Christians can suck more then others
I know what you're thinking. You're reading along flooded with thoughts of, "Well, this certainly does not apply to me!" and "The people who go to my church are good people, he's talking about those other Christians," or maybe even, "Christians make mistakes just like everyone else, we're not perfect."
Let me begin by saying, sure some Christians suck more than others and it is unlikely that you are one of those Christians that suck the most. I disagree with your contention that you don't suck at all, however. Assuming you are following all of the guidelines outlined in How to be a Good Christian, there are still some problems:
* Problem 1: The Existential Problem. By being a Christian, you have created the illusion that there is something innately good about being a Christian. While you are making your happy little statement about your belief, the nut in the back row is saying, "That guy is a Christian. He must believe in the teachings of Christianity. My beliefs are based on Christianity. That guy must believe that I am right to believe the things that I believe! I better go beat up that queer..." You say you don't like the way those other Christians do things and yet you go around saying, "I am a Christian." How often do you you clarify this statement with, "...who believes [insert your non-sucking beliefs here]." Rarely. Why? Because that's a real pain. Why don't you call yourself something else? Really. Every time you say, "I am a Christian," or go to church, or whatever else, you are lending legitimacy to the institution which you are trying to distance yourself from. You are contributing to the problem in this regard.
* Problem 2: You Think You Are, But You're Not. You can define a Christian any way you want to, but ultimately there are certain criteria for determining whether you are one that are much better than other criteria. I could say that anyone who wears Mickey Mouse ears on their head is a Christian, but that would be untrue. If you don't believe that God came to earth in the form of Jesus and died for your sins, you are not a Christian. ("Christ" means the guy who was god and died for our sins, so how can you have Christianity without Christ?) If you don't believe in the Christian God, but you do believe in a superior being of some sort, you are not a Christian. Why do you keep saying you are a Christian? Because you don't even know what you are talking about. Please learn. You have potential!
* Problem 3: The Interpretation Problem. You have determined that your interpretation of the Bible makes God good, makes Jesus good, and makes you good. Unfortunately, you have no good reason to accept those parts while rejecting the part that makes God bad, makes Jesus bad, and makes Christian ethics bad. "Obviously," you say, "that part about God killing Jews for building a fire incorrectly is just a myth, as is the part where Jesus says that he has come only to help Jews," but then you say, "Jesus died for my sins and he loves me!" Hello?! Why is one more rational to accept than the other? If you want to reject supernatural silliness, then reject it all. If that is the case, then no one died for your sins and you aren't a Christian! If you want to accept it, then accept it all! Similarly, if the things written in the gospel that say, "Jesus said this," are really what Jesus said, then any statement written in the gospels that says, "Jesus said this," is what he said. To me, this is so self-evident to be ludicrous. If you want to accept what he said in verse X of gospel A, then why do you reject what he said in verse Y of gospel A? I can certainly see throwing out an entire book. Let's get rid of the Old Testament, for example. Obvious silliness. Let's ditch everything that Paul wrote. Also ludicrous and from a guy who never even met Jesus in person. Revelations? Silly! Song of Solomon? Pagan! Now then, you want to keep those books? Then accept the whole book. You can't say, "Oh, but the Jesus we believe in would not have been like that," because the only evidence you have for the Jesus you believe in is in the Bible! (This leads you to the existential problem above, because another Christian may decide to take the parts you don't like as a part of the Bible that's "good" and then, "woops!", a million Jews/gypsies/homosexuals/[insert your favorite minority group here] are dead.)
* Problem 4: I Don't Believe in the Supernatural Content of Christianity, but I Consider Myself to be a Christian Because I Follow a Christian Ethic. William Shakespeare said, "Even the devil can cite scripture for his purpose." Ya, sure, let's take the Bible as a whole. That's great. We did that! There is just as much "good" as "evil" in the Christian ethic. Once again, you are simply holding on to the particular parts that you like, rejecting the rest, and calling that "Christianity." It's not. What you have is You-ism, which is a derivative of the good parts of Christianity. "I base my ethic on the teachings of Jesus, and he was all good. An extra-ordinary man of great wisdom." Ya, ya. Jesus had charisma, but that's about it. He was just a rabbi. He didn't say anything that another rabbi hadn't said before. He had a bad temper. He was mean and ethnocentric (that's a bigot, by the way). Once again, you must pick and choose among his teachings to come up with a "good" ethic. You are not a follower of the teachings of Jesus, but rather a person who has been exposed to alot of things, including what he says in the gospels, and you have derived your own ethic. Stop calling yourself a Christian. (see the existential problem above.)
* Problem 5: My Denomination is Good, the Others Suck. Oh, really. You'll pardon me while I wait for your behavior to prove you wrong. Assuming that the real problem you're up against is not one of the above, you will soon be doing something that really annoys me, like trying to keep the holidays religious. I was at a church the other day hanging out, and this woman was explaining to a group of women with preschoolers how to do just that. Guess what? There are no Christian holidays. They're all stolen from either Jews or pagans. Next you'll be helping the poor of [insert your favorite third world nation here] by sending them food (and some missionaries to convert them). If you want to send food, send food. Send it anonymously. That's the only way to separate the goodness of the gift from your political goal of Christian empire. The only denomination that even comes close to being "good" is probably the Methodists. So if you're a Methodist, I hope you feel a little bit better, but only a little. You're still a death worshipping cannibal in my book.
Having read this, I hope you have been able to come to the conclusion that you suck less. Have a great day.
After I've read the bible and it's bullshit I've highlighted some important parts that prove of this religion's evilness and fakness. The first one i've included is as follows
God's Threat To Kill
"And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts." (Exodus 11:4-5)
After reading such verses, it would become apparent, even to a child, that this does not describe the actions of a loving Being. Anyone who reconciles the killing of innocent children with an intelligent and loving Creator can only come from great ignorance and stupidity under the addiction of blind faith.
Decapitate Non-Bielvers
"And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. And the LORD said unto Moses, 'Take all the heads of the people and hang them up before the LORD against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel.'" (Numbers 25:3-4)
Those who worshipped other gods must die, and even more horribly, their heads displayed publicly.
Either God never said anything so cruel, or we truly live in a cursed universe, ruled by a maniac Supreme Being.
Millions of people, today, switch their religions. If God had any interest in this ongoing process, there appears no evidence of this.
God Slaughters Blacks
"Zerah, the Ethiopian came up against them with an army of a million and three hundred chariots..." (II Chronicles 14:9)
"Then the LORD struck down the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah so that the Ethiopians fled." (II Chronicles 14:12)
It appears doubtful that Black Christian Bible studies programs concentrate on these verses.
These Bibles verses say that the Lord God slaughtered over a million blacks.
The Klu Klux Klan have used such verses as evidence to justify their beliefs.