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 Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 4:23 pm
I see a lot of Christians I know do bad things and then say "Oh I'll just pray for forgiveness later."
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Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2010 10:47 am
G0TH1C G33K Why is it that Christians will do good because they think it's the Christian thing to do when normal people like myself will do a good deed because we want to? This in no way is meant to be mean, I merely noticed that most Christians do nice because they feel they need to. Perhaps they do good not because they just think it is the right thing to do, but know it is the right thing to do. You say normal people do them because they want to. Do you think Christians don't want to? Desire precedes action so I think they (myself included) want to. Your desire to do good is the spark of God (for only God is truly good) that part of you that resembles your Father in heaven, even if you do not know Him. He is the creator of all good. We are imitating Him in some small way, like like a child natually does. Doesn't it tell you who you belong too?
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Posted: Tue Aug 03, 2010 11:52 am
A lot of you seem to have an extremely limited understanding of the Christian faith and of people in general. If you think that the majority of Christians only give because God says so and that they don't care, they devote a large part of their lives to helping the poor, they give money, food, and time just because they might go to heaven?
Does that honestly sound reasonable to you? You don't think that they do it because they actually care? I think it's extremely offensive of any of you to mindlessly say or suggest that John Smith or Jane Doe is only helping at the hunger drive because they think it will get them into heaven that they don't actually care. That's messed up.
In the bible Jesus lists one of the two greatest commandments as love your neighbor. It describes love (or charity) as this:
1 Cor. 13 4-8 4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; [2] 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends.
That is what a Christian must embrace if they don't, if they just go through the motions then what are they? Not much of a Christian and not much of a human being either.
1 Cor 13 1-3 13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, [1] but have not love, I gain nothing.
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Posted: Tue Aug 03, 2010 5:21 pm
G0TH1C G33K Why is it that Christians will do good because they think it's the Christian thing to do when normal people like myself will do a good deed because we want to? This in no way is meant to be mean, I merely noticed that most Christians do nice because they feel they need to. I take that you don't believe that Christians are normal people smile . The Christians that I know do good things because they continuously learn how to follow in the footsteps of Christ it's an ongoing thing; and in the process, because they are flesh,they do error. When they do error they should ask for forgiveness once they are aware of what they did; It's a good way to get back on track. The Christians you know that do otherwise (I'll ask for forgiveness later on) have a price tag to pay, consequences, and they will answer for it after all is said and done. As a Christian I always thought my purpose here on earth was to please GOD. Is this considered abnormal? May you have a blessed day.
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Posted: Tue Aug 03, 2010 7:17 pm
In defense of atheists, a lot of the reason atheists may mistake charitable acts by Christians as done simply for the sake of standing within the afterlife or with God is more than likely that's the reason they're given. If a Christian tells someone they help out the poor because the bible says it's the right thing to do and leaves it at that, well, that's where we're going to jump to the conclusion that such charitable act wasn't done as a personal act but was done simply for religious standing. Of course there's also bound to be cases where the atheist doesn't even bother to ask and on the same token there's also bound to be cases of 'rice' Christians.
Honestly, a lot of the animosity between atheists and religious practitioners is more than likely a simple matter of miscommunication. One side doesn't understand the point of view or actions of the other and builds up stereotypes based on those conclusions they jumped to.
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Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 5:46 pm
i do understand what you're talking about. however, there are different Christians. i'm not saying that the people you've described are any less Christians. i do good things not because i feel like i have to, but because i want to.
when people say "oh, i'm going to do this because i have to" or "i'm going to do this because i'm a Christian," i don't think they literally mean it. it could've been a miscommunication.
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Posted: Thu Aug 19, 2010 6:41 pm
G0TH1C G33K Why is it that Christians will do good because they think it's the Christian thing to do when normal people like myself will do a good deed because we want to? This in no way is meant to be mean, I merely noticed that most Christians do nice because they feel they need to.
If someone falls, most of the time, we all will help, or want to help, that person up. Regardless of creed. Of course, Christians are merely directed to do it in a way that is praise worthy of God, is all, really.
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Posted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 9:14 pm
G0TH1C G33K Why is it that Christians will do good because they think it's the Christian thing to do when normal people like myself will do a good deed because we want to? This in no way is meant to be mean, I merely noticed that most Christians do nice because they feel they need to.
