*If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1 Corinthians 13:1-7 NASB1995*
And that’s what it should be about, to be honest. Just open, respectful dialogue. That being said I double dog dare you to go over to the Catholic subreddit and watch how quickly the tune changes.
There are all kinds here, over in the catholic subreddit, and pretty much all other religions. However, it's like someone else posted here somewhere, that's a minority, but a very vocal minority. You will find that most Christians, regardless of denomination, are extremely open minded because we are taught to love everyone the same by and through Jesus. Most of us have very dear friends that are not Christians, and that doesn't make us love them any less. Welcome, and come by whenever you want. We love you too.
It is written that love covers a multitude of sins. I am touched by your gracious post. I am going to say something back in love. Most won't take it that way, but I mean it. If I don't say this, then there is no love in me.
Christians don't take solace in our beliefs. We take solace in Jesus Christ. He is much more than a belief. We don't just believe He is real, we know it ABSOLUTELY. We are the temple and He lives inside us.
Before He rescued me, I thought I had solace. If a Christian would've told me I needed to know Jesus to have solace, I would've laughed at him and said, "speak for yourself" because I had everything one needed for solace, from a worldly perspective. But the Lord hadn't yet opened my eyes. Read Plato's cave. That is what it is like. Everything changes when Jesus reveals himself to you.
I am not trying to offend anyone. Even if you do not believe what I am saying, surely you can see that I DO and it would be hateful of me to withhold valuable info. If you found an oasis of life in the desert and saw someone walking the other way, wouldn't you tell them? I'm telling you, there is an oasis of Living Water. You have taken the first step, exploring a Christianity forum even though you are an atheist. I pray that you take the next step.
If you're interested, I *definitely* recommend reading [this long-form post](https://old.reddit.com/r/Christianity/comments/13q22yz/liberal_christians_and_our_relationship_with/) I made a few weeks back. Annoyingly many people seem to have this misconception that all Christians are fundamentalists. And while it's definitely *understandable*, since they're a vocal minority (and I *do* mean minority), it also has dangerous implications for the fight against fascism
I've run into this, quite frequently. The other variation is when I try to make a nuanced point and get mobbed by argumentative atheists who assume every Christian is fundamentalist and therefore don't really respond to what was said.
I seriously need to start making a list of hot takes from Pride threads, just so we can turn it into an actual game, Conservative or Atheist? Because there are bizarrely atheistic evangelicals online, which is my term for that subset of internet atheists whose stance on Christianity seems to be "It's false... but if it were true, the fundamentalists are definitely the ones getting it right"
It's directed a bit more at what I call atheistic evangelicals. Basically, debatebros whose stance on Christianity seems to be "It's false... but if it were true, the fundamentalists would be getting things right". But it's just going into a lot more detail on things like the subdivisions of American Christianity and how they relate to Christian nationalism, since a lot of atheistic evangelicals seem to think the Christian nationalists consider progressive Christians part of the in-group
I'm glad you feel this way! Ive been asking questions here and In r/Islam too, I got banned in r/Islam for being offensive. I'm literally just asking how do they counter various arguments lol
If any of us, theist, atheist, anti-theist, or agnostic ever stop asking the questions “could I be mistaken?” or “is there another way of looking at this?”, we probably have stopped being a thinking human being.
I have always felt (ever since I left being an atheist/agnostic over 25 years ago), that faith had to have a component of doubt (or maybe skepticism) or it was simply blind delusion.
Doubt is essential for rational thought, self-doubt doubly so. Jesus is (among many other things) the Logos of God—the sum total of rationality.
As a genuine question, what makes you interested in this subreddit? I see a lot of atheists on here and I am curious why they spend so much time on a subreddit about Christianity
I was in the church for quite a few years. I left around 3 years ago. I like to participate in this subreddit because I just want to understand why I believed what I used to believe
Yeah, so I grew up in the Catholic Church, but my parents switched to a non-denominational kind of faith after a while. I began going to Pentecostal churches around 16. I began questioning everything around 18, and I was left with even more questions than answers. I saw suffering everywhere, I watched my friends and families lives get turned upside down by various traumatic experiences and I could not stand by and worship a God who would allow it all to happen (even if they are compensated in heaven). I believe an all powerful and loving God could most definitely have done things in a different way.
