This is very controversial for some. It is also very difficult to tackle without it sounding like a bit of a rant no matter what position you take, so instead of the more traditional approach of outlining lots of issues, I’ll strip away all the religious words and come up with a basic and simple description of Christianity. (If the following is not correct or incomplete, please do feel free to comment.)
- There exists a supernatural being (God)
- This supernatural being gave birth to himself (Jesus)
- This happened so that this supernatural being could kill himself to appease his own anger against us
Still with me? … Good, lets push on then and ask why this supernatural being is so angry with us.
- Apparently this anger came about because some mythological ancestors of ours ate some mythological fruit when a talking snake tricked them.
And the final step …
- You need to accept that all this is true without any evidence at all … if you do, then you will live forever with this supernatural being, if you don’t then you are on your own.
Its the “Just accept it” without any evidence at all bit that I choke on. In most aspects of life we demand evidence. Would you find it acceptable for somebody to be hung for a crime without any evidence of guilt, “Just believe” he is guilty and accept that?
So whats the problem?
- There is no evidence that this supernatural being exists
- There is no evidence that there is an afterlife
Some questions for you to consider
- Can you accept all this as true and use it as a foundation for your entire lifespan? I can’t.
- Can you embrace the idea that anybody who does not accept this is wicked and evil? I can’t.
To the believers out there reading this … its not about rejecting God and his message, but rather its about not viewing any of it as real. I used to believe it was all true, I no longer do.
“Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but…will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.” — Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor and Philosopher.