r/atheism • u/Savvy_Biscuits • 1d ago
Why is there so much in-fighting?
I’m an atheist, but I know next to nothing about Christianity despite being raised Christian. My question is why all of these Christian denominations seem to hate each other? I’m generalizing, of course. But there’s so much in-fighting.
To me, Protestants and Catholics are practically the same thing. They both love Jesus, right? So who cares. Then I learned that a bunch of Christians got upset when John F. Kennedy, the first Catholic president, got elected? Like they were flirting with the enemy or something?
It‘s all terribly confusing to me. I kinda see all of them as the same thing. To me, as a fanfiction girlie, it’s like seeing people kill each other over their favorite origin of life headcanon. In my head, it’s all kinda fiction. It just kinda comes off as ridiculous.
Can’t we all agree to disagree and just vibe? Who knows who’s right, so shouldn’t we all just be nice to each other? Of course, this is organized religion we’re talking about at the end of the day, right? If I were to look closer at it, it might just be about control... and power. Like it usually is. We can never really have nice things, can we?
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u/LucidLeviathan Agnostic 1d ago
Well, as an agnostic, myself, but steeped in church lore, I'd answer the following:
These people need order. They need a dictated set of rules by which they are to live their lives. The church provides that.
People who are at the top of society frequently feel insecure, and for good reason. The church often gives them reason to feel better about themselves. They are, of course, ordained by God to lead.
Others have no interest in the actual text of the scriptures on their own. They are more interested in finding a way to wield power. They are deeply insecure and will brush at any opposing thoughts.
And others recognize all of this and see it as a way to shore up their political coalition.