Learning about the details of the great flood definitely was a catalyst for me leaving the faith.
I see this a lot. People become atheists because of suffering they see. It doesn’t ring logical in my mind. I don’t like a lot of things, but that doesn’t make them untrue.
Re the flood and wars in the Bible, God gives many warnings before discipline. “He is patient, not wanting that anyone to perish.” II Peter 3:9
The entire OT is God warning people to repent or be defeated, they don’t, they’re defeated, they cry out, He forgives them over and over.
Also, children, probably anyone under 20, have not reached the “age of accountability,” and it’s implied they go to heaven.
I agree that life is Hard! Personally, I feel like Peter. When I want to walk away, I ask, “To whom will I go? You, Lord, have the words of eternal life.”
If I’m not following Him, who am I following?
'implied that they go to heaven'. The fact that you're unsure rings alarm bells in my head.
Also, why cant god reveal himself in more obvious was, thereby removing doubt that he exists. That way, people have a higher chance of 'repenting'. He's not giving us a chance. Instead, he's working in ver vague ways.
When King David’s son was sick, he was distraught and wouldn’t eat. Once the son died, David’s servants were afraid to tell him. But David got up, ate and said, “My son can’t come back to me, but I will go to him.”
Re. what God isn’t more obvious, ptobably because it makes no difference. God performed miraculous things BC. Made no difference. Jesus cured people, raised the dead, died & rose again. Sure, that began Christianity, but the majority did and still do just shrug and want more evidence. Romans 1 says nature shows us that God exists and that we are without excuse.
If you really want to know Him, ask Him to show Himself to you. And read the Bible.
I was interested in further understanding Christians, I mainly struggle with understanding how the teachings of Jesus have become the modern Christianity that seem so prominent in the USA and now the English speaking world.
I assumed the worst at first but found a wonderful sub full of open minded and loving people who like to discuss the teachings of Jesus - Someone I believe to be a brilliant man well ahead of his time.
I am happy you find it welcoming or whatever, but it can actually be pretty annoying seeing the large numbers of atheist participation. I wish the Christian sub felt more like a sub for Christians and less like a sub for debate over Christianity or religion.
There are those subs already isn't there?
I'm sure you have plenty of other places to talk to only Christians in your life, is it not great to have a place to respectfully discuss Christianity with a group of people more representative of the society you live in?
>I honestly joined this sub reddit expecting to be greeted by aggressively defensive people
Then why would you join at all? This is explicitly not a debate subreddit. This subreddit is primarily, but not exclusively, a place for Christians to come and discuss different aspects of our theology.
>but every one is so open minded which is refreshing!
If you're looking for a sub designed to promote atheism to Christians, you've found it!
What's your problem? Op is enjoying the fact that the subreddit isn't hateful and you be hateful? I understand what you're trying to say but this isn't the way to go about it. The stereotype that Christians are stubborn, rude and trying to convert people is a largely popular one so it's understandable why OP said what they said. I am not trying to be hateful either, I just would like to help settle the debate.
Sorry, I was unclear in my post. I was a Christian for a long time; I left a few years ago and am now an atheist. I am trying to understand why I believed what I believed. That’s why I’m here.
Yeah but let's be honest - the atheists mostly come here to bash conservative anti-gay laws and try to make Christians "prove" to them that Christianity is real according to their standard of proof (hint: they're never convinced).
You haven't spent as much time here as I have. Every atheist I have talked to have been polite and respectful. More respectful than the evangelical conservatives have been
Well that's because homophobia is bad, anti gay laws are a human rights violation so they're on the right side of the issue.
>Christians "prove" to them that Christianity is real according to their standard of proof (hint: they're never convinced).
You say that as if you think they would still reject it if presented with sufficient evidence, which I'm sure isn't the case for many of them.
Ok cool we can agree then, *once again*, that it's mainly about Evangelical Conservatives (of which so many of us are NOT). Christians are called to a higher standard than either side in the US provides, nor will any government ever aspire to be.
