How we perceive Christians

[liketolearn]

i was wondering what you guys see in the christians that you know. a lot of people on here make blanket statements about how christians are stupid for believing what they do, but i'm wondering how people see christians living out their lives. i know some christians who seem to believe for silly reasons, who use god as a crutch, but i know other christians who are really very intelligent and live compassionate lives that benefit other people. i know that obviously there are as many different types of christians as there are atheists, but i wanted to hear some thoughts on how we perceive christians in everyday life.

[McQ]

i was wondering what you guys see in the christians that you know. a lot of people on here make blanket statements about how christians are stupid for believing what they do, but i'm wondering how people see christians living out their lives. i know some christians who seem to believe for silly reasons, who use god as a crutch, but i know other christians who are really very intelligent and live compassionate lives that benefit other people. i know that obviously there are as many different types of christians as there are atheists, but i wanted to hear some thoughts on how we perceive christians in everyday life.

I'm fairly certain that each person here perceives christians differently. First of all, I don't perceive all "christians" the same way. Not all christians are the same. You have very liberal christians and very conservative christians; christians who define other christians as "not really christians", etc.

I view certain protestant, fundamental christian churches more harshly than I would view others. For example, Independent "Bible" churches, or Independent Southern Baptists, or churches like Landover Baptist are places I view much more harshly, because of their militant views and just plain ignorance and twisting of scripture to suit their needs.

I view individuals within all these churches on an independent basis though. Essentially, I take people one at a time, but will group people together for simplicity of this thread, as in the above case.

I also remember that I have also been:

1. Roman Catholic, and that my whole family still is.
2. Methodist
3. Southern Baptist
4. Independent Baptist

So I try to view all christians first as just regular people who are very trusting, naive, easily led, and lacking either the will or tools for critical thinking.

I only become angry or view them negatively when they are willfully ignorant. Once I was faced with the overwhelming evidence for things that disputed biblical accuracy and truth, I could not be willfully ignorant or intellectually dishonest with myself. I simply have the same expectations of  others. I don't believe that is too much to expect really, but apparently it seems to be.

[Kestrel]

So I try to view all christians first as just regular people who are very trusting, naive, easily led, and lacking either the will or tools for critical thinking.

OUCH! WTF was that??
I'm just strollin' through the forum, minding my own business, when WHACK!

*looks around for a HAF trauma-wound kit*

 

[McQ]

So I try to view all christians first as just regular people who are very trusting, naive, easily led, and lacking either the will or tools for critical thinking.

OUCH! WTF was that??
I'm just strollin' through the forum, minding my own business, when WHACK!

*looks around for a HAF trauma-wound kit*

 

My apologies.

As usual, I was in a big hurry when I wrote that (just like I am now). I didn't even bother to proof it afterwards, so my apologies, because the part you called out is something I definitely meant differently than it came out.

I meant to say that I view all christians as just regular, ordinary people. No different than anyone else. But I categorize them as either very trusting (which would include the proclivity toward faith), AND/OR naive, easily led, and lacking the will or tools for critical thinking. The very last part, about lacking tools for critical thinking, applies to them specifically in regard to their faith. By its definition, faith pretty much excludes critical thinking or skepticism. That's why I put it in there.

When I was a "fundy" I had what I thought were good critical thinking skills, but they stopped well short of my faith. When I did finally apply the tools of reason and critical thinking to my faith, I found it did not hold up to scrutiny.

This may not be a better explanation, or make more sense, but it is more like what I really meant to say.

[Kestrel]

No harm, no foul.

I hear what you're saying in regard to faith and reason, however I view it differently.
From the POV of one who actually rationalized their way back into the Judeo/Xtian scriptures.

[Whitney]

I don't know if someone is a Christian unless they tell me...so it isn't very often that I can determine what I think of a Christian based on the fact the person is a Christian.

As for those who I know are Christians....my perception of them completely depends on their actions and reasons for being a Christian.  I think some are crazy, some believe because they want to (the casual Christians), while others have managed to somehow rationalize it.  Anyway, I don't automatically associate being a Christian with that person being stupid...although sometimes the things they say may not be too smart (ie, a friend of mine isn't getting an epidural because she says that if labor hurts then it is part of god's plan and she's not sure she should mess with that....yet she'll take Tylenol; other than some kooky religious views she really is a smart person)

[SteveS]

