Evangelical apologists attempt to argue and debate me back to faith by using philosophical arguments or quoting Bible verses. Apologists are perplexed by why their gold standard argumentation doesn’t work with me. Maybe I am an apostate or have been turned over to a reprobate mind by God. What apologists refuse to do is look at the likelier reasons for my lack of faith — namely, how they treat people who believe differently from them.
While I think the arguments given by apologists are lacking intellectual weight, one of the primary reasons I have no interest in the Evangelical God is how they treat me and other godless heathens. These apologists act in ways that reflect that they actually know very little about the moral and ethical teachings of Jesus. Either that, or they deliberately ignore Christ’s teachings. I’m inclined to think that it is the latter. Evangelicals such as Dr. David Tee, Revival Fires, John, and countless others claim they have read the Bible; that they know and understand its teachings. If this is so, why do they behave the way they do?
The Bible has much to say about the fruit (good works) Evangelicals produce in their lives. While I know Evangelicals who treat others with decency, kindness, and respect, and don’t try to bully people into faith in Jesus, most of the Evangelicals who send me emails or comment on my writing are anything but. If Christianity can’t transform the lives of its biggest fans, what good is it? It is a salt that has lost its savor and is good for nothing. Jesus said to throw such salt into the streets to be trampled underfoot (Matthew 5:13)
Don’t tell me Evangelicals, show me. You are not going to tell me anything about the Bible, God, and Christianity that I do not already know. What I want to see is change and transformation in the lives of people who say they worship Jesus. So far, all I see are people who value being right, getting certain politicians elected, and returning prayer and Bible reading to public schools more than they do loving their neighbors and helping the least of these.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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Well, it could be me, but I think that for lots of people, Americanism really ruined Jesus and Christianity for so many. This edgy attitude brought over from Medieval Europe carries on to this day. And so much craziness in the latest church movements. Very off- putting. And, people who’ve been raised in abusive homes that claim to be Christian, they quit church,even if they don’t quit belief.
Yes, this is why I left Christianity.
Evidence huh? The bane of all religions. Back in grade school, a good teacher stepped outside the curriculum by briefly trying to enlighten our little minds how to sort true from false. The lesson was limited to considering bias of a source and it stayed with me. No other teacher or class dwelt on any such thing till I studied evidence in law school. It made me see religion and politics very differently. I believe everyone would benefit from learning rules of evidence and ideally it should be taught as early as children could comprehend it. It’s protection against being duped.
It all comes down to “First, become what I think you should be, then I will treat you well.” Like an unhealthy relationship, many Christians want to change people to their liking, and get very hateful when the change won’t come. I left church at 12 not because of doctrine ( too young to understand or care), but because no matter how good I behaved, it was never enough. I didn’t drink, do drugs, or have sex. Fine, but don’t listen to rock music. Don’t read comic books. Don’t go to movies unless it’s Disney. Don’t cuss, no matter how mild. Don’t read novels unless they are Christian. Don’t listen to your science teacher. Don’t watch TV or listen to the radio. I mean jeez, how good does a kid have to be?
Great comments from everyone that has posted.
“So far, all I see are people who value being right, getting certain politicians elected, and returning prayer and Bible reading to public schools more than they do loving their neighbors and helping the least of these.”
Bruce has posted the crux of the matter, simply put, my way or the highway. The positive aspects of Christianity are ignored and practiced less and less, particularly in Western Societies.
Perhaps in South America, Africa and other parts of the world the positives of Christianity outweigh the negatives.
In the USA and the West in general it is a Corporate form of command and control to manipulate citizens.
Interestingly the deceased pope has required the candidates that will elect the new pope come from a wide spectrum of countries and in many cases “fringe” areas. I find this clever thinking from a man that tried to offer some level of tolerance and a progressive attitude while in power. It’s clear any American whom might win the position would turn the clock back to hard conservatism.
I’m all for people trying to transform their lives into something better, whether through education, through serving others, whether through travel, whether through showing greater compassion. Those are just some of a few ways that can help people improve. However, the assumption that all humans are evil/bad/ruined/reprobate and needed a deity to die as sacrifice to himself, that we must accept this sacrifice while maintaining that we are not worthy, and following a narrow set of rules is really not positively transformative. Most evangelicals don’t really look much different from other people, except for the more strict ones who are into following rules about clothing and alcohol rather than following exhortations about helping the poor and needy. And for US evangelicals we see them hopping on the bandwagon of following the most immoral, untruthful, insane, mean political leader that the world has seen in decades. It’s a terrible look for them.
Bruce: ” Evangelicals such as Dr. David Tee, Revival Fires, John, and countless others claim they have read the Bible; that they know and understand its teachings. If this is so, why do they behave the way they do?”
Zoe: I understand your point Bruce.
For me, I think Christendom has a fascination with gore, terror and suffering. It’s woven throughout the 66 books of the Bible. I tend to think “they” behave as they do, because that is the focus of their Saviour. Consider the book of Revelation. God’s judgement is love to them, so they are followers of God’s judgement and a Jesus who wields a sword.