Religious beliefs need to stop.

[Sword of Christ]

It would be a bit out of character for him I think really. He's meant to be everything that is good in humanity/creation itself.

[Angrboda]

It would be a bit out of character for him I think really. He's meant to be everything that is good in humanity/creation itself.

(emphasis mine)

Meant to be by whom or what?

[Bad Wolf]

It would be a bit out of character for him I think really. He's meant to be everything that is good in humanity/creation itself.

He told Abraham to kill his son, it is not out of his character at all

[The Reality Salesman01]

and around and around we go....

[Chas]

Do you have a particular objection to something he said? I have to say, if there's a Christ other than the one that's in The Bible, I am unfamiliar with it.

Seek him and you shall find. hock:

Sam Harris won't find him while he's beavering away up his own bum though, he needs come out into the light.

That's the one he spoke directly about, and cited Bible verses from both the old and new testament (as if it mattered).

But not the genuine Christ so anything he's talking about I can just agree with. There is some terrible stuff in the Bible but that's because our moral standards have actually improved since then. They improved for a good reason, and it's not because of science.

Nice strawman there, yourself.

No one says that moral values have improved because of science.

[Minimalist]

They may have had Christianity as a religion but they didn't have the genuine Christ.

You're a pompous ass. I bet you are a TRUE Xtian and the others are just faking it, huh?

Sorry, pal. That shit doesn't cut it. No one died and made you the fucking pope.

[Bad Writer]

The genuine Christ! Well, I heard the Catholics eat his genuine flesh every Sunday. Perhaps if you're searching for the real McCoy, you'd better swipe yourself a box of their Jeebus wafers.

[Sword of Christ]

It would be a bit out of character for him I think really. He's meant to be everything that is good in humanity/creation itself.

(emphasis mine)

Meant to be by whom or what?

Because he's 100% sin free, the lamb without blemish. He's also technically God, God isn't going to tell you to shoot someone in the head. Though you can imagine a scenario where shooting someone specifically in the head would be beneficial or in some cases part of your job. If Jesus were to appear on the battlefield and point out a hidden sniper position you could thank him and then take the sniper out. It does depend on the specific scenario.

He told Abraham to kill his son, it is not out of his character at all

He wanted to teach Abraham that he wasn't the kind of God he thought he was. He does not ever demand human sacrifice (or just the one). Jews and Muslims still practice a type of ritual sacrifice of animals when you consider Kosher and Halal meat but it's not something we need to do of course.

No one says that moral values have improved because of science.

I didn't say they did. But you're not say "morality is culturally relative" so you're not doing this atheism thing right.

You're a pompous ass. I bet you are a TRUE Xtian and the others are just faking it, huh?

Sorry, pal. That shit doesn't cut it. No one died and made you the fucking pope.

The main problem with former Christians you see who lost all their faith is that the faith was purely emotional and culturally transmitted. You have to understand God to be the rational alternative to atheism and you can't see God as in opposition to science or the modern worldview. If your faith is not backed up by reason/science and you're pretty well educated then it's going be demolished the moment you try to apply reason or attempt to justify your beliefs. A lot of Christians haven't read Bible either what they know is generally just from cultural transmission or from family, again if you're well educated or have a passion to know what is really true then you will find yourself in the atheist camp sooner or later. It's a combination of a good education and a poor understanding.

I wouldn't recommend a Christian who doesn't know very much about scripture do what Pen Jillette advises and read the whole of the Bible right through without a supplementary guidebook explaining what they're reading. It most certainly would "fix them right up" for some proper reason/science or however you see it if they're in the wrong frame of mind/understanding of it. There are a lot of good Christian books to support a well reasoned faith such as say Mere Christianity by C.S Lewis.

[Bad Writer]

Reading the Bible without supplements or rose-colored glasses should not be necessary if the Bible truly is the "good book". Even you admit that that's simply not true, which is why you must utter suggestions such as "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis.

[Sword of Christ]

Reading the Bible without supplements or rose-colored glasses should not be necessary if the Bible truly is the "good book".

It's a very difficult thing to understand and there are of course various things in there that an atheist would like to bring up as evidence that God is actually pure evil and all that business. If you're not prepared to encounter that then it may well "fix you up" for reason, logic and pure science or however you see it. But then it also has the power to "fix up" an atheist and give him the delusion of theism (as you think of it) if they were to seriously study it and understand it within the context. So you should read it yourself, again with a scholarly guidebook because it's difficult stuff to deal with. Before you do this you may need to free your mind a little from your little naturalistic box, else you will get nothing from it at all.

Even you admit that that's simply not true, which is why you must utter suggestions such as "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis.

It is true and Mere Christianity is a very good book to read, though a little dated. Also read Timothy Kellers Reason for God which is cracking book for atheists. It ought to get your juices flowing, if your minds open enough and not already 100% made up. Though I'm under the impression it has been in your case but for anyone else who is interested this is the stuff to look at. Along with the Bible itself of course, Old Testament included. By all means look at the other religious texts as well.