superstition and I unable to *honestly* believe in it's validity. Not to say that I haven't come across nuggets of gold in the bible: words of inspiration, some rules to live by, symbolic significance of a event or a certain character, etc....

​

 

[clarksided]

I can sum this up in 7 short reasons:

1. I actually read the bible and took several courses on it.
2. I have had a strong education in history.
3. Homosexuality never offended me
4. Religious people can be the biggest jerks
5. Christianity never got me anywhere but in a bigger pool of unhappiness
6. The 700 Club
7. KLOVE radio station

All very convincing reasons to dump the faith. So I did!

 

[Omnichaotic]

I'm not a Christian because it doesn't make any sense to me if the bible is taken literally. A lot of the stories in the bible appear to be engulfed in mythology and superstition and I unable to *honestly* believe in it's validity. Not to say that I haven't come across nuggets of gold in the bible: words of inspiration, some rules to live by, symbolic significance of a event or a certain character, etc....

Doesn't make much sense to me either, so I don't read it literally. The Old Testament is just one big metaphor to me, basically.

 

[sbvera13]

I am not a Christian for several reasons.

1. It adds nothing to my understanding of myself or the world around me, instead it tries to convince me to conform to somone else's ideas.
2. It violates my ethical principles of love and universal respect. Christians demonstrate this daily with their own arrogance, the concept of heaven and hell violate this, and almost every page of the Bible contains either rape, incest, genocide, or bigotry.

 

[Futuwwa]

Doesn't make much sense to me either, so I don't read it literally. The Old Testament is just one big metaphor to me, basically.

But how do you know which things are literal and which are metaphorical? And, can't a metaphor be interpreted to mean just about anything you fancy?

 

[Rossiter]

The Christian view of God simply didn't match up with mine.

 

[Ramona]

Maybe I'm different. Honestly, I can't even begin to describe it. Mostly it came down to questioning the morality of the Christian god, and especially the Hellfire concept that finally pushed me away for good.

I just cannot see the concept of Hell as just, or, as some people are so bold as to say, loving. It used to torture me to think that millions of non-Christian Holocaust victims had lived out the ultimate inhuman torture in life only to descend into Hell upon death and experience it ten-fold, forever. Where is the justice? Where is the love?

Some people have the audacity to tell me that I'm not a Christian because I "don't understand love."

That's a lie. I understand love, and it is because of this love that I reject the concept of Christianity.

 

[ZuZu]

I don't know what I am anymore....I keep going back and forth trying to make it make sense, but organized religion and Christianity just don't anymore....it all seems like a waste (at least for me). I never understood it and always found it odd that I had to be told I was a sinner in need of a saviour. I believe we all have different paths and whatever helps us get through this life making us better people is fine....Christianity just didn't do that for me....it made me judgemental and narrow-minded and that was something I couldn't tolerate in myself. I'm still searching because I know I'll never have all the answers....

 

[Fear]

At some point I started questioning aspects of Christianity. Basically, it didn't stand up to scrutiny, so I was unable to remain a Christian. I worded it that way because I didn't really want to stop believing, but I couldn't be dishonest with myself.

 

[none the wiser]

Maybe I'm different. Honestly, I can't even begin to describe it. Mostly it came down to questioning the morality of the Christian god, and especially the Hellfire concept that finally pushed me away for good.

I just cannot see the concept of Hell as just, or, as some people are so bold as to say, loving. It used to torture me to think that millions of non-Christian Holocaust victims had lived out the ultimate inhuman torture in life only to descend into Hell upon death and experience it ten-fold, forever. Where is the justice? Where is the love?

Some people have the audacity to tell me that I'm not a Christian because I "don't understand love."

That's a lie. I understand love, and it is because of this love that I reject the concept of Christianity.

You are always so beautifully eloquent.

 

[DoubtingThomas29]

I feel that atheists have the truth, our world only makes sense when we assume God is imaginary. It is the only time stuff starts adding up.

I agree with everyone that the concept of hell is ridiculous.

It is the punch line to a very good George Carlin Joke about religion.

When I was getting over religion I had to tell myself that George Carlin joke to myself about five times a day like taking medicine.

Atheism helps us to accept science and not keep putting God into all these scientific explanations and do back flips trying to fit him in there.

 

[Omnichaotic]

But how do you know which things are literal and which are metaphorical? And, can't a metaphor be interpreted to mean just about anything you fancy?

Well, I suppose some of the events in the Old Testament may have actually taken place, I don't know, but a metaphorical interpretation is the only way I can really apply it to my life. If I couldn't see any deeper, symbolic level of meaning to the OT I probably would've rejected it outright by now. And, I suppose it can be interpreted to mean just about anything, just look at the Abrahamic world today!

My guide for interpreting any text is my conscience, which I trust above all holy books anyway.

 

[dlamberth]

Why aren't YOU a Christian?

Being a Christian and Loving Jesus as my savior are two completely different things. So the part of your question that I’ll answer ONLY has to do with why I’m not a Christian. This post will not be about Jesus.

For why I'm not a Christian I need to begin with the basics...which is God. Christians believe that God is separate from what He created. When ever I experience my Beloved God, He is ALWAYS whole, united and One with all there is.

