Why are people so angry at Christianity?

50/50 means there is no clear majority and you end deadlocked on many issues. This is why the religious aspect needs to be removed - it isn't something that 100% of people thinks is important, just 50%. It is not supposed to be a reason we make or enforce rules, laws, and social standards. You may disagree with me but it doesn't affect what you do in your own life. When it comes to a law or amendment, it does affect that other 50% that does not believe religiously, and that is not fair. The presence or absence of religion should not have a determining factor, and it seems the presence has - to slant things for everybody towards it. It is also true that people in large groups somehow have a collective IQ many times less than the average. Mob mentality I tell you. People stop being individuals and stop having their own thoughts and opinions on matters and begin to just agree with the group because they are part of a group. Very scary situation, almost like brainwashing. People use the 'threat' of hell as a way to try and convince people to believe in God - or their God. They use the threat that you are not a good person. This is so petty, to threaten people into agreeing with you. I realize it does work but it shouldn't.

If religions have been used as a means only to control populations and destroy other peoples, we are doing a pretty crappy job of using it to those ends. Obviously organized religion is not controlling the population of America since there seems to always be a nearly 50/50 split on all points of contention that are primarily religious. Obviously religion is only controlling HALF of America. I guess we messed that up. You don't have to participate in organized religion to have religious beliefs. People use the whole "organized religion is evil" argument as an excuse, I think. Organized ANYTHING causes problems, because when you get people into large groups, the collective IQ seems to lower a bunch. That is why I try to emphasize that people need to choose their religion based on the MESSAGE and the TEACHINGS and try to forget the fact that people are, invariably, dumb.

That's just Jesus pointing out that he knows how ridiculous this stuff is even as he says it (he also is aware that heresy is a serious offense in the society in which he lives, another no-brainer), so by stating the obvious, it makes him look like he predicted the future...only if you're extremely gullible, though. Christians can't abandon this silly persecution complex fast enough. It's a downward spiral of self-righteousness--if they make their claims and people believe them, they feel like they're right. If they make their claims and people reject or ridicule them, they feel like they're right, because they've been indoctrinated to interpret opposition as a sign that they are justified, and that the 'opposers' are 'the bad guys' who are just trying to trick them, or whatever. In other words, the indoctrination is such that people are left in a position that NO MATTER how the claims are receieved, they are reinforced. Without any critical thinking, this is a dangerous mental state indeed.

Doing good does not make a Christian, but trusting in the complete and finished work of Christ is what makes someone a Christian, everyone who claims to be saved is not. Also you are right the United States is a secular nation, but it was founded by men of faith. And because of that America has been blessed by God, and God has been merciful to America. But sadly America has turned her back on God, which means that America will go through many hard trials soon, because any nation that turns their back on God is cast down. Unless America repents and turns back to God, we will live to see America fall. And it won't be because of false doctrines or muslims or perverts etc. It will be because those who are saved have turned to wickedness, only if those who are saved humble themselves and pray and repent from there sins will we see our land healed. It is not because of the lost that America will fall it is because the lost have no light to guide them because those who are saved have hiddedn their light. Instead accepting the things of this world as did Lot, and the cities were destroyed back in Lot's day because God could not find ten righteous, but if Lot had lived before his family as a man who feared God then there would of been a min of ten, and that would of been enough light that God would of kept judgment from those cities. Everyday America grows darker, but as America and this world grows darker heaven grows brighter, and last those who are saved are supposed to pray for the lost that they will get saved, if we do not do that, how can we say we have fully accepted Christ. So as condescending and arrogant as you may think me to be my prayer for you tonight is to come to a saving knowlege of Christ, that God will be merciful to you, and that God will allow someone to come into your life who will be able to fully and completely and clearly explain the gospel of Christ so that you may be saved so that you would not have to spend an eternity in hell. Hell's a bad place, and it has no end, Heavens a good place and it has no end, and hell's a place of flaming fire, where all those who reject Christ will find themselves one day. But for all those who find their way to heaven they will find a peace like no other peace and their will be joy and happiness in heaven.

I'd also respect the missionary work a lot more if indoctrination/conversion wasn't on the to-do list when Christians are sent to these third-world countries. *claps*. Obviously you get it, and this is how I feel regarding missionaries. If you want to help people, by all means, just HELP PEOPLE. Bring them food, water, clothing, help them learn how to make shelters and grow gardens. Don't make it about helping people and THEN proposing to tell them they have to accept your 'God', whomever that is. To me it isn't socially acceptable to hate an atheist OR an agnostic, like I said in another comment, I don't see atheists or agnostics beating down strangers' doors in the name of god. I don't see atheists or agnostics hating people who live different lifestyles. I don't see atheists or agnostics calling anybody a 'sinner' or trying to tell other people they should ALSO not believe in 'god'. BUT - all I see are religious people promoting their religion and calling anybody who doesn't agree 'sinners' or they try to say we are stupid or ignorant. I am not stupid nor ignorant because I don't want religion in my life, and for someone religious to think so is ABSOLUTELY arrogant and condescending. Great point.

