It depends on how they act on their Christianity.
I find the religion itself vile. What it teaches, how it teaches it... what little good there is in it is buried under a metric ton of stuff that celebrates self-loathing, fear, subjugation, etc. What I've noticed is that believers employ a lot of cognitive dissonance in order to twist it into a romantic notion. Pop Christianity is very different than what's actually presented in the book. And the religion is built on the foundation 'interpreting it correctly' because church leaders and believers know that the bulk of it describes an angry, capricious god that no one in their right mind would willingly choose to follow that entity. So, they focus on the 30-something years of Jesus' life instead of the thousands of years when god acted like a dick.
Pop Christianity is a double edged sword. On the one hand, it's a lot more palatable in some ways. There's a huge PR push in acting like Jesus. Loving everyone, being pacifistic, being charitable, etc. Those are good ideas, even if the stated origin of them is dubious. And people acting in those ways are doing good things. On the other, there's a huge movement dedicated to turning America into Christian Saudi Arabia. These are the people who push creationism in school, try to - literally - white wash history, who attempt to discredit science at every turn, who use phrases like 'legitimate rape'. These are pushing a backwards and immoral agenda.
Sometimes, those are the same people, which makes things difficult.
Ultimately, I don't think religion in and of itself causes people to be good or bad. I think it's a combination of biology (mental illnesses, perhaps... other chemical imbalances) and environment, in which religion is just one of many factors. Which is why the typical Christian outlook that one can only be good if they believe is a bunch of BS. Belief really has no bearing on one's actions because the true believer will always find a way to rationalize what they do. Just like most other humans.
I find the religion itself vile. What it teaches, how it teaches it... what little good there is in it is buried under a metric ton of stuff that celebrates self-loathing, fear, subjugation, etc. What I've noticed is that believers employ a lot of cognitive dissonance in order to twist it into a romantic notion. Pop Christianity is very different than what's actually presented in the book. And the religion is built on the foundation 'interpreting it correctly' because church leaders and believers know that the bulk of it describes an angry, capricious god that no one in their right mind would willingly choose to follow that entity. So, they focus on the 30-something years of Jesus' life instead of the thousands of years when god acted like a dick.
Pop Christianity is a double edged sword. On the one hand, it's a lot more palatable in some ways. There's a huge PR push in acting like Jesus. Loving everyone, being pacifistic, being charitable, etc. Those are good ideas, even if the stated origin of them is dubious. And people acting in those ways are doing good things. On the other, there's a huge movement dedicated to turning America into Christian Saudi Arabia. These are the people who push creationism in school, try to - literally - white wash history, who attempt to discredit science at every turn, who use phrases like 'legitimate rape'. These are pushing a backwards and immoral agenda.
Sometimes, those are the same people, which makes things difficult.
Ultimately, I don't think religion in and of itself causes people to be good or bad. I think it's a combination of biology (mental illnesses, perhaps... other chemical imbalances) and environment, in which religion is just one of many factors. Which is why the typical Christian outlook that one can only be good if they believe is a bunch of BS. Belief really has no bearing on one's actions because the true believer will always find a way to rationalize what they do. Just like most other humans.
"I was thirsty for everything, but blood wasn't my style" - Live, "Voodoo Lady"
