Interesting...
You believe asking the average person to work towards bettering themselves with the ultimate goal of perfect action is unfair?
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Arrogance and Religion
- Thread starter Just_me_Mike
- Start date
You believe asking the average person to work towards bettering themselves with the ultimate goal of perfect action is unfair?
Storm
ThrUU the Looking Glass
Yep. Expecting perfection is not reasonable. And Christianity doesn't even stop at perfect action, it even demands perfect thought.
It does not make a difference that rather than perfection, it expects effort towards becoming perfect?
To bring people into communion with God...
dogsgod
Well-Known Member
So it's an exclusive club, for the indoctrinated.
Storm
ThrUU the Looking Glass
The whole "perfection" thing is a deal breaker for me, yeah.
TheKnight
Guardian of Life
Personally, I don't think so. Many religious people (Abrahamics especially) hold themselves to a higher standard (regardless of whether they keep the standard or not).
Pointing out that they don't keep the standard they espouse isn't unfair. However, it is certainly lacking in tact to point it out arrogantly.
Expecting that people strive towards perfection isn't reasonable? Then what on Earth should people strive for?
The greatest ability man has is to improve himself towards the goal of a perfection that is infinitely distant from him. We can always get better than what we are, we can always grow and learn more than we knew, we can always improve ourselves. How is that unreasonable?
Storm
ThrUU the Looking Glass
Something attainable.
It's not. It's also not perfection.
To be fair, it's the expectation of perfection combined with the threat of damnation that's really a deal breaker.
TheKnight
Guardian of Life
If we're really being fair, we realize that Christianity (at least in terms of what one can deduce from the Bible) doesn't say you have to be perfect to be saved. You only have to believe to be saved from damnation. The threat of damnation applies to non-belief. Not to the failure of behaving perfectly.
Storm
ThrUU the Looking Glass
Which only serves to complicate things further, but we're rather off topic.
dogsgod
Well-Known Member
Now there's a definition of a high moral standard. All's fair in love and torture.
Comicaze247
See the previous line
Arrogance is not limited to the big three. I've met plenty of other religions who are just as arrogant about other beliefs.So you don't believe in the big three, or her sisters and brothers. You have found a smaller less known belief that suits your fancy.
Or, perhaps better yet you have created your own, completely out of the thin air aided by your past experiences.
All should demand respect, so long as they respect others, but where is the arrogance in all of this?
If I say I denounce the Jewish religion, and cite and handful of reasons, yet don't stop there and explain I have come up with my own beliefs, do you not realize it is just as faulty and arrogant as those sticking with one of the big three?
Something strangely odd in the manner, interaction, and over all demeanor of any and all religions. Something I can't quite put my finger own, but it smells SO MUCH of arrogance. Maybe I'm wrong
Arrogance is not a religious thing. It's a human thing.
We, as a species, are still in our "adolescent" stage (if not younger), thinking we know everything already, and nobody else understands. We have yet to grow up. While some people already have, the rest of humanity, as a whole, still has to catch up for our species to grow. Once that happens, the arrogance will lessen, and we will be able to function better for it.
Oh, honestly! Following a faith is a ongoing process. The point is that we strive to better ourselves and we use God to help us. Christians read Jesus' words so we can follow them; other faiths have their own writings. No one is perfect, not even people who follow a faith or religion. :angel2:
dogsgod
Well-Known Member
Boethiah
Penguin
It is with THAT attitude...
The point of the religion for the individual would be to strive to learn from Christ's teachings to make themselves better individuals in measure to the teachings of Christ.
It depends on how one defines "perfect". If perfect is defined as "without flaw", then the individual would derive what a flaw is from the Bible (if they are a Christian).
No one is perfect. I don't think that is the point. To a Christian, Jesus is probably the only symbol of human perfection. I don't think Christians expect to be exactly like Jesus. That would be impossible.
Any person of any religion or lack thereof can strive to become better. The way one goes about it and how one defines "better" is the diving factor. Religion is just a choice for some.
Smoke
Done here.
That's not precisely true. You can practice Christianity openly in China; what you cannot do openly is to be a member of an unregistered and therefore illegal congregation.
It is legal to import Bibles into China. It is, however, illegal to smuggle Bibles into China, particularly for the use of banned groups.
dogsgod
Well-Known Member
I read post #50, we can see how it works.
Boethiah
Penguin
That interpretation has no sway on the fact that religion has a point.