Hi everyone.
I'm a college student currently taking a theology course. A question was brought up in class about how non-Christians view Christians and their role in society. I was curious about how Atheists view the role and responsibilities of Christians in society today. Given the beliefs that Christians have, are there certain things that they should be doing, not doing, or doing more of? Any thoughts are appreciated.
Subscription Note:
Choosing to subscribe to this topic will automatically register you for email notifications for comments and updates on this thread.
Email notifications will be sent out daily by default unless specified otherwise on your account which you can edit by going to your userpage here and clicking on the subscriptions tab.
Howdy, Jerry.
Interesting questions. Not really sure where to start. For beginners, I suppose I should tell you I am no authority on this in any way, but I will be happy to help if I can. Hmmm... Come to think of it, there really isn't anything to be an authority ABOUT when speaking of atheism. It is simply a non-belief. Period. For some reason, people have a tough time comprehending that. Allow me to try another way. Do you believe the Easter Bunny is real? (Hopefully you do not. lol) If you do not, is it necessary to be an authority on or have any special schooling to not believe it? Hope that makes sense to you.
Another thing I noticed is you seemed to be focussed on the Christianity aspect. While it is true Christianity seems to be the biggest "target" and gets the most discussion, the fact is that atheists believe in ZERO of the thousands of religions of today and of those past.
I am aware I have not directly addressed your main question, but I thought it necessary to fill you in on these couple of items to help you get started off on the right foot. There are many folks on this sight who are far more informative than I am when it comes to the broader social aspects you asked about. If you haven't already done so, go to some of the other debate topics on here and read all the different views and comments. That in itself should help you greatly. Hope that helps get you started. I would be curious to know how your essay goes when you complete it. Sounds interesting.
@ Jerry ......
I would look at it this way ...... what are the ideal roles and responsibilities that you would like to see from a practicing Muslim in your society ...... and that should be pretty much it.
Obey the law ,pay your taxes ,vote in elections ,contribute to societies well being and future ,look after the poor and the sick ,educate the children , ..... that sort of thing. oh yes... and keep your faith to yourself .
Yeah, Watchman, I do believe that pretty much sums it up. Bingo! See, Jerry? Told you there are people on here better at this than I am.
As atheism is a single position on a single issue, there's really nothing else necessarily in common among us. Some are anti-theists that want religions to go extinct. Some don't give a shit. Some just want basic equality. So there really isn't one idea shared across the board about Christians' role in society. Personally, I think they play the same role as everyone else. They're consumers. That's all anyone is, just consumers. We buy, we eat, we break, we replace merchandise sold from one schmuck to another. The only difference in this view between atheists and Christians is that they consume a few more things: Bibles, bumper stickers, and Sunday mornings.
@Tin-man....
Sorry Tin-man you are wrong there..... there is no "better" .... there is only "different" .....
@watchman: there is only "different"
Err. I'm not.
Crap. Yep, you got me on that one, Watchman. Didn't think of it like that. Thanks.
Well I don't believe Christians (or anyone of faith) should be in politic, or at least keep religion out of policy. Religion should be kept out of schools too, particularly in the subject of science.
Other than that, rhey can do any job.
@Jerry: "are there certain things that they should be doing"
Minding your own business springs to mind.
I believe that intelligent design should be kept out of the science classroom. It is not science, I know the Discovery Institute in seattle Washington disagrees or schools like Biola in California LOS ANGELES but the supernatural has no place in the hypotheses of the science.
@Devout Christian: "intelligent design should be kept out of the science classroom."
You're absolutely right. Kids have enough to learn without burdening them with confusing religious claptrap disguised as science.
DC! How ya doin' today, bud? Getting things worked out a little better, I hope.
I do not expect anything special from christians. They are the same as everyone else.