According you to, it seems like every time someone says that they are right and someone else is wrong, they are being arrogant. Therefore, you are being arrogant right now. Therefore, you are also being a hypocrite. How can you call our beliefs garbage and then call US arrogant? How can you use the argument "Oh you think YOU have it bad?" and then call US arrogant? How can you say that Christians have done more harm than good without listing the harm the atheists of the world have done and then call US arrogant? How can you spit angry words at us, forbid us from telling you we will pray for you, and then call US arrogant? Religious debate has turned the word arrogant into a word with absolutely no meaning whatsoever. The nature of a belief is something that YOU will stand up for that other people may not agree with. Having beliefs and standing up for them and thinking that you are right does not make you arrogant, it makes you convicted. So, if you are calling us arrogant, you have to examine yourself as well.

The God of the Bible is a God of love, it is because he first loved us that we love him. And yes it is a simple message and the gospel is so simple that even a child can understand it. God loved us, and it is because he loved us enough to come and pay a price we could not that we have learned to love him. the Bible says "God is love"

if you have made something with your own hand and designed that with your own hand then someone later says that many hands designed the item that orginated in your thought and mind and that you created with your own hand, would you consider that person to be misleading others when they say "many hands made the item that you alone had created?" This is the way it is with God there is one God, who is the creator, he has created and has even gave us the freedom of thought and choice, he does not force us to believe but he has told us that there is only one way to him, and that is through his son, he created the one way, man did not. It is the same as if you had designed something and someone else came along and decided to tell others that there were many hands used to design or make whatever it was that you had made. I think if you think about it you'll maybe at some point on some level see why it is those who believe in one God the God who created heaven and earth you will see how it is silly to try to take away from what God has already done, and change what he has said and done into nothing more than one of many paths.

So very true, 6precious! They want to "shut us up" because they are afraid we are right. They are afraid to believe that heaven and esp hell exists. They think that if they don't believe in it, it will go away. It doesn't matter if one believes God's Word or not. It will not change a thing! God will judge each of us according to His Word, the Bible, whether we choose to believe in His Truth or not. Praise God I am forgiven and have been adopted into the family of God!

I'll say amen to that!

A lot of Christians do present themselves like they are perfect, I agree. But a lot of atheists present themselves as if they are smarter. Arrogance and self-righteousness are not traits exclusive to Christians. That is why I think it is important to look at the message that Christianity puts forth and not judge it based on the people. I am sure if you look into any religion there are people who can be branded as hypocritical or judgmental. Because PEOPLE at large are hypocritical and judgmental. It does make me sad that many Christians do not put forth much effort in imitating Christ, and I know that I am guilty of this quite often too, but that is why Christianity is so amazing. Though I may slip and fall, as ALL humans do, I have the opportunity to pick myself up and try again.

there seems to be a consensus that Christians present themselves as if they are perfect...as if their way is the only way. The overriding belief among non-Christians is that believers see the rest of the world as completely arbitrary in light of their personal religious beliefs. That is absolutely true and one of the reasons I end up in screaming typing matches with some of those very folks. I explain again and again that if I don't subscribe to 'their' truth, then it doesn't matter, but they rail back saying I have to accept their version anyway or they will find a way to force me to. No I don't, we are equal and exactly the same - except I don't think everybody needs to live like me. I do think people who disagree need to leave well enough alone, but then again, I am not the one witnessing and telling anybody they are bad. Everybody has their own 'right' path - newsflash, we are NOT all on the same path!!

Why can't you just say it is fundamentalist, narrow-minded, opinionated, loud-mouthed PEOPLE that bother you? Why do you have to say Christians? LOL they DO...BUT this thread is about CHRISTIANITY therefore saying CHRISTIANS is appropriate.. As for Pagan or Satanist orgs etc...I can't say about Satanists BUT Pagans are VERY MUCH involved in bettering the world, society etc etc...chances are you've never come across any because #1 you don't care to and #2 you havent looked...

Why can't you just say it is fundamentalist, narrow-minded, opinionated, loud-mouthed PEOPLE that bother you? Why do you have to say Christians? Have you never met someone who was all those things who was not a Christian? This is the point I am trying to think. Think about this....what if I said I hated fundamentalist, narrow-minded, opinionated, loud-mouthed black people. You would say, "HEY, THAT'S RACIST AND YOU'RE A JERK." Why? Because I just implied that black people have a monopoly on all those negative traits. What does being a Christian really have to do with being opinionated or narrow-minded? I have met some pretty darn opinionated atheists in my life.

