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I wouldn’t be a Christian
October 31, 2018 at 8:02 am
(This post was last modified: October 31, 2018 at 8:03 am by robvalue.)
I recently heard an atheist asked whether they’d be a Christian if they woke up one day and believed in Jesus, The Bible, and so on. They said yes they would, because a Christian is someone who believes those things to be true.
I’ve always stated I wouldn’t be a Christian, even if I became convinced that it contained truth. But perhaps this is a contradiction. By the above definition I’d be a Christian, but I would call the whole thing morally corrupt, and I’d want no part of it; just as I wouldn’t vote for the Tories, but I still accept they are real.
I expect this comes up so rarely that there’s not even a particular term for it. I’ve heard of maltheism in general, and that’s rare enough, without a belief that a specific religion is true to rebel against.
What would I be called?
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RE: I wouldn’t be a Christian
October 31, 2018 at 8:04 am
Mental?
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RE: I wouldn’t be a Christian
October 31, 2018 at 8:05 am
Lol well yes, if I did suddenly proclaim such beliefs, I would certainly advocate that I be taken in for psychological evaluation. My staunch scepticism would imply something was seriously wrong.
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RE: I wouldn’t be a Christian
October 31, 2018 at 8:08 am
'Christian-ish'?
Boru
‘But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods or no gods. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.’ - Thomas Jefferson
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RE: I wouldn’t be a Christian
October 31, 2018 at 8:12 am
(October 31, 2018 at 8:05 am)robvalue Wrote: Lol well yes, if I did suddenly proclaim such beliefs, I would certainly advocate that I be taken in for psychological evaluation. My staunch scepticism would imply something was seriously wrong.
Yup. Safe bet - those mushrooms on the pizza were NOT morell mushrooms, but something a bit more magical.....
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RE: I wouldn’t be a Christian
October 31, 2018 at 8:21 am
(October 31, 2018 at 8:12 am)onlinebiker Wrote: (October 31, 2018 at 8:05 am)robvalue Wrote: Lol well yes, if I did suddenly proclaim such beliefs, I would certainly advocate that I be taken in for psychological evaluation. My staunch scepticism would imply something was seriously wrong.
Yup. Safe bet - those mushrooms on the pizza were NOT morell mushrooms, but something a bit more magical.....
Fair point. I've always felt that St John the Divine was a victim of ergot poisoning.
Boru
‘But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods or no gods. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.’ - Thomas Jefferson
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RE: I wouldn’t be a Christian
October 31, 2018 at 8:25 am
There is still quite a distance between "I believe this god exists", and "I'm going to worship this god". I'd probably be a maltheist if the abrahamic god was proven to be real, and the bible was an accurate representation of his character. I don't really care if he's real or not. My main problem is the deity of the bible is evil. If you put a character like that in any other book, it would be incredibly hard to sell the guy as a good natured deity to a modern audience. Maybe it worked for more primitive cultures, but obviously humanity is trying its best to grow out of that kind of stuff, leaving such things behind.
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RE: I wouldn’t be a Christian
October 31, 2018 at 10:15 am
Wouldn't you be a heretic?
Side note: When I read the title immediately I hear the scarecrow from the wizard of oz. (If I only had a brain)
I don't have an anger problem, I have an idiot problem.
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RE: I wouldn’t be a Christian
October 31, 2018 at 10:52 am
(October 31, 2018 at 10:15 am)wyzas Wrote: Wouldn't you be a heretic?
Side note: When I read the title immediately I hear the scarecrow from the wizard of oz. (If I only had a brain)
I suppose yeah, I’d be a heretic. But don’t Christians and the like accuse other actual worshipping Christians of being heretics because they’re not doing it right?
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RE: I wouldn’t be a Christian
October 31, 2018 at 10:54 am
(This post was last modified: October 31, 2018 at 10:58 am by The Grand Nudger.)
(October 31, 2018 at 8:02 am)robvalue Wrote: I recently heard an atheist asked whether they’d be a Christian if they woke up one day and believed in Jesus, The Bible, and so on. They said yes they would, because a Christian is someone who believes those things to be true.
I’ve always stated I wouldn’t be a Christian, even if I became convinced that it contained truth. But perhaps this is a contradiction. By the above definition I’d be a Christian, but I would call the whole thing morally corrupt, and I’d want no part of it; just as I wouldn’t vote for the Tories, but I still accept they are real.
I expect this comes up so rarely that there’s not even a particular term for it. I’ve heard of maltheism in general, and that’s rare enough, without a belief that a specific religion is true to rebel against.
What would I be called?
............an anti-theist. Today, at least, but on that day that you woke up believing you would be a maltheist, yeah. Believing in gods and demi gods doesn't actually make you part of someone else's religion - it doesn't make you christian. You reject their beliefs and acceptence regarding -christ- ( title, not the guys last name), and would continue to do so even if you believed that he was a real demi god.
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