All the problems with Christianity

[Avodaiah]

1) Christianity encourages arrogance among its followers.
I agree with you on at least one thing, Esquilax: It is a mistake for a Christian to think of themself as somehow better than a non-Christian. It doesn't turn the world into the Saved and the Evil; we are all equally evil, but being saved means we have a chance to change. It is because of God, not us, so there's no reason for us to be arrogant. If we are, then that's a problem with the Christians themselves, but Christianity in no way supports it.

2) Christianity commands us to do evil things.
I've read a lot of the Bible (not its entirety, I'm ashamed to say) but I've not come across one of Jesus's commandments that is truly evil. Let me use BSB4's examples:
-No coveting.
At first glance, this may seem like an exercise in futility. It commands us to put aside all motivation to build a successful comfortable life and future for ourselves, since we cannot even desire things we don't have.
Except that's not what the commandment is.
The commandment says, Don't covet things that belong to other people. As in, if someone has something you'd like, don't resent them or hate them for it. Be happy for them, because something good happened to them.
-Give no thought for the morrow.
YOLO, right?
Wrong.
This teaching says, Do not WORRY about tomorrow. Don't be afraid of what will happen that you have no idea about. Don't embrace every little fear as if it were the end of the world. Believe me, I've done this before, it's miserable and nothing good comes out of it.
-Abandon your loved ones.
I'm not sure where it says this, can you please elaborate?

3) Christianity commands us to abandon reason in favor of faith.
If you come across a branch of Christianity that teaches this, I don't blame you if you want nothing to do with what they teach. But there are definitely some Christians who disagree. Saving faith, "Christian" faith if you will, is not what happens when you say "I don't know if this it right, but I'll go with it just in case" (I'm looking at you, Ray Comfort) or "I can feel - in my heart - that Christianity is true!" The kind of faith I'm talking about is based on evidence. It says, "Here are my reasons to believe that there is a God, and what He says is true. It's evidence that He's truthful and reliable. Now that I have my reasons, it's time to put them into practice and believe what God says." If you haven't found any good reason to believe in God, to be honest I don't blame you for not having faith in Him. But I would encourage you to keep looking, because whether you believe in God or not, if you're wrong you've missed everything.

I know I kind of summarized your posts in single sentences, but I hope I got the general idea.

[FallentoReason]

The kind of faith I'm talking about is based on evidence. It says, "Here are my reasons to believe that there is a God, and what He says is true. It's evidence that He's truthful and reliable. Now that I have my reasons, it's time to put them into practice and believe what God says." If you haven't found any good reason to believe in God, to be honest I don't blame you for not having faith in Him. But I would encourage you to keep looking, because whether you believe in God or not, if you're wrong you've missed everything.

I take it you live out what you preach, so if you don't mind, please show me the evidence that compels you to believe in Christianity.

[Esquilax]

You seem like you're approaching this in an honest spirit of inquisitiveness, so I'm going to play nice, though I'm also not going to pull my punches. Be warned.

1) Christianity encourages arrogance among its followers.
I agree with you on at least one thing, Esquilax: It is a mistake for a Christian to think of themself as somehow better than a non-Christian. It doesn't turn the world into the Saved and the Evil; we are all equally evil, but being saved means we have a chance to change. It is because of God, not us, so there's no reason for us to be arrogant. If we are, then that's a problem with the Christians themselves, but Christianity in no way supports it.

I'd suggest to you that teaching that everyone in the world is evil is itself something that's terrible about religion, but a quick search through the bible also reveals a persistent devaluing of the nonbeliever over the believer; the fool has said in his heart there is no god, after all. Arrogance may not be explicitly encouraged, but the idea that those who are saved are just plain better than those who are not is well founded within your religion.

2) Christianity commands us to do evil things.
I've read a lot of the Bible (not its entirety, I'm ashamed to say) but I've not come across one of Jesus's commandments that is truly evil.

Then you haven't been looking hard enough, because I don't take "slaves, obey your masters," to be a moral commandment. But it's there, along with a parable from Jesus himself that endorses the beating of slaves. Combine those with the never-repealed old testament rules for the owning of slaves from the tribes around you, and we've got one hell of an immoral system, right there. Here, take a look.

Let me use BSB4's examples:
-No coveting.
At first glance, this may seem like an exercise in futility. It commands us to put aside all motivation to build a successful comfortable life and future for ourselves, since we cannot even desire things we don't have.
Except that's not what the commandment is.
The commandment says, Don't covet things that belong to other people. As in, if someone has something you'd like, don't resent them or hate them for it. Be happy for them, because something good happened to them.

Actually, a little delve into the rest of the book hints that it's just coveting in general that's forbidden: "But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death."

The kind of faith I'm talking about is based on evidence.

What kind of evidence are you talking about? Believe me, I've been exposed to plenty, and the thing is, there are counter arguments for everything that I've heard. And whenever I see those counters used, I never then see a christian let go of their faith, or even soften their position. That faith gets its hooks in, even beyond the efficacy of the evidence that put it there.

But I would encourage you to keep looking, because whether you believe in God or not, if you're wrong you've missed everything.

Skirting Pascal's Wager, there: if any of us are wrong in any direction, based on any religion, we're all missing out. We're all taking the same risk, here.

[Cinjin]

we are all equally evil, but being saved means we have a chance to change.