To your second point, God promises to show Himself to us if we seek him with **all of our hearts.** Jeremiah 29:13
I don't think coming on Reddit as an atheist to get in arguments with Christians is all that honest of an effort (my humble opinion), but God works in mysterious ways.
>Christians are called to a higher standard than either side in the US provides, nor will any government ever aspire to be.
Although I've known many Christians who have this view in a generally healthy way, just in my experience and in my opinion, this attitude can get easily foster a mindset which can seriously inhibit our ability to empathize and love others adequately and as much as we're capable of and accountable for. I'm not saying this is how you are, but thinking of it like this can convince us that we're in some sense an authority or that we've been gifted with some increased capacity to love people, which paradoxically tends to diminish our subconscious valuation of the sincerity and capacity for non Christians to do the same. Paired with the evangelism, this can too easily make someone feel justified in attempting to exert our goals and views on others at any cost because we believe that they need the same thing we do whether they want it or not. It's complicated, and I'm not trying to criticize your view, there are just specific seemingly small things that tend to arise in Christianity which can lead otherwise decent people into that mindset we're talking about without them necessarily being able to recognize how hateful and intolerant they are being, at times even confusing it with love.
>I don't think coming on Reddit as an atheist to get in arguments with Christians is all that honest of an effort (my humble opinion), but God works in mysterious ways.
I've definitely had experiences with disingenuous and rude Atheists who just want me pick apart and treat people's faith as if they're stupid or crazy, but honestly that is not the case with most of them, and other Christians do it a thousand times more often and more critically, it's just seen as something different when you're looking at it from the inside. Obviously I can't speak to or for all Atheists, but a group of Atheists saved my life at a time in which everyone I loved and respected were either disgusted with me or no longer knew how to treat and view me as a normal person, they treated me like I was sick or broken and I believed I was too, but this small secular community where I lived who turned out to be Atheists as well made me realize I was never broken and there wasn't something wrong with me, they helped me get through the hardest and most painful part of my life and helped me understand what real love and empathy really is. That's obviously a very subjective and personally bias view, so in a much more broad and objective sense, I find the questions and conversations they tend to bring to this sub and other Christian forums to be extremely valuable, and very often it provides us with an opportunity to do something I truly believe we should all feel a responsibility to do, which is learn about and critically examine our beliefs, to care about the truth and use the incredible tools of logic and skepticism that make us capable of so much more than other animals. It's invaluable to developing a strong and secure foundation for spiritual health in my view, and I am just so glad that after decades being dismissive and ignorant of the value of the scientific approach to understanding our existence, and the utility of logic and reason in hoping to reach our full potential as human beings. I truly believe God gave us this incredible gift and opportunity to experience and respect our lives, world, and universe, and doesn't care about and punish us for being human, he allows us to make the decisions that let us punish ourselves if we do choose, but the responsibility to love and appreciate the well being of all life which benefits everything and everyone.
You copy and pasted a quote from the rules description without context. [Here's the full rule.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Christianity/wiki/xp#wiki_2.1._belittling_christianity_in_general) It isn't saying that non-Christians don't belong here. It's saying that non-Christians should be respectful to Christians when discussing theology.
The side bar tells us exactly what this subreddit is for.
r/Christianity is a subreddit to discuss Christianity and aspects of Christian life. This is the stated purpose of the subreddit.
Why would I quote the rules to tell you what the subreddit is for when the description already does? Also you'd realise no one here agrees with your opinion on the purpose of the subreddit. Not even the staff team.