By the way, I may just be ignorant (and it is very likely that I am), but I have never seen a Pagan or Satanist relief organization, charity, or missionary team. I don't know if those religions necessarily are HARMFUL to the world at large, but I don't really seem them being helpful either.

God loves everyone equally. your god does NOT love everyone equally...

Oh yes He does! He loves you very much even when you rebel against Him. He's still there. You cannot run from Him!

I don't think it is a good argument to say you don't want to be involved in religion because they tell you what to do. That sounds immature. "I want to do whatever I want and not have anyone tell me what is right and wrong." You are GOING to get told what is right and wrong all of your life from when you are born until when you die. Maybe you are threatened by right and wrong when it is labeled as religion, but I hate to tell you that some of that religious dogma has already found it's way into your mind. A lot of our laws are based on religious principles, probably more of them than you would even expect. By the way, Christianity does not teach ANYONE that they are better than others, and if anyone says so, they should be completely ignored. God loves everyone equally. It is just that not everyone loves God. Have you ever tried to love and forgive someone who hates you? Doesn't work very well, does it? I cannot believe how people insist and insist over and over again, "God doesn't love me because he won't accept me for who I am." No, it is YOU who do not accept God for who HE is. People say "I don't like it that God tells me to do this, this, and this. That's mean of him. I want to do what I want." In which case God can do nothing but let you run off and do what you want. He still loves you. He still wants you to love him. But HE waits for YOU. It is up to YOU to choose to love him back and accept his message. So, basically, God has the ultimate "Live and let live attitude." Do whatever you want. That doesn't make God stop loving you! It just makes him unable to reach you because you are ignoring him. Many Christians just want to try to help people stop ignoring him. Some go about it in an entirely obnoxious fashion. Or maybe it is all obnoxious to you. But it is a matter of opinion. To you it is annoying and you want them to quit, to them it is an act of compassion and it is against their morals to quit. Neither of you can prove you are right. So...it seems the only solution is learning to live with it.

The clergy converted the simple teachings of Jesus into an engine for enslaving mankind ... to filch wealth and power to themselves. [They], in fact, constitute the real Anti-Christ. -Thomas Jefferson Whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and torturous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness, with which more than half the Bible is filled, it would be more consistent that we called it the word of a demon than the Word of God. It is a history of wickedness that has served to corrupt and brutalize mankind. -Thomas Paine Of all the animosities, which have existed among mankind, those which are caused by difference of sentiments in religion appear to be the most inveterate and distressing, and ought most to be deprecated. I was in hopes that the enlightened and liberal policy, which has marked the present age, would at least have reconciled Christians of every denomination so far that we should never again see the religious disputes carried to such a pitch as to endanger the peace of society. - George Washington, letter to Edward Newenham, October 20, 1792; When a Religion is good, I conceive it will support itself; and when it does not support itself, and God does not take care to support it so that its Professors are obliged to call for help of the Civil Power, it is a sign, I apprehend, of its being a bad one. - Benjamin Franklin from a letter to Richard Price, October 9, 1780 During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What have been its fruits? More or less in all places, pride and indolence in the Clergy, ignorance and servility in the laity; in both, superstition, bigotry and persecution. - James Madison (Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments, 1785.) Just a few of my favorite quotes by some of the founding fathers regarding Christianity. I will respond to the rest in a second post.

This is the second set of quotes specifically in response to # 4. I thought it was important to provide counters to your quotes as it ensures a complete picture. “The government of the United States is not in any sense founded upon the Christian religion” John Adams "This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it” John Adams (this one is also attributed to George Washington, however it is believed that it is John Adams that originally made it) "On the dogmas of religion, as distinguished from moral principles, all mankind, from the beginning of the world to this day, have been quarreling, fighting, burning and torturing one another, for abstractions unintelligible to themselves and to all others, and absolutely beyond the comprehension of the human mind.” Thomas Jefferson "It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God.” Thomas Jefferson "In every country and every age, the priest had been hostile to Liberty.” Thomas Jefferson "In no instance have . . . the churches been guardians of the liberties of the people.” James Madison "The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe with blood for centuries.” James Madison "Strongly guarded as is the separation between religion and government in the Constitution of the United States the danger of encroachment by Ecclesiastical Bodies, may be illustrated by precedents already furnished in their short history” James Madison