That's what you've been told, and the fact that you believe this nonsense shows a common gullibility among your kind. I am not evil, and as foolish as you may be, I doubt that you have much evil in you either. Joseph Mengele was evil. Emperor Caligula was evil. Westboro Baptist is evil. I am not.

2) Christianity commands us to do evil things.
I've read a lot of the Bible (not its entirety, I'm ashamed to say) but I've not come across one of Jesus's commandments that is truly evil.

Your god condones Rape, Kidnapping, Murder, and Slavery. You really should either read that Bible you defend or possibly consider worshiping a god of another, more peaceful religion.

See this site as well if you are offended by the aforementioned website.

[Lemonvariable72]

Well the bible defines faith as this

Hebrews 11

1Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2For by it the men of old gained approval

That has no place in a skeptics world veiw, and if you had evidence of christianity the word faith would be unneeded.But the that your god could reveal himself at any moment and yet forces us to for go our critical thinking and just have faith in him, and what others claim to say for him, that makes him evil. That means he is intentionally sending people to hell when all he had to do is reveal himself for a moment to said people.
You wanted a evil command out the mouth of jesus
Matthew
15:3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
15:4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
15:5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
15:6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
15:7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,

Does stoning your kids to death because they are unruly count as evil enough? Because here is another evil command from the mouth of jesus

Luke
12:46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
12:47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

He is okay with owning and beating slaves too
Your god of your religion is so evil it's hard to think of any way in which he is good, infact let me detail it like this
1.Rage
In the book of samuel, god murder uzziah simply because he reached out to stop the ark from falling
2. Greed
A all powerful god demands that a bunch bronze age farmers give him a tenth of all they own, apparently punishes them when they don't
3. Sloth
Your god can't even be bothered to show himself for a moment in a lab, and renigged on the promises made by jesus around his second coming.
4. Envy
God orders anyone who turns from worshiping him to be murdered, as well people that worship other gods.
5. Pride
God constantly reminds the Jews of old testament how he is jealous, and how he rose them up from Egypt, and often brags about being jealous.
6. Gluttony
He demands you engage in symbolic cannibalism with the body and blood of his son.
7. Lust
In the book of numbers he orders moses and the isrealites to destroy the midianites ( the people that sheltered moses earlier)
And to kill everyone that is not a virgin girl, but take all the virgin girls fuck toys instead (they were barred from marrying them)

What me to keep going?

[KichigaiNeko]

Oh groan....

Apologies Avodaiah, as Min has pointed out, there are THOUSANDS of xtianity/ religions to choose from and they are ALL vile/ evil. The pity is that the grass root adherents on the whole are not and deserve much better leadership then they currently have starting from the major deity to the godboy and then to the various "prophets and messengers" who appear to make quite a health living out of gullible fools like yourself.

[max-greece]

Too......much.......material.......can't.......think.......help!

OK, as coveting has come up here we go:

I am walking up the road. A brand new bright red Ferrari drives past. I think; "Oh - I wish that was mine."

That is coveting. For me that's right up there with crimes like picking your nose but not as high as spitting our your gum on the sidewalk.

That this made it into the 10 commandments, whilst rape, child molesting, slavery and so on didn't tells me all I need to know about your God.

Of course the fact that your God suffers from wroth, pride, envy and vanity to extraordinary proportions doesn't help in that whole perfection thing either.

We could also bring up that Jesus (Joshua really) mentions several times in the gospel that he is here "only for the Jews" (Children, Children of Israel etc.) really doesn't help the Christian faith. It seems he didn't give a fuck about you, unless you have a Jewish mother.

[Lemonvariable72]

Too......much.......material.......can't.......think.......help!

OK, as coveting has come up here we go:

I am walking up the road. A brand new bright red Ferrari drives past. I think; "Oh - I wish that was mine."

That is coveting. For me that's right up there with crimes like picking your nose but not as high as spitting our your gum on the sidewalk.

That this made it into the 10 commandments, whilst rape, child molesting, slavery and so on didn't tells me all I need to know about your God.

Of course the fact that your God suffers from wroth, pride, envy and vanity to extraordinary proportions doesn't help in that whole perfection thing either.

We could also bring up that Jesus (Joshua really) mentions several times in the gospel that he is here "only for the Jews" (Children, Children of Israel etc.) really doesn't help the Christian faith. It seems he didn't give a fuck about you, unless you have a Jewish mother.

O forget the Christian gods repulsive enforce of thought crime. Don't look at the cute girl across the street, but stone the disobedient child

[T.J.]

We are doomed to burn in a lake of fire for all eternity if we don't accept Jesus into our heart because man ate an apple (or whatever the hell they're calling it now) from a tree that was only there because God put it there and tempted man to begin with, and then proceeded to martyr his son (which is also himself, somehow) so that we may have an out which we wouldn't need had God not put said tree in said garden for man to be tempted to eat in the first place.

That's my main beef.

[Cinjin]

We are doomed to burn in a lake of fire for all eternity if we don't accept Jesus into our heart because man ate an apple (or whatever the hell they're calling it now) from a tree that was only there because God put it there and tempted man to begin with, and then proceeded to martyr his son (which is also himself, somehow) so that we may have an out which we wouldn't need had God not put said tree in said garden for man to be tempted to eat in the first place.

That's my main beef.

Reminds me of this little nugget of truth: