Every now and again, I hear people say they believe in God and Jesus just because they don’t want to take a chance. This begs the question, why do they only want devote themselves to a way of life just because they’re afraid of what might happen. I’m not talking about living a life of criminal activities and debauchery.
But a lot of people really only believe because they’re afraid of what might happen. And this is how Christianity becomes the abusive partner/parent in their lives. It’s best not to do this or else basically sums it up. A lot of people already live like this where saying the wrong thing or not saying anything at all can get them “punished.”
So, why should they turn to a spiritual religion that’s supposed to be for self-enlightenment but have people wag their finger at them for trivial things, such as eating meat on Fridays or just not praying as much? I mean, when you really think about it, it’s not a life worth living if at any moment you can be put on the express bus to Hell. And something very minor that you did when you were 17 that you’ve atoned for shouldn’t affect you at 77 on your death bed unless it was really bad.
But you can always ask for forgiveness on your death bed. So, that means you can lead a hedonistic lifestyle your whole life but just asked to be saved in the final minutes and you’re on an express bus to Heaven. At the same time, someone who lived a life caring for others, not being too greedy and loving people, is going to Hell because they didn’t choose to be saved.
To me, baptism is what the Monty Pythons called, a “farcial aquatic ceremony.” I know it’s supposed to be symbolic of cleansing your body. But have you ever thought of describing this to someone unfamiliar with the concept? I mean, that’s what gets you into Heaven? You get into a pool of water with your clothes on and have someone hold you underwater. It sounds strange because it is strange. Is God or St. Peter stitting around with a database of names that put a checkmark next to whenever you’re baptized?
Worse, a lot of people look at baptism as a Golden Ticket to that Chocolate Factory in the sky where they can always get out of jail free to be an awful person. I mean, ask anyone who’s worked in the food and service industry or the retail industry on a Sunday. They have seen the worst of the worst of people who just came from Sunday service. And then, these “Christians” defense for their harsh actions are “We’re all sinners.”
Normally, a lot of churches like to get people with they’re young. Parents will baptize their kids when they’re basically too young to know what’s going on. And while a lot of parents say they’re proud of their young children, I feel some pressure was put on them. I don’t think they knowingly and willingly chose to be baptized. There’s just that thing that people can post it on social media to make themselves out to be “good parents.” But ironically, all this is the sin of pride.
This begs the question, would God send a toddler to Hell just because they didn’t want to be dunked in water. And what deity would actually send children to an underworld of pain and torture anyway? What deity would do that to any person of any age based solely on how many prayers they did and their desire to experience waterboarding?
Shouldn’t a pleasant and loving deity also be a forgiving one? If you live your whole life helping others the best you can, isn’t that your Golden Ticket. You don’t have to spend all your disposable money on charities. Just treat others favorably. Don’t rape or sexually assaut people. Don’t violentlly assault or murder people. Don’t steal, rob or take things from people by fraud.
But a lot of religious leaders would disagree with me and say it’s not our actions, it’s our faiths. Yet, this creates giant contradictions. And these contradictions are why more people are turning away from Christianity and religion. Why live someone else’s life? Some people are just going to be bad people because they can and because we allow them. Other people are going to try to make things a little better people they know and they don’t know. What’s the difference between giving a few dollars to someone you don’t know for gas or food and putting money in the collection plate?
Mainly, it’s about control. People want to control what you say, what you do, who you love, how you love them, and so forth. There’s no mention of abortion or homosexuality in the Bible. There’s no mention of the Rapture. Yet, religious leaders say these are wrong. The same way they’ll criticize you for giving money to someone on the street but expect you to give big at the collection plates. They want to control how much money you spend and where you spend it.
The money is a huge factor, because people like Joel Osteen and Kenneth Copeland are just in it for the money. This begs another question, if money is supposed to be the root of all evil, why should it be in churches. If God always comes through in the end, why do churches even pay their electric bills? Maybe because they’ve learned how to exploit tax loopholes to fill their pockets. They even telling people they can buy their way into Heaven by giving more to these “ministries.”
Controlling someone’s money is exactly how abusers operate. Abuse is controlling who people talk to, what they wear, and how they even do daily tasks. This is what many Christians sections have done and will continue to do. And we have to admit it. Some Christians have even encouraged domestic abuse if the “man of the house” is doing it. If kids are being physically abused by their parents, then it’s child rearing. If this was any other religion operating like this, and some do, Christians would be the first to call them out and report them.
So, people are turning away as they should. There’s no need to have that toxicity in their lives.
What do you think? Please comment.
Zane Says 