My own philosophical sticking-point

[sanityfaerie]

So, I've been in a number of interesting conversations about the nature of Christianity over the years, ever seeking Truth, and I think I've recently come to an understanding of my difficulties with it

Comments

[sanityfaerie]

I actually looked into the Anton LaVey (I think that's the right spelling/capitalization) branch of Satanism a few years back. They had a number of interesting ideas, but they were fundamentally atheistic in a way that I just couldn't agree with. I'm pretty convinced of the existence of a creator-deity. I don't *need* faith as a coping skill - I've been living without it long enough to know that - but I do feel at some level (and I hadn't ever really thought this into shape before, so thank you for the help with evocation) that *some* form of faith/religion is important for being a complete human being, or, at least, important to me. It's on a similar level as having a life-partner, having kids, having a career, etc. I feel like my current state is somehow unfinished. Also, there are the benefits of religion with respect to teaching morality to small children

[jacflash]

I think Christianity as it is generally thought of and practiced is preposterous, a relic of some cynical decisions made during the later years of the Roman Empire, wholly fabricated by man and manipulated in crass, even evil ways.

I think Jesus, if he existed, was probably an enlightened teacher struggling to present nondualistic concepts in a tribal-Jewish context. No worship required.

[blushingflower]

You don't trust him because you hear people talking about giving up control and you don't like to sacrifice that to an unknown quantity. I can't really blame you for that.
A god who will punish you for listening to reason and logic and not belonging to the right religion because it just didn't make sense to you is a douchebag unworthy of worship.

We are all sinful. I don't accept the authority of scripture, but "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" is one of the things the Bible gets right. Where I personally thinks Christianity goes astray is on the mechanism of salvation. God doesn't need to suffer and die for us in order for our sins to be forgiven. That's nonsense. God can forgive us anytime He damn well pleases. No one's blood needs to be spilled for it to happen. A lot of born-again Christians get hung up on how unworthy they are, and get mired down in guilt. Despite the stereotypes, Catholics have nothing on Protestants when it comes to guilt (probably has something to do with the sacrament of