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It's just a personal opinion / observation, not an attack or existential threat to anyone.
I have long seen the same thing, as have many others. I'm not the first and won't be the last person to point out the hypocrisy in many Christians. That doesn't mean I hate them or want to destroy them or their freedom to believe what they wish, or have no empathy for them ... it just acknowledges that some (arguably most) folks are followers and prefer to be told what to think and believe, and then follow that uncritically.
Sounds like the Catholic church. My experience as a Protestant has been different. We emphasize a personal relationship with God, over rituals.
Still, it frustrates me that you and other non-religious posters here label most Christians hypocrites. That’s not for you to judge, since you too have flaws.
Sounds like the Catholic church. My experience as a Protestant has been different. We emphasize a personal relationship with God, over rituals.
Still, it frustrates me that you and other non-religious posters here label most Christians hypocrites. That’s not for you to judge, since you too have flaws.
When christians stop judging everyone else...let me know
Sounds like the Catholic church. My experience as a Protestant has been different. We emphasize a personal relationship with God, over rituals.
I'm not talking about ritual vs relationship -- a concept that I very much "get" -- rather, I'm talking about accepting assertions (especially asserted fact or truth) without looking at or even requiring supporting evidence, excessive trust of or appeals to authority, things like that.
To give a rather simple / low level / non-controversial example, it used to be common beginning in the 1940s-1950s, to uncritically accept things you might hear on radio or TV or read in the paper because, "they wouldn't let them say such things if they weren't true" (or at least, I heard a lot of older folks talking this way when I was a kid). In other words, one reads news articles without considering the source or any substantiation presented, trusting that the news organization or the government or civil authorities somehow preside over all this to make sure it's correct (and would never want it to be misleading, lol), therefore, one needn't vet anything for themselves.
I see a great deal of that kind of thing in my experience of Christianity broadly. Reliance on tradition and ritual would only be one manifestation of that, and far from the only one.
Of course not. Religious faith and reason are diametrically opposed.
This is false. Religious faith, generally speaking, is in and of itself perfectly reasonable. To say otherwise is to say that the vast majority of humans throughout history, including some of the most intelligent and insightful I might add, have lacked reason. But there is a spectrum. Of course some religious claims are more reasonable than others.
This is false. Religious faith, generally speaking, is in and of itself perfectly reasonable. To say otherwise is to say that the vast majority of humans throughout history, including some of the most intelligent and insightful I might add, have lacked reason. But there is a spectrum. Of course some religious claims are more reasonable than others.
To believe in religion 200 years ago would have been reasonable, because humans lacked much scientific knowledge back then.
However, to believe in religion now with all the scientific knowledge we have about life and the universe is highly questionable.
To believe in religion 200 years ago would have been reasonable, because humans lacked much scientific knowledge back then.
However, to believe in religion now with all the scientific knowledge we have about life and the universe is highly questionable.
I believe in God, not religion, but you raise a good point. Most scientific knowledge of the subconscious mind has developed over the last 200 years, and there are significant parallels between the subconscious and what are often considered "God-like" thoughts. Some say the Holy Spirit lives in our subconscious. But at the same time, it's remarkable how little is still known about the subconscious compared to other parts of the body, read the neuroscientific journals and you get a lot of theories about dreams and the unconscious mind. And yet, the subconscious is also thought to be a key source of motivation, desire, creativity, etc.
The question then of how to influence the subconscious is often said to be "The Secret", "Affirmations", "Vision Boards" or other pop culture garbage. In fact, there is no better way to influence your subconscious in my view than to follow Jesus, and consider the teachings of the New Testament that deal with the limitations of your flesh and earthly existence. Science and data teach us more about our flesh and earthly life everyday, but as we face more choices, it does little to provide our hearts and souls with purpose and meaning for this life. And this is where God can help us.
Religion itself can detract us from God, because in some cases it focuses on deeds, works, and customs which take on a life of their own, and have nothing to do with faith. So my belief in religion diminishes as my faith in God grows.
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