genuine question from atheist - view on Christanity and personal responsibility

[kentishgirl]

Hi - promise this isn't just Christian-baiting.

I've come to the conclusion that Christianity is a substitute for having a personal conscience or taking personal responsibility. Being a Christian is like having a 'get out of jail free card' in that you are taught God will forgive you anything. So you can do anything, as bad as you like, go and pray for forgiveness and move on, slate wiped clean, feeling great about yourself. So it doesn't matter if you do wrong. As an atheist, if I do something wrong, it's always with me, it's always on my conscience, so that makes me always try to do the right thing.
I didn't always think this way. It's the only way I can make any sense of something that happened to me at the hands of a couple of serious, committed Christians. One of them even works full time for a church. They did something terrible to me but have shown no remorse, no guilt, and made no attempt to make things right with me. I'm positive they prayed for guidance at the time and then forgiveness afterwards, and now all's good in their world, while I'm still dealing with the fall-out.
Am I really wrong in interpreting Christianity in this way? Isn't it true that it enables horrible behaviour by teaching you that if you do wrong, all you've got to do is pray for forgiveness afterwards, and you are ok, never mind the effect of what you did? Basically if God is your only judge, and forgiveness is guaranteed, it gives you permission to act like a right bastard as long as you say sorry to God afterwards? there's no personal responsibility for what you have done.

Big no now we don't condone beatings or rape and slavery here.

Instead we have sanitised it into:

WorkFare and people saying people on Benefits should be paid in vouchers

Forming permanent records of wrong doings from infancy of misdemeanours so they follow a person about.

Yes rape is not condoned but girls are sexualised in terms of clothes available from an early age and someone dressing 'inappropriately' is still seen as provocative.

Jesus fulfilled the Law of the OT.

And in other countries you still have ska very, rape and beatings.

^slavery. Typo.

Christian people were amongst the people who fought for abolishing the Slave trade in here and America.

Almost every society has slavery in it's history. Pagan societies still took slaves.

IMO this says something about the dark side of humanity, not religious belief.

^over here. Typo.

Maybe you would just ban all books containing historical accounts?

Christian people were amongst the people who fought for abolishing the Slave trade in here and America.
Those who fought most fiercely to keep it, as well as those who didn't care one way or the other, were also Christians. Which makes it a bit useless as an argument.

It makes it even Ninja, Christians as a group, are no more likely to condone slavery than people of others beliefs.

*Big no now we don't condone beatings or rape and slavery here.

Instead we have sanitised it*

Missing the point there. It was god who was condoning and ordering the rape and murder of thousands of people.

IMO this says something about the dark side of humanity, not religious belief.

wouldn't you expect the method that the creator of the universe set up to communicate with his creation to be distinguishable from the other ancient and bloodthirsty false religions? And wouldn't you expect there to be some shred of evidence for it? Just one tiny scrap of data that you couldn't explain and that set it apart?

head you have said you don't believe in God. So who was condoning it, then? People, human kind, of which we are part of.

There is a difference in Christianity, God in the form of Christ, was the willing sacrifice, that died for our Redemption.

Hi
I just read your OP but my experience is the opposite.
The times my faith is stronger, I struggle with my faults and errors.
If I wasn't Christian I would probably have no conscience.

The problem is that Christians don't read the Bible as a historical text, they read it as moral guidance.

Slavery exists. In modern Britain and the US. Those who perpetrate it often call themselves Christians and point to the Bible as their justification.
Some Christians point to the Bible as justification for homophobia. For abuse and discrimination against women. Or against non-Christians. Justification for war. Even for murder in extreme cases. It's all in there.

That doesn't make Christianity bad. It probably means that those people don't understand the Christ's basic message, in fact. But to deny that it can and does happen quite often strikes me as being dangerously naive.

In other blood thirsty religions we sacrifice to appease the god(s).

Christians read the Bible in all sorts of ways.

I agree Ninja, I also believe those who use the Bible as justification to commit crimes have misinterpreted Christ's message.

I have never denied it (Christians clamping the Bible as justification for crimes) happened, just do not believe the Bible is the causal link. IMO the flaws which caused a person to behave criminally were already there.

^claiming. Typo.

Pedantically curious, headinhands - how can you have a 'false religion'? Is that a religion that is obviously made up wholesale and which nobody believes in? Even Jediism has actual followers. And Scientology.

head you have said you don't believe in God. So who was condoning it, then? People, human kind, of which we are part of.

I'm interested in what you think Caps. How do you interpret it? If you feel that it was metaphor, god didn't really say that, then why not say that about the happy fluffy bits too? That Jesus was a metaphor for being a nice person and so on.

Pedantically curious, headinhands - how can you have a 'false religion'?

I meant false as in false to the person who believes that their religion is the one true religion.

There is a difference in Christianity, God in the form of Christ, was the willing sacrifice, that died for our Redemption

It was still bloodshed to appease. And looked like all the other 'killy' religions in essence. It doesn't make it better because you think he killed himself or however you explain it.