God gives humans "Free Will" It is up to us weather to do good or Bad. Yes Many Christians act nice because they want to gain the Lord's favor, however that in itself contradicts Christian beliefs because God tells us to Not be hipocrites. Here is a verse from the Bible, Gospel Mattew 6:21 " Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven. On that day many will say to me ' Lord, Lord, did we not prohesy in your name?and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then I will declare to them, ' I never knew you; Depart from me you evildoers.'Christians should do works of kindness not from fear or ambition, but instead do works of kindness from the heart. That is what makes a true christan. It is difficult but not impossible. Look at the Catholic Priests during WWII; 7,000 Priests died during Nazi rule because they helped out Jews. The Priests knew their life was at risk for helping out Jews, Yet they did it out of true compassion from their heart.
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Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 7:26 am
I have a better question: is God telling us to do good things because they're good or are things good because God asks us to do them?
Honestly and seriously, I think it will always depend on situation, way of raising, when the child gets taught about religion's ethics and so on and so on... The question of this topic can't be answered simply yes or no. There are too many people out there, you know? whee
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Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 7:14 pm
Raticiel I have a better question: is God telling us to do good things because they're good or are things good because God asks us to do them? Honestly and seriously, I think it will always depend on situation, way of raising, when the child gets taught about religion's ethics and so on and so on... The question of this topic can't be answered simply yes or no. There are too many people out there, you know? whee Ah, but then you get into a terrible dilemma. If God makes up laws for us to obey, these commands are entirely arbitrary. He could just as well have said, "Never tell the truth," and you'd technically be doing good. Does something inside you rebel? What does that something tell you? "No, God would never command that"? If you begin to think this way, God seems less like a moral lawgiver and more like a piece of paper upon which the law is written. The moral law is higher than he. Then, I must ask, what is the point of God giving us laws if we can know them ourselves without a middleman?
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Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 7:25 pm
Raticiel I have a better question: is God telling us to do good things because they're good or are things good because God asks us to do them? Honestly and seriously, I think it will always depend on situation, way of raising, when the child gets taught about religion's ethics and so on and so on... The question of this topic can't be answered simply yes or no. There are too many people out there, you know? whee Things are good because God defines them as good. I don't think it's like if one of us was in charge and got to say was right, and what wasn't; it's more like good God is the source of good, and what opposes Him is automatically evil. So God tells us to do things because they're good and He's not just coming up with rules off the top of His head, but He also defines what is good. тнιѕ ωσяℓ∂ ∂σєѕи'т мαттєя тσ мє...иσт αт αℓℓ...
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Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 7:37 pm
xxEverBluexx Raticiel I have a better question: is God telling us to do good things because they're good or are things good because God asks us to do them? Honestly and seriously, I think it will always depend on situation, way of raising, when the child gets taught about religion's ethics and so on and so on... The question of this topic can't be answered simply yes or no. There are too many people out there, you know? whee Things are good because God defines them as good. I don't think it's like if one of us was in charge and got to say was right, and what wasn't; it's more like good God is the source of good, and what opposes Him is automatically evil. So God tells us to do things because they're good and He's not just coming up with rules off the top of His head, but He also defines what is good. тнιѕ ωσяℓ∂ ∂σєѕи'т мαттєя тσ мє...иσт αт αℓℓ... How do you know he's telling the truth and this isn't all some sort of anthill game to him? Like, "What would happen if I told them to make war on this group of people?" *group of angels gathers round to watch the spectacle*
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Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 8:02 pm
Well then,
Semiremis,
Would i offend you,
By saying....
SWEET ZOMBIE JESUS!
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Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 11:02 pm
Alright I'll take a swing at this. I'd say that God does define what good is and we innately know what good is. Since we are defining God from the Christian perspective, goodness is defined by the Law of Agape and evil is defined as the absence of Agape.
So why do we know innately? In both mythos, the Genesis creation story and the Origin of the World, mankind took part of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. By these mythos, it is believed that mankind became like God in that they could innately tell what is good and evil.
Where traditional Christianity and Gnostic Christianity differs is why mankind is in conflict with doing what is good. Traditional Christianity teaches that it was disobeying God and partaking of the fruit ingrained that rebelliousness into mankind. Gnostic Christianity teaches that we were made to rebel from the start since the Authorities wanted to keep us as beasts.
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Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 7:19 pm
cry saddly enough there are "christians" out there and i use that term loosely that gives all of us a bad rap because of their misguided actions. It are those ones who only do good to win the favor of the Lord, that the Lord will say go away i never knew you (paraphrased). It is human nature to want to do good. I feel if the people you are dealing with are only doing good because of wanting to please, God, misses the point completely. Doing good is what, God, created us to do. So, I would also have to say, that you are doing exactly what your creator has created you to do. And that you are being more pleasing to Him, even tho you don't believe in Him, than the ones who claim to represent Him.
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