Good evening Tin-man thanks for asking, Well I didn`t go to the catholic church for morning mass; There are some questions that aren`t be addressed by the clergy there. I feel today that if only I could get out of the emotional aspect of separation from the church then I will be okay. Today I didn`t feel very well at all, In fact I feel terrible right now, I felt so unsteady on m y feet today. I have grave doubts about trust in GOD and the church itself. Thanks to this outlet for conversation I`m not facing this alone. I have support from you and others. as of now I feel angry I been using cuss words all day and night.
DC, I sincerely hate that you feel so bad. However, it is part of the normal process when you begin to realize that a belief you have based all or most of your life on is starting to unravel because it no longer makes rational sense to you. I'm afraid I know very little about the Catholic Church aside from a few basics, but it is my understanding they seem to have a much stronger hold on their believers than most denominations. So I would be of little to no help to you in discussing any specifics about your problem(s) in that respect. That being said, I also understand this site has a Resource section that provides a more professional assistance with such matters. I'm willing to bet there is somebody there who can provide you with much better advice than I can give at this point. At the very least, they can point you in the right direction for answers. (Somebody please correct me if I am wrong here.) As far as being angry... Good! Be angry. You SHOULD be angry. Get that shit out of your system, dude. (Just don't do anything stupid, though, okay?) Just remember, though, don't STAY angry. If you truly are becoming more aware and thinking more critically for yourself, then THAT, my friend, is actually a reason to REJOICE. Meanwhile, take time on here to just "chill". Engage folks in just normal conversations. Shit, tell a joke or two somewhere on here. It ain't always gotta be so damn serious. Sure, there are some serious discussions on this site, and most of them are extremely interesting and informative. At the same time, though, this is mainly a place to socialize with folks and just have a little fun in seeing how others think. Fascinating stuff if you give it a chance and view it in the proper perspective. Again, check into that Resource section. Hasta luego.
There is no such thing as a Christian role in society. There is no such thing as a "Christian" world view or even a "Christian" religion./ There are some 30,000 Christian sects and a whole lot of people out there who believe that they all believe in this same thing. They Don't.
These people ascribe their morality and moral decisions to their churches. This is a demonstrable myth. They do not follow the teachings of the bible. They do not own slaves. They do not kill young men for disobedience. They allow their wives to speak. They eat shrimp. They do not thing bats are birds or that rabbits chew their cud and most do not believe the world is flat, circular, and supported on four pedestals.
The fact of the matter is that Christians use their own sense of morality that has come to them through human interaction to evaluate Biblical claims and either believe them of disbelieve them/. There is not a Christian out there who is not more moral than their bible.
So what is the "Christian Role":? There isn't one. There are Christian Churches who have congregations that meet up on Sundays. They do a whole lot of talking and praying but in general accomplish nothing at all. Any good that Churches do is pure tokenism. Churches do good so they can bilk their congregations out of donations. It's a con game. No one is helped by a church out of altruism.
Church is a way to make people feel good about themselves for doing nothing at all. You give the Church support and money and you are a good person. You are good their way. They define what good is for a percentage of the population and in doing so they render that percentage of the population completely useless.
@Jerry
I think christians you understand fully that their right to believe is an INDIVIDUAL right. Christians should not force or coerce their belief on anyone else, especially children. Keep prayer out of school. Stop the public praying. Keep the commandments (demandments) out of the courthouses.
I have no problem with religions if they mind their own business but they keep pushing pseudo-science, and revisionist history. Religion should not be the guideline for enacting laws. Morality comes from society, not religion. In the USA religion has become pervasive obtrusive even tyrannical. And because of that practice, it subjects people to slave-like obedience even discrimination. Christians have to understand and accept SECULARISM. Secularism is not atheism. Christianity isn't persecuted just because it is the law the CONSTITUTIONAL law NOT to establish a religion. Christian's can practice their religion freely without persecution under said law and don't need to interject their faith in schools and government. Basically, christians need to respect the individual rights of others.
The irony is that the founding fathers tried their best to separate religion from the state, no doubt because of the atrocities that the church had committed in Europe, and yet 241 years later a politician who is openly atheist CAN NOT get elected because of the bat shit crazy religious folk.