Most of the Christians I know are family or coworkers and most of them are Catholic.  My perception of them is: Total bewilderment.  Seriously - I just don't get it.  Like laetusatheos says above I certainly don't perceive them as stupid.  Here's why: when we discuss health benefits or retirement plans at work (for an example) they are skeptical and inquisitive.  They ask, how do I know this plan is best?  How has this plan done in the past?  What is the investment strategy? etc. etc. etc.  Plus they are good analytically solving software problems, network configurations, etc.  But then, along comes Friday, we go out to lunch and they refuse to eat meat because it is lent.  ???  Some of these people are born carnivores too, it's not like they are normally vegatarian or anything, so what gives?  When I ask why, they usually dodge the question, and say something like, oh you know, it's how I was raised (honestly, they seem to be afraid of going to hell).  I try pointing out that lent is calculated by going backward from an arbitrary day of an arbitrary week (we divided weeks into 7 days, why?  And what difference does the name of each day make?), the moon, and the earth's orbit.  So, we start at the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox.  Then, we go backward 46 days to get ash wednesday (which creeps me out, all these people walking around with ash crosses on their foreheads).  Between these two days (based off of phases of the moon and the vernal equinox, which is just the position of the planet in it's yearly solar orbit) we have special Fridays where you can't eat meat.  This appears totally ridiculous to me, I can't help it.  The whole orbit/moon thing smacks of paganism.  Who are you offending, the moon god?  It's just a really weird way to behave.  My two cents...

Steve

[donkeyhoty]

I like to discriminate on a wholly individual basis.

...ash wednesday (which creeps me out, all these people walking around with ash crosses on their foreheads)

At least it's not self-flagellation.  Now that's creepy.  I also make it a point to eat meat on Friday.

[Tom62]

I don't know any militant christians (moslims, jews, etc.) apart from the ones I read about on in the newspapers of see on TV. For me these are just crazy, fanatical people. The world would be a much better place without them.

The christians that I don know are very decent people. Most of them are catholics, who don't take their religion and their church too serious. Although I don't believe what they believe, I don't consider them to be stupid. Some of them are very intelligent, lovable people, but that has nothing to do whether they believe in a god or not.

[Byrath]

Overall, I carry no particular perception of christians. They come in so many varieties that it would be ridiculous to do so.
Most are brainwashed from the time of their birth; thats a pretty difficult thing to overcome no matter how ridiculous the belief is.

[BGMA]

It's not their fault, they were fed stories as truth at a young and impressionable age, by parents and authority figures.

What we need to do is prevent them from subverting things such as science education, and keep them from infringing upon our rights.  They can have their myths, as long as they stay in the church and out of everyone else's business.

[User192021]

I hate to say it, but I have a little trouble respecting Christians.  I try my very best, honestly, to judge people by their actions and not their beliefs.  But it becomes hard when I think about what they literally believe in - stories of miracles from the Bible, etc..  Especially this time of year when I see them with ashes on their foreheads and refusing to eat meat on Fridays (unless they forget  :roll: ), etc...  I cringe to think I was doing that not too long ago.  It gets even more confusing when, as Steve mentioned, I see them applying the same logical, critical thinking methods I use to other aspects of life such as work and finances.  I try to cut them a little slack though since I understand the rationalization and compartmentalization they are undoubtedly utilizing to reconcile their contradictory approaches to life.  I used to do it everyday - I guess at some point a person has to say "enough is enough" and get with reality.  Or else you just keep living the fantasy.

[noname]

The problem with some Christians are their faith. They rely too much on God, thinking God will take care of them and their family. My Christian friends are good people and intellegent. But when it comes to religion, their brain just doesn't work.

[Struzball]

There is a guy at work who used to be a 7th Day Adventist.  But he ended up being kicked out of the church because he challenged their beliefs because it didn't agree with the way he interpreted the bible.

So he has his own church which he is the pastor of, he travels around 600km per weekend around the country to see the other people in his 'church' and attends church camps etc.

He's on very little pay, he tithes 10%, he spends a fortune on travel.  And during work time he spends all day emailing people and researching for a book he's writing about Noah's Ark.  He tells me he's not worried about money because god looks after him, makes sure he always has enough.

He's a vegetarian, can't work friday afternoons, preaches and tries to convert me and challenge my belief (or lack of one) pretty much daily  (Though I do tend to string him along a bit for entertainment value).

He says I'm just ignorant of christianity, thinks goals of financial security over getting into heaven is stupid.  He tells me the gold in heaven is so pure it's clear and so therefore he is already rich because he's going to heaven.

People in this forum seem to say they're tolerant of other religeons.... but this guy is a brainwashed idiot!

[Whitney]

hey struzball, welcome to the forum.

Do you happen to know which of their beliefs he challanged.  They have a lot of beliefs which are much different from mainstream christianity...end times, the lake of fire is eternal but the sinner is simply engulfed and ceases to exist, people wait in the grave in a sleeplike state then go to heaven when Jesus returns...I know I'm forgetting quite a few, it's been quite a while since I attended an adventist church with a high school boyfriend.