The next on my list for why I'm not a Christian has to do with the image of a God who is judgmental of what He has created. The only way a God can judge what He has created is if He is separate and apart from it. But I do not experience God as separate and apart from what He has created and thus not able to judge Himself as worthy of Hell.

Other people in other spiritual paths have been touched by God just as much as any Christian has. So by direct evidence in the world around us we see that Jesus is not the ONLY true way.

Next, the Bible. The Bible was clearly written by people who never heard Jesus speak. The early stories of Jesus were carried out to the world through oral stories. The books of the Bible were written through the religious lens of an apocryphal branch of Jewish followers of who they believed was their messiah who gathered together the oral stories they heard. As such, I take with a grain of salt things I read in the Bible.

Lastly, It seems that Jesus offers hope to the world. He spent a LOT of time teaching the need to help others and those in need. If Christianity honestly took up that call, that Jesus demanded of us, to heart 2000 years ago, I do not believe that we would be seeing the wars and suffering in the world we see today. Yes, today, Christianity is doing some stuff…finally. Like with hospitals and such. But it’s way too late and way too little. So I’ve come to the conclusion that Christianity has failed as a religion on it’s part to live up to the standards it’s founder set forth.



.

 

[Omnichaotic]

Yes, my thoughts exactly.

 

[Snowbunny]

Hell is a very dangerous trap... the anxiety it causes and the security of being away from it breeds contempt in people who do not understand, and arrogance in people who think they do. In reality, God has said very little about who will be sent to hell, although He has spoken about what actions lead men to hell. To my knowledge the only biblical example of a confirmed person in hell is Satan himself.

God is not unjust and does not look for a list of reasons to destroy people. I know some Christians prefer to think of an impersonal imperious and cold God who keeps a list of all your bad deeds as a record against you. Why would such a God then go and die for the forgiveness of all our sins past and present? It is a nonsequiter that I believe takes them outside the Christian faith.

We do not know, and never will know in the course of our lives, what God's judgment is of us. The foolish people who run around damning people and condemning them have substituted God's judgment (which they do not know) for their own insecurities. The final judgment lies with God, who tells us He is not unjust.

Just like the question 'Will Adolph Hitler go to heaven for being a Catholic?' is answered accurately 'that is not my decision' the only answer to the question 'will the six million non Christians who died in the Holocaust go to hell?' is 'I do not know, God will decide.'

 

[ThusSpokeZarathustra]

I'm not a Christian because I've been duped by Satan and his demons into lusting after the illusory pleasures of this world, and I'm simply too ignorant and/or selfish to realize the obvious and self-evident truth of the Bible and the Good News. I need some kind and overbearing evangelical Christian to explain this whole concept of Christianity in a way that my inferior mind can understand (I've read all of these Chick Tracts but it is still so confusing!) or else I'll just wander in sin for the rest of my days without ever knowing of Jesus' love for me.

Right now, I'm a bit reluctant to accept Christianity because it means that I will have to give up some of my favorite sinful indulgences, such as homosexuality, bestiality, polygamy, bisexual polygamy, and urethral sounding with my octogenarian friends at the local retirement home.

Also, and this is a little embarrassing to admit, but deep down in my heart, I know that God exists but I secretly kind of sort of hate and resent God and everything Good and Just. I actually want to go to hell and suffer for all eternity because I don't want a relationship with Jesus Christ because that means accepting what is right and good and I'm against all that. I figured not being a Christian was the most surefire way to send myself to hell, so that's the main reason why I am not a Christian today. Again, I need some kind and overbearing evangelical Christian to carefully explain to me just how much Jesus really loves me, why I shouldn't want to go to hell for all eternity and why I should love things that are good and right and just. I'm practically crying out for help here.

I know it's hard to believe, but I assure you that every word of it is the truth. I was just afraid to admit it until now.

I sincerely hope that this post will go at least some way towards clearing up some of the misconceptions that have been floating around about non-Christians.

 

[DrFate]

Christians have not been able to answer my simple questions.

Statement.
Any authority for the idea of a Hebrew Messiah comes from the Hebrew scriptures.

Questions
1) Where in the OT does God say that human sacrifice is acceptable?
2) Where in the OT does God say that one person may atone for the sins of another person?
3) Where in the OT does God say that an individual is not responsible for his own actions?
4) Where in the OT there is any place where God holds humans to the standards of perfectionism?
5) Where in the OT are the principles of repentence and forgiveness that God established quite clearly in EZK 18 are made invalid?

 

[Casstranquility]

I'm not a Christian because of the ideas of substitutionary atonement and eternal torment. Learning about these two things the last couple of years pushed me away from that concept of God.
Also, I am not a Christian because I have been learning what love is for my entire life, and love is not angry, or prideful, or jealous, or judgmental, or punishing... And to me, the Christian perception of God sounds just like these things that love is not.

I understand love, and it is because of this love that I reject the concept of Christianity.

 

[Omnichaotic]

I'm not a Christian because of the ideas of substitutionary atonement and eternal torment. Learning about these two things the last couple of years pushed me away from that concept of God.
Also, I am not a Christian because I have been learning what love is for my entire life, and love is not angry, or prideful, or jealous, or judgmental, or punishing... And to me, the Christian perception of God sounds just like these things that love is not.

Agree completely. I don't agree with everything St Paul said, but his description of love is excellent.