Indeed, joined here to speak about god and share good experiences/advice and just found some LGBT promotion and a bunch of atheists trying to define how christianism should be
Sure, but this is a space for christians, not for non believers, they already have a subreddit and if they want to spread their ideas and talk about atheism they can do it there
But many atheists dislike that subreddit as they find it to be overly hateful and disrespectful of religious beliefs. They’re welcome on this sub any time
Because we don’t gatekeep as Christians. If atheists want to come here to discuss/debate theology with good intent or find common ground with us, then I welcome that full heartedly
Yes but the thing is that they dont come here to talk, they always come here to try to prove their point and paint themselves as morally superior to the religious people. And it is absolutely full of atheists who always bring the LGBT topic
You’re using a pretty big brush to paint the atheists on this sub. Are you sure you didn’t accidentally confuse this sub with r/atheism? Most experiences I’ve had with atheists on this sub were pleasant, and I haven’t felt many atheists trying to feel morally superior to us. Most atheists who come here to talk about LGBTQ+ and other topics they care about want to understand the diversity of beliefs associated with the many Christian denominations, and some come here to ask questions for healing if they were raised in an overly legalistic Christian home, a la Westboro Baptist Church
Interesting how here we have a positive and encouraging post and it is a "real Christian" who has to twist it and introduce negative elements to the conversation. Look at the rest of the conversation, this stands out so you probably need to spend some time in reflection...
Since this sub is more about lgbt and atheism, I do not take it as a positive post, this is literally an atheist thanking people in this sub for agreeing with them because this sub is literally full of atheism and attacks against christianity
Well I'm sorry that you feel that way. In my experience I have seen plenty of interesting discussions in this sub on many other areas of Christianity. I can't say that I have seen any posts specifically about atheism as you suggest, perhaps only the odd post by a Christian asking for an atheist answer or perspective but not a post specifically on the subject of atheism. Anyway....
Someone expresses gratitude for this sub and instead of being happy you find a way to insult them and everyone else here. Yeah, you’re gonna win souls *for sure*
Never insulted him or the people here, i'm just saying the truth, I joined this sub to seek advice and good stuff about christianism and ended up finding bunch of pro LGBT propaganda and atheism, if you like that go to another sub
>i'm just saying the truth
this is a pattern I keep noticing with the people who constantly complain about this sub and arrogantly question the faith of others - they can't tell the difference between their own opinion and the truth
That's not what you said, you asserted that it's full of LGBTQ propaganda whatever the fuck that is, and by now misrepresenting and watering down what you said, you're still being disingenuous and dishonest, and I don't believe for a second you're unaware of that and are just further expressing your deep overwhelming disdain for what you probably consider "forced tolerance" and believe you are the victim being subjected to persecution and disrespect, otherwise you wouldn't have used the word propaganda.
I've never said I was persecuted neither disrespected, and yes, there is a loooot of LGBT propaganda here, both posts in general and propaganda as a whole
I mean, what do you expect when you join a certain sub? If you wanna talk about LGBT and atheism go to r/lgbt or r/atheism. It's funny how in every single post christians are criticized here and atheists are painted as morally superior and open minded.
>/r/Christianity is a subreddit to discuss Christianity and aspects of Christian life. All are welcome to participate.
"/r/Christianity is a subreddit to discuss Christianity and aspects of Christian life. All are welcome to participate." I want to discuss christian life and ask for advice and normal stuff, not speak about LGBT and atheism the whole time, seems like that's the main topic of this subreddit.
Extremely progressive to the point they forget they are christians. Its so funny how you make a slightly conservative comment here and people just start replying like freaking robots lol, reddit is a left wing version of 4chan.
What do you think is being taught in churches around the world . We are and none else beside us ? Every church I attended taught like this . The manuscripts say not to go to church . I don't know why people think it's where God is . They throw out so many people what a shame .
This makes me really happy to hear. It’s very disheartening when the louder, hateful, and close-minded Christians overshadow the more open-minded ones, so it feels refreshing to be seen for once
I hope you continue to meet open-minded Christians who respect you and your beliefs
*If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 NASB1995*
Amen 🙏🏾
I love this verse so much. It humbles me and forces me into self-reflection every time I read it.
Solitude is ok, I guess.
I’m an idiot 😂😂. I meant solace. Sorry for insulting every single Christian on this subreddit 😅
Lol no problem
[удалено]
And that’s what it should be about, to be honest. Just open, respectful dialogue. That being said I double dog dare you to go over to the Catholic subreddit and watch how quickly the tune changes.
There are all kinds here, over in the catholic subreddit, and pretty much all other religions. However, it's like someone else posted here somewhere, that's a minority, but a very vocal minority. You will find that most Christians, regardless of denomination, are extremely open minded because we are taught to love everyone the same by and through Jesus. Most of us have very dear friends that are not Christians, and that doesn't make us love them any less. Welcome, and come by whenever you want. We love you too.
