(March 21, 2014 at 1:00 pm)Chuck Wrote:(March 21, 2014 at 12:56 pm)Doubting Thomas Wrote: If Christians actually followed what Jesus said in the bible, like helping the poor instead of amassing wealth, living in peace, and forgiving people, and loving everyone as they love themselves, that would be healthy
Let's not confuse the ideal aesthetic appeal of a belief with whether it is healthy. Such an idealized version of christianity would not be very healthy for its own followers. It would contribut much to their being massacred, enslaved, or forceably converted, by the historic version of christainity, unless the idealized version were to make a mockery of itself by forcebly suppressing the rise of the many possible equivalents of the historic version of christianity.
What seems good is not good if it does not help itself prosper in the real world.
I would argue that that which is good does not rely on self-interest, but rather something deeper than self-interest. I agree with Doubting Thomas and add, that the ideal religious practice would be that which recognizes the right people have to believe what they please, and for the interested mind it would gladly share why it hold to its belief. That way respect and reason on both sides. A lot to ask for, I know, but I hold those of the same faith to a higher standard. Especially in light of all the misrepresentations and misconceptions some who claim to be under it seem to have about the religion itself.
