The need to believe?

[KevinM1]

I think some of the problems I have always had with organized religion is how it affects so few people in a positive way. I've known Christian men and women who are married for example who cheat on their spouses and pretend like they're single around others and then taut how important their faith is. Lol Everyone makes mistakes etc but if you live your life as if your faith really isn't relevant to your behavior, why are you clinging to the theist label? It's just stuff like that that's always irked me about many "believers."

Kind of like the lady in Kentucky was it who refused to give a marriage license to a gay couple but she herself was divorced a few times over? Lol what is faith really doing for that woman besides providing her with a scapegoat for her bigotry?

*decloak*

Christianity is often a game of who can humble-brag the best.  Truly humble people don't make a big show about how useless and terrible and worthless they are, but for the grace of their god.  Truly good people don't do good in order to point to it and say, "See?  I helped these poor sods!"  No, what's actually happening is a way for people to create a social pecking order based on the appearance of piety.

Lip service and hypocrisy are rife in environments like that, where perception matters more than action and deed.  So, it's not surprising that so many of these people are caught doing things that are directly opposed to what they preach, or that they're forgiven almost immediately.  It's all part of the game, and nothing is more satisfying to those playing it than to see one of their own fail... it moves the others up the leaderboard, after all.

Not all Christians are like that, of course, but more than enough are.  It's one of the many reasons why I tend to stay as far away as possible from people who are demonstrative in their 'belief'.  I have no patience for any of that kind of BS.

*recloaking*