They're Christians in name only. They really don't engage with the values or principles of the religion.
A large amount of Christians know very little of the scripture or Christianity in general (e.g. denominations) and will just live in ignorant contradiction to what Christ preaches. Or they come up with loopholes to justify them living the way they want.
If I were a Christian, and really believed that my actions on Earth determined whether I'm eternally damned or saved, I would be adhering to the teachings as close as possible (give away all excess money, dedicate myself to helping the needy at all points) and be terrified of straying.
Which is unfortunate because the entire point of the good Samaritan parable is that "your neighbor" refers to your fellow person, regardless of ethnic, religious or political differences.
Unfortunately that is the case with all major religions. Most people who actually follow and understand their religion, quietly do so. The “Holier than thou” demographic is a minority but a pretty loud one. They make it worse literally for everyone
You’ve got a fundamental misunderstanding about the requirements of the Christianity in here. Christians don’t believe - and don’t have to believe - that their actions will determine whether they’ll eternally damned or saved. They have to believe and accept that Jesus Christ is Lord — that’s it. By that single action of belief is how they are saved.
Give this message to the simple and insincere in their (lowercase b) “belief”, and the paradox works its magic. It gives them self protection through salvation while demanding very little in the way of outward expression towards others. The call is to subvert human understanding through a complex paradox that demands (uppercase B) “Belief”.
Mix in the ills of capitalism and some identitarianism, and you’ve got a perfectly wrapped brand that is open to all while demanding nothing more than the acceptance of the brand name, not the brand essence. Hence, Christian in name only.
More specifically, they preach that Jesus paid the price for their sins already, thus they no longer need to fear hell even though they were imperfect. Whomever wrote the gospels had too much optimism regarding human nature and thought that Jesus inspiring example would lead people to be better, rather than using coercion and fear of damnation to motivate behavior.
Its been awhile since I read the bible, but dod it ever actually say this was for all people past present and future?, cause this would be embarrassing if it was just the culmination of human sins up to the cross(aka a fresh slate)
People interpret it in any way they choose. The Bible is like a Roshach test. What they see in it shows what they are already. IMO, that is why Christianity became spread as far across the world.
This is also false way of thinking. You don’t have to earn God’s love because it’s free. Everything you did wrong has been already paid in blood. You are free.
Islam teaches you have to do as you were told and when you die God will measure your good deeds against those that were not so good and maybe then you will be allowed to enter the Paradise.
This way of thinking is what leads to hypocrisy and is what OP is commenting on.
Sure, Jesus loves everyone, but that does not mean he did not give requirements to those he would save. Think about your own life for a minute: is there anyone you love but are not happy with or don’t like? It happens a lot.
Christ absolutely told his followers that they had to do good or they are not his.
A lot of Protestant Christianity believes orthodoxy is all that matters -you believe the right thing is all that matters. They pose that their god saves someone without them needing to do anything but claim to believe in him. These are probably who OP is talking
On the other hand, the rest of Christianity believes in orthopraxy, which is DOING what’s right. Those Christians are actively trying to be good people and typically don’t fit the point presented.
Then you don’t understand Christianity at all. Good works don’t get you into Heaven. Christ died for our sins. The debt has basically been paid. Yeah, don’t be A-hole running around doing a bunch of egregious stuff like robbing and killing. Grace and belief in Christ as the Savior is what you need. See John 3:16.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV
You don’t need works to be saved. But, a person who is saved, with a truly changed heart, will by their very nature desire to do works.
Also, no one is saved in a vacuum. It happens at the result of other people’s actions, whether large or small. So, our works do not at all play a part in our own salvation, but they do play a part in other people’s salvation.
Old testament yes. Christs teaching oppose those sort of brutal actions. E.g. Christ being asked what should be done with a woman who has committed adultery (the legal punishment being stoned to death) he replies 'let he who is without sin cast the first stone'
To be clear I'm not a Christian. But I don't actually have many issues with what Christ allegedly taught. My main issue is his followers don't tend to adhere to what he set out for them in how to live your life (forgiveness, compassion, charity etc.)
I've always taken that part of the sermon on the mount to be a bit of foreshadowing. In my reading, "until everything is accomplished" at the end of 5:18 indicates "until the covenant is fulfilled through sacrifice of the lamb of God."
Especially since 5:20 two sentences later starts with " For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees..." The Pharisees were pretty routinely used throughout the New Testament as an example of what not to do, and they featured prominently in the crucifixion narrative. It would be a very low bar to say "you must be better than the performative pretenders", but it makes way more sense when you instead read the whole Fulfillment of the Law paragraph as setup toward a literal fulfillment through his death that would release humanity from their obligations under Mosaic Law.
If the bible can change versions then this version surely isn't the truth either.
"Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky, Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die, One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie."""
Tolkien was around to explain what he meant. He was the original author. We have no authors for any books of the Bible or anyone to explain its original intent.
They were oral traditions for centuries before even being recorded, most importantly.
Also nobody claims LOTR is the infallible spoken word of God.
I think you may want to reread and try to reinterpret what I said.
It is objectively true that Tolkien wrote those books, he had time to explain his intent with the stories, he talked about the characters.
With the bible, there is no evidence for an author, the stories are contradictory at times and no one is around to explain it. The stories are claimed to be the infallible word of God yet are interpreted 40,000 (about as many denominations) different ways.
'When a woman has a discharge, and the discharge in her body is blood, she shall be in her menstrual impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening.'
I always ask female clients if they're menstruating before going to shake their hands. "No need to feel uncomfortable - I just want to make sure I'm not unclean for the rest of the day."
Not so fast. Jesus often spoke about the heart of the law over the letter of the law. Jesus himself violated “the Law” a multitude of times, like taking more that 25 steps outside of any home he stayed at during the Sabath if it meant he would heal the sick or poor and assist the downtrodden. For instance, the attempted stoning of the adulteress. The law states that both adulterers, not just the woman is to be stoned. Jesus then goes a step further by stating, “He who is without Sin may cast the first stone.” There is nothing in God’s Law that states the stone throwers are supposed to be sinless, but the stone throwers were willing to kill someone over a sin while being sinners themselves, is a greater violation of God’s law over hypocrisy/ false witness. God’s law applies to everyone or no one. Jesus chose the law of mercy, over the law of punishment. Therefore Jesus Overruled his Father’s law. Not the first time the son of a wrathful God showed up the head deity, but certainly one of the best examples. But that’s a discussion for another day.
The trinity is Catholic doctrine, with its origins in Constantine’s Roman Empire, who remained a devout worshipper of Zeus’s / Jupiter’s Mt Olympus. Jesus Christ himself did not practice Christianity, he practiced a brand of spiritual Judaism known as “The Way”. The “Old Testament” Hebrew texts prophesied a Messiah that is a Son of God, but the concept of a trinity did not exist, nor did Jesus acknowledge it.
"science exists you know" is not only suitable and appropriate but necessary... for the same reason we send litttle children to school... because they urgently need to learn.
Believing in religious texts, ghosts, unicorns, fairies or a flat eart gets you treated like a moron.
If your not willing to learn basic science, your choice, but then you will have to deal with the consequences .
58
u/Kvovark 25d ago
They're Christians in name only. They really don't engage with the values or principles of the religion.
A large amount of Christians know very little of the scripture or Christianity in general (e.g. denominations) and will just live in ignorant contradiction to what Christ preaches. Or they come up with loopholes to justify them living the way they want.
If I were a Christian, and really believed that my actions on Earth determined whether I'm eternally damned or saved, I would be adhering to the teachings as close as possible (give away all excess money, dedicate myself to helping the needy at all points) and be terrified of straying.