1. You are right on that point. The Bible is a very large book and there is a lot of information in it that spans a long period of time. It is very easy to take things out of context, and a lot of uneducated people do so. In fact, even some educated people probably do so. However, if someone misquotes a physicist or a chemist or a biologist, that does not mean that the original message is wrong. That simply means that someone misquoted it. So, yes. People are dumb. I know this. I admit this. That is not Christianity's problem. 2. You are also right on this point. It is the nature of people to try to deny that they have done wrong. I will admit that some serious atrocities have been committed in the name of Christianity in the past. Atrocities have been committed in the name of all religions. Atrocities are also committed on a daily basis AGAINST Christians and other people of faith. There are some countries where you get shot (or worse) just for having a page out of the Bible. I am ashamed to say that most Christians in America would probably not be willing to risk as much for their religion as Christians in other countries do. Yes, Christians then and now are far from perfect, to say the very least. I do not know how to change the past though, so I do not know how to make this one better. Are we to pay for it forever? 3. A lot of Christians are quite judgmental. A lot of Christians do demand that people change. I personally only make apologies for the former point, not the latter one. I think what the world NEEDS is for people to change. The "do whatever you want, whatever makes you feel good" mentality makes me depressed, to say the least. I will not apologize for having high standards for humanity. I think we as people have responsibilities for one another, as is indicated by the fact that we have laws at all. 4. No, we were not founded as a Christian nation, but all the documents drawn up by the founders mention God. God does not have to be the Christian God, but God is definitely interwoven into our political system. John Adams, the most outspoken of the Founders against the atrocities of Christianity and a man who did not believe in the doctrine of damnation nevertheless is quoted as saying "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." Thomas Jefferson said are liberties are only secure when thought of as a gift from God. James Madison said America's future was dependent on the ability to follow the Ten Commandments. George Washington in his farewell address says "reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle." So, no. We were not meant to be a Christian nation, but it was the belief of the founders that our MORALITY as a nation is dependent on our religion. 5. Extreme right wing, extreme left wing....they are both nuts. People are dumb, as I said. Get over it. 6. I have news for you....where do you think our laws came from? Do you think "do not murder" is simply human nature? It's not. Otherwise there would be no cannibalistic cultures existing today. Do you think "do not steal" is human nature? Nope. If you are hungry, you'll steal. Does that mean it is right? A country whose laws are not based on religious principles might say that it is. Our country says it's wrong. Why? Self-preservation? Of whom? Certainly not the person stealing to survive. Why is it illegal to marry your brother? That is DEFINITELY not human nature, because it is ENCOURAGED in some countries. Our system of morality is based on religion, whether you like it or not. The different sects within the church do not really compete with each other anymore. At least not in my experience. (Yes, some Baptists still think they are the best, but the rest of us mostly just shake our heads at them. ;P) I don't think that Christianity is as hate-filled as you think. It is only that those are the ones you remember. I bet you run in to nice people every day, multiple times a day, who are Christian but you never notice, because it is only the obnoxious ones who run their mouths...which is something that is true of humans in general.

Well, glad to hear that one. And thank you too. Good luck with life!

It is good to hear the story of someone outside the US that is a Christian. I am glad to hear that Christianity is still a respected religion in your country and that you do not face much hatred for it. You are so right that we should not have to fear criticism! Christianity has survived this long under intense scrutiny, and it will survive even longer. Your words are very calming and uplifting, and I thank you so much for sharing your opinion. You have just made my day. :)

Katran - it is because people do BAD things and then TELL OTHERS that they are CHRISTIAN! Then they go and say 'God wants me to stop sin' or some such nonsense. It's like taking the law into their own hands or something. Things are blamed on religion because people are doing horrible things in the name of the religion they claim. That is why people ultimately blame religions.

You are absolutely right. Religion does not make people bad. People are bad to begin with, but when they are bad within the context of a religion, people blame it on that religion. It makes little sense to me.

God loves all his children and he forgives all our sins IF we ASK forgiveness first. If you are a homosexual and you do not think that being homosexual is wrong, then you cannot ask forgiveness for it, and therefore God cannot forgive you for it. However, you are right. As Christians, we should love EVERYONE, even those that we think are wrong. We should not be hateful and judgmental, because it is up to God to judge in the end. And who says it is alright to marry, divorce, re-marry, etc? I think a lot of Christians are just as outraged about that. Divorce is only acceptable in the case of mental, emotional, or physical abuse, and that is that.

If someone reads and understands the Bible and reads it as a saved person then the Bible does have the power to influence. also if a lost person reads the Bible the Bible also does have the power to influence, The Bible has the power to change lives. It is a very powerful book, there is nothing more powerful, because it is the word of God. And God tells us in his word that his word will not return void.

What i meant by "not influence" is the fact that it doens not make them bad people, no, but that make then good ones.