I was on Yahoo answers, and there was a person who was not particularly religious who asked a question.
Hmm...I bet you can all see where this is going. A person who's not religious, asking a question, to a crowd of crazy Christians. (Sorry, but those extremists need to get out of the media).
Here was a response the guy got...
"It has nothing to do with a "test." God made everything perfect for us. It is humans who reject God and question everything He does all the time, but everything God does is perfect. The only way into heaven is by believing the beautiful message of Christ Jesus. Please pray a sincere prayer with all your heart admitting to Him you are a sinner. Accept His gift of eternal life then you will be in heaven with Him forever. I pray that God blesses you with peace. Amen."
First of all, what's with this "God made everything perfect"? If God made everything perfect, then why are babies still born with dissabilities? We didn't cause that by rejecting God, so why does it happen?
But anyway, this all sounds like a cult. Worship the unknown leader, don't ask why, just do it. Admit that you're a sinner, admit you've done wrong, let him be your master. Don't question, no no no don't question, just believe. Believe it with all your heart and then finally you can go to...Heaven? Why do religious people use Heaven as their bartering tool? I mean, what's so great about it anyway? Why do we want to go there so much, especially if they're trying to convert someone who doesn't believe. In my experience non-believers have had stronger arguments against religion, than the people with arguments for religion.
Alright, I know I went all over the place with that but I found it pretty ridiculous.
Religion probably reminds you of a cult because cults are religion. Questionable religions but religions none the less. Some will probably argue that God did make everything perfect and then Eve took the apple (at least Christians might). Personally, I think that if God really wanted to make everything perfect he wouldn't have made the afore mentioned apple or the serpent that inticed her to take it.
But anyway, this all sounds like a cult. Worship the unknown leader, don't ask why, just do it. Admit that you're a sinner, admit you've done wrong, let him be your master. Don't question, no no no don't question, just believe.
Everybody questions religion at one time or another. Even people who appear to be blindly following it have questioned or will question at one time or another.
it with all your heart and then finally you can go to...Heaven? Why do religious people use Heaven as their bartering tool? I mean, what's so great about it anyway? Why do we want to go there so much
Because the afterlife seperates good from evil. These extremists might think that you must believe in Jesus or you will burn in Hell, but I simply think you must be a good person. It helps to believe in Jesus, but you don't have to. And don't you want to be a good person? Assuming it exists, wouldn't you want to be called good enough to go to heaven?
especially if they're trying to convert someone who doesn't believe.
Why especially? I'm confused here. The Christians think they know the truth, and so they want to convert people to know the truth so they can go to heaven... why does that make them bad people? It might get annoying to the other person, but if the Christians are right, then they're acually helping everyone. That's not to say I'm a convereter. I know it would mostly get rejected and only spew hatred by most people.
Is this thread supposed to just be a Christian-bashing thread? Because there are plenty of religious threads out there already full of intelligent discussion, and only conflict can arise from this thread.
Religion is just a way to control people. Humans are natural control freaks, and that means we don't just want to dominate our environment, we want to control everybody and everything in it. If we have control, we know we have power, and complex hierarchies and the conception that one person or thing controls everything below. That is where we get supreme rulers, popes and even God Himself. I don't believe in the god that everyone worships, just a higher deity or God that creates life and the universe.
Well basically a cult is a very small "religion" Christianity Muslims Buddhists and Hindus aren't necessarily cults they are a wide spread religion.
True, but cults are usually fairly odd/evil. It seems like major religions would try to avoid sounding like them...
why did you use "Religion" in the title but only target Christianity?
It seems like Christians are the ones who try to convert everyone else most the time. I mean most of them aren't like that, but there are too many that are. In my experience Muslims and Jews don't really do that as much.
Because the afterlife seperates good from evil. These extremists might think that you must believe in Jesus or you will burn in Hell, but I simply think you must be a good person. It helps to believe in Jesus, but you don't have to. And don't you want to be a good person? Assuming it exists, wouldn't you want to be called good enough to go to heaven?
Extremists of course, really I'm surprised that the rest of the Christians don't try to get rid of them. Unless of course they agree with them...hmm...I don't this so, but if this was a political party they would only keep extremists around if they agreed with them. You have a good point though, but like I said before if someone doesn't believe in God and all that already they probably don't care about going to Heaven. So why use that as a tool to attempt to convert someone? It's like offering someone chocolate to do something when they're allergic to it.
but if the Christians are right, then they're acually helping everyone.
Yes, but they don't know that they're right. Yet some still insult other people's views and won't accept that there are other theories out there.
Is this thread supposed to just be a Christian-bashing thread? Because there are plenty of religious threads out there already full of intelligent discussion, and only conflict can arise from this thread.
