An "ex", eh.
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Why do some Atheists say Christianity is harmful?
- Thread starter Melchizedek99
- Start date
Sgt. Pepper
All you need is love.
This is true, as I am a former Christian who suffered years of abuse and bullying at the hands of Christians. My survivors of childhood abuse support group consists of a majority of former Christians and current Christians on the verge of abandoning Christianity who suffered abuse at the hands of either their Christian parents, other Christian relatives, or other Christian adults. And for the record, I don't accept the No True Scotsman fallacy, so if the OP or any other Christian is tempted to mention it in defense of Christianity, then my advice is don't waste your time. I think it's nothing more than a lousy cop-out.
Melchizedek99
Member
Which I think is healthy
If I'd been around a few hundred years ago your wonderful church would have been put to death
By saying persecuting heretics is good you are basically saying I should be put to death for my beliefs so pardon me for taking that personally
As would a great many Christians
And what about the children's crusades? How does that even make sense??
And if your church is so awesome how can you possibly justify this:
Magdalene Laundries in Ireland - Wikipedia
en.m.wikipedia.org
They were run by sadists, it was slave labour, there is no way the victims deserved to be sent to such places
Also, why has your church covered up the evil activities of the very worst kind of perverts who are members of the clergy? I wouldn't call that ultimate good
Look, not everyone in the church is perfect, but the message is good. And well sometimes people do bad things. But lets be honest far more evil stuff happens outside the church.
Melchizedek99
Member
If they bullied you and abused you brutally, they werent good christians to begin with. So why do you say christianity caused them to do this?
Well they might have been christians, but they ignored what christianity teaches.
I think most people who claim to be ex-homosexuals and who are now supposedly heterosexual are in fact truly bi
Melchizedek99
Member
With ex-homosexual i mean i try to live a celibate life now. Although it can get lonely sometimes. Its better than to burn in hell for eternity.
Sgt. Pepper
All you need is love.
"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Mahatma Gandhi
Another favorite quote of mine relating to Christians: "The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians: who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” - Brennan Manning
Orbit
I'm a planet
Well, they point to many things:
1. Religious wars; just look at the Middle East, and Europe before that.
2. Harm from religious majorities persecuting religious minorities or the non-religious in their countries, including killing them.
3. In the U.S., the rise of Christian Nationalism, which seeks complete religious control over society, replacing democracy with theocracy, with resulting abrogation of civil rights for non-Christians
4. Religious-based denial of rights to women, and in the past, to slaves.
5. Purity culture is harmful, making what is natural (sex), shameful and guilt-inducing.
6. Millionaire and billionaire televangelists immorally seeking poor people's dollars, promising every donation guarantees God's favor.
Melchizedek99
Member
You expect christians to be perfect. Why is that, if you think their belief is bull**** anyway? Why do you hold them up to a higher standard?
Also do you understand that just because christians arent perfect, christianity isnt wrong?
IndigoChild5559
Loving God and my neighbor as myself.
First, let's define a Christian. In my book, it is anyone who believes Jesus is the messiah who died for their sins.
That said, there have been many evil Christians in history, as well as highly toxic Christian churches.
Consider that on their way to fight the crusades, Christian soldiers took it upon themselves to genocide Jewish shtetls. That's just one example of a great many evils that Christians have done in the history of the church.
Next, let's talk about toxic churches. You do of course have your extreme cases like Branch Davidian and People's Temple. But in truth, there are many small little churches that are simply emotionally damaging to the people in their midst, with their critical judgmentalism, their severe control of people, and their willingness to allow abuse to take place. I had a very good friend who attended Assembly of God. The pastor's son molested her daughter. When she brought it before the board, she was told she was making trouble and that she needed to leave the church.
In short, I'm sure there are many non-Christians (and even people who have managed to stay Christian) in this very forum who could tell you horror stories. There are actually support groups to help people recover from the damage of toxic churches--religious trauma syndrome is a very real thing.
If you think you are going to slither out of the truth by saying "Oh, but those weren't REAL Christians," please know that we already are aware that the "No True Scotsman" argument is a logical fallacy, and will not win you any points.
The message such as predatory perverts have nothing to fear in your organisation?
If an idea doesn't truly work out in reality then I think that doesn't say positive things about the idea
If the idea doesn't work out in practice then I think that's a sure sign it's flawed
Has Christianity made the world a better place? I'd say yes. Has it also made it a worse place? Certainly. It's not a black and white issue, it is a shade of grey
To say it's all good would be ignorant
And the practice of Christianity is derived from the religion, so if people who practice Christianity do bad things then it is only logical and honest to put those bad things on Christianity, to attribute the acts of the believers to the religion
Melchizedek99
Member
1. Most wars were political.
2. Religious freedom can be sometimes also a bad thing. Like tolerating satanism occultism etc.
3. Good, society should be guided by christian values and principles, not hollywood satanism.
4. Only in islam.
5. No, sex before marriying and only for pleasure, andh omosexuality is not natural. Its natural to have sex for making kids, otherwise, not natural.
6. Yes, but they dont represent christian orthodoxy.
God is love!
"Do as we say or God will horribly torture you for all eternity"
Pardon me for no longer being a Christian
Melchizedek99
Member
Youre jewish arent you? Because of the menorah? Its true that we christians didnt really tolerate judaism. But not because out of sadism, but becase we wanted to save your souls!!!!
So now I know I can answer. Covering up of child abuse by the Catholic Church,
Melchizedek99
Member
Well you neverh eard about child abuse in secular institutions, people dont care. But they care very much in the catholic church. Isnt that selective outrage? Isnt both bad?
Melchizedek99
Member
Thats just silly if you truly believed in it, you cant just abandon it, you simply cant.
IndigoChild5559
Loving God and my neighbor as myself.
Yeah, you are so worried about our souls that you kill us.
Melchizedek99
Member
Well you tried to dechristianize society, and people got angry about it. Now im not saying you personally did that, but Jews never liked christianity. And no it doesnt have to do with history, they hated it before.
Oh, I believed in it all right but I came to see it for what it is.......