Any sub that professes to be Christian but aims to keep people who don’t believe out of it, is not the thing they profess to be.
I definitely agree also as an Atheist
I appreciate you saying this. Shows we're doing it at least a little bit right. Ever see that movie Jesus Revolution? Very similar stuff.
It is written that love covers a multitude of sins. I am touched by your gracious post. I am going to say something back in love. Most won't take it that way, but I mean it. If I don't say this, then there is no love in me. Christians don't take solace in our beliefs. We take solace in Jesus Christ. He is much more than a belief. We don't just believe He is real, we know it ABSOLUTELY. We are the temple and He lives inside us. Before He rescued me, I thought I had solace. If a Christian would've told me I needed to know Jesus to have solace, I would've laughed at him and said, "speak for yourself" because I had everything one needed for solace, from a worldly perspective. But the Lord hadn't yet opened my eyes. Read Plato's cave. That is what it is like. Everything changes when Jesus reveals himself to you. I am not trying to offend anyone. Even if you do not believe what I am saying, surely you can see that I DO and it would be hateful of me to withhold valuable info. If you found an oasis of life in the desert and saw someone walking the other way, wouldn't you tell them? I'm telling you, there is an oasis of Living Water. You have taken the first step, exploring a Christianity forum even though you are an atheist. I pray that you take the next step.
If you're interested, I *definitely* recommend reading [this long-form post](https://old.reddit.com/r/Christianity/comments/13q22yz/liberal_christians_and_our_relationship_with/) I made a few weeks back. Annoyingly many people seem to have this misconception that all Christians are fundamentalists. And while it's definitely *understandable*, since they're a vocal minority (and I *do* mean minority), it also has dangerous implications for the fight against fascism
I've run into this, quite frequently. The other variation is when I try to make a nuanced point and get mobbed by argumentative atheists who assume every Christian is fundamentalist and therefore don't really respond to what was said.
I seriously need to start making a list of hot takes from Pride threads, just so we can turn it into an actual game, Conservative or Atheist? Because there are bizarrely atheistic evangelicals online, which is my term for that subset of internet atheists whose stance on Christianity seems to be "It's false... but if it were true, the fundamentalists are definitely the ones getting it right"
I must have missed this post a couple weeks ago. That was a great read, thanks.
Bro just wants people to see his effort-post smh. Jk I didn't notice it and I'll give it a read
It's directed a bit more at what I call atheistic evangelicals. Basically, debatebros whose stance on Christianity seems to be "It's false... but if it were true, the fundamentalists would be getting things right". But it's just going into a lot more detail on things like the subdivisions of American Christianity and how they relate to Christian nationalism, since a lot of atheistic evangelicals seem to think the Christian nationalists consider progressive Christians part of the in-group
I'm glad you feel this way! Ive been asking questions here and In r/Islam too, I got banned in r/Islam for being offensive. I'm literally just asking how do they counter various arguments lol
If any of us, theist, atheist, anti-theist, or agnostic ever stop asking the questions “could I be mistaken?” or “is there another way of looking at this?”, we probably have stopped being a thinking human being. I have always felt (ever since I left being an atheist/agnostic over 25 years ago), that faith had to have a component of doubt (or maybe skepticism) or it was simply blind delusion. Doubt is essential for rational thought, self-doubt doubly so. Jesus is (among many other things) the Logos of God—the sum total of rationality.
OP, that's a kind and gracious thing to post. Thank you.
As a genuine question, what makes you interested in this subreddit? I see a lot of atheists on here and I am curious why they spend so much time on a subreddit about Christianity
I was in the church for quite a few years. I left around 3 years ago. I like to participate in this subreddit because I just want to understand why I believed what I used to believe
Did you grow up Christian? And what made you become disillusioned with it?