My intention was to discuss why major religions seem so much like those little cults you see in the movies. You know, they have their robes and stuff. Of course they are a small religion on their own, but like I said, you'd think that the major religions wouldn't want to be as closely related to those cults.
Really? My religion has gotten this stupid? *thinks about turning antagonostic*
Hahaha. Extremists are annoying, especially in religion. Luckily though an extreme Agnostic is Atheist, so I can be agnostic without those guys screwing up our image xD
True, but cults are usually fairly odd/evil. It seems like major religions would try to avoid sounding like them...
Lets talk about connotation and denotation because I feel this is a perfect example of how it affects what we think when we hear a word. A cult is simply a religion there's nothing more to it than that but the negative connotation affixed to the word. When we think of the word cult usualy you think of devil worship or super extremists (correct me if I'm wrong) I don't know why that is but it simply is. Maybe the Catholic church used it to hurt the belief in Pegan religions (Sorry reading the Da Cinci code good book.) I'm not honestly sure but I like I said it simply IS.
Yes, but they don't know that they're right. Yet some still insult other people's views and won't accept that there are other theories out there.
But we BELIEVE that we are the Soviet Union believed they were right but (in my opinion) they weren't, everyone believes things people used to be sure that stars were the spirit's of their dead but obviously there balls of gas, as The Lion King so beautifully put it. Whether or not we as Christians are right we believe we are and you believe we are wrong there's no proof either way. Either way the church in general does do a lot of good so even if we are wrong we helped people along the way so you know whatever.
Extremists of course, really I'm surprised that the rest of the Christians don't try to get rid of them. Unless of course they agree with them...hmm...
In practice most of us tend to avoid violence so instead of getting rid of them we try to show them there um wrongnes. Again this is all based on opinions.
First of all, what's with this "God made everything perfect"? If God made everything perfect, then why are babies still born with dissabilities? We didn't cause that by rejecting God, so why does it happen?
Obviously I wouldn't worship a God that created disease and war and hatred. So I stick to the conservative belief that God did create everythinggood but Adam and Eve messed it up a bit in the begging and here we are.
Really? My religion has gotten this stupid? *thinks about turning Agnostic*
Fix'd. :P
well, I, Myself, am Agnostic, But I like to think that there is a higher being... It's good to have a little faith, I just choose not to have very much.
Well, I respect Christianity. I respect all religion, but the extremists drive me crazy. Why bother Trying to convert those who refuse to believe? If they choose not to do so, then their loss, but there's no point in trying intensely to get them to believe in a giant, invisible man who can do anything. The way I see it, if you don't believe in something that farfetched in the first place, you probably won't later in life.
Hey, maybe Christianity is right. Maybe they're doing us a favor if they convert us, but it usually takes way more than one individual to make somebody convert. It would probably take a series of miraculous events.
God made everything perfect
Explain to me disease, poverty, and murder, then tell me God made everything perfect.
A cult is simply a religion there's nothing more to it than that but the negative connotation affixed to the word
Yes, but I think that it's sort of become that a cult is something negative. Even if the word doesn't mean that, that's what it pretty much is. Just like the gay thing, it literally means happy (along with other things) but that's not how we use it anymore.
[/quote]But we BELIEVE that we are
I understand that, it just seems like some religious people take it too far. It just seems disrespectful to try to help someone for not believing the same way you do. People who don't believe in God aren't sick.
In practice most of us tend to avoid violence[quote]
There wouldn't have to be violence. Just pretty much put it out there that they don't represent everyone else.
Hmm...this thread seems to be getting a bit off topic. Maybe we should just ignore it? Or if a mod comes along maybe change the title so that it covers a more broad topic. A few things this is going towards are the cult thing, whether or not it's right to try to convert someone if they're not religious, and maybe the separation of everyday Christians and the extremists.
Explain to me disease, poverty, and murder, then tell me God made everything perfect.
Obviously I wouldn't worship a God that created disease and war and hatred. So I stick to the conservative belief that God did create everything good but Adam and Eve messed it up a bit in the begging and here we are.
There wouldn't have to be violence. Just pretty much put it out there that they don't represent everyone else.
Unfortunately that's gossip which is..bad.
Yes, but I think that it's sort of become that a cult is something negative. Even if the word doesn't mean that, that's what it pretty much is. Just like the gay thing, it literally means happy (along with other things) but that's not how we use it anymore.
True but really it simply means religion.
About converting I tend to stick to the idea preach your faith always; use words only if necessary. It tends to work better be less um offensive. To be honest I don't want people to find me offensive but if they do I'm sorry but it's what I believe, please don't flame that.