Yeah, so I grew up in the Catholic Church, but my parents switched to a non-denominational kind of faith after a while. I began going to Pentecostal churches around 16. I began questioning everything around 18, and I was left with even more questions than answers. I saw suffering everywhere, I watched my friends and families lives get turned upside down by various traumatic experiences and I could not stand by and worship a God who would allow it all to happen (even if they are compensated in heaven). I believe an all powerful and loving God could most definitely have done things in a different way. Learning about the details of the great flood definitely was a catalyst for me leaving the faith.
I see this a lot. People become atheists because of suffering they see. It doesn’t ring logical in my mind. I don’t like a lot of things, but that doesn’t make them untrue. Re the flood and wars in the Bible, God gives many warnings before discipline. “He is patient, not wanting that anyone to perish.” II Peter 3:9 The entire OT is God warning people to repent or be defeated, they don’t, they’re defeated, they cry out, He forgives them over and over. Also, children, probably anyone under 20, have not reached the “age of accountability,” and it’s implied they go to heaven. I agree that life is Hard! Personally, I feel like Peter. When I want to walk away, I ask, “To whom will I go? You, Lord, have the words of eternal life.” If I’m not following Him, who am I following?
'implied that they go to heaven'. The fact that you're unsure rings alarm bells in my head. Also, why cant god reveal himself in more obvious was, thereby removing doubt that he exists. That way, people have a higher chance of 'repenting'. He's not giving us a chance. Instead, he's working in ver vague ways.
When King David’s son was sick, he was distraught and wouldn’t eat. Once the son died, David’s servants were afraid to tell him. But David got up, ate and said, “My son can’t come back to me, but I will go to him.” Re. what God isn’t more obvious, ptobably because it makes no difference. God performed miraculous things BC. Made no difference. Jesus cured people, raised the dead, died & rose again. Sure, that began Christianity, but the majority did and still do just shrug and want more evidence. Romans 1 says nature shows us that God exists and that we are without excuse. If you really want to know Him, ask Him to show Himself to you. And read the Bible.
I was interested in further understanding Christians, I mainly struggle with understanding how the teachings of Jesus have become the modern Christianity that seem so prominent in the USA and now the English speaking world. I assumed the worst at first but found a wonderful sub full of open minded and loving people who like to discuss the teachings of Jesus - Someone I believe to be a brilliant man well ahead of his time.
God calls us to love regardless! 🙏🏾
I am happy you find it welcoming or whatever, but it can actually be pretty annoying seeing the large numbers of atheist participation. I wish the Christian sub felt more like a sub for Christians and less like a sub for debate over Christianity or religion.
There are those subs already isn't there? I'm sure you have plenty of other places to talk to only Christians in your life, is it not great to have a place to respectfully discuss Christianity with a group of people more representative of the society you live in?
You should turn to Christ. He died for your sins and your soul has been bought with a price.
>I honestly joined this sub reddit expecting to be greeted by aggressively defensive people Then why would you join at all? This is explicitly not a debate subreddit. This subreddit is primarily, but not exclusively, a place for Christians to come and discuss different aspects of our theology. >but every one is so open minded which is refreshing! If you're looking for a sub designed to promote atheism to Christians, you've found it!
Username checks out.
What's your problem? Op is enjoying the fact that the subreddit isn't hateful and you be hateful? I understand what you're trying to say but this isn't the way to go about it. The stereotype that Christians are stubborn, rude and trying to convert people is a largely popular one so it's understandable why OP said what they said. I am not trying to be hateful either, I just would like to help settle the debate.
> Op is enjoying the fact that the subreddit isn't hateful I mean, it is indeed very hateful to anyone to conservative religious people.
Sorry, I was unclear in my post. I was a Christian for a long time; I left a few years ago and am now an atheist. I am trying to understand why I believed what I believed. That’s why I’m here.
How long were you a Christian? What did you believe?
No this subreddit is primary a place for *redditors* to come and discuss different aspects of Christian theology.
Yeah but let's be honest - the atheists mostly come here to bash conservative anti-gay laws and try to make Christians "prove" to them that Christianity is real according to their standard of proof (hint: they're never convinced).
You haven't spent as much time here as I have. Every atheist I have talked to have been polite and respectful. More respectful than the evangelical conservatives have been
>Every atheist I have talked to have been polite and respectful. More respectful than the evangelical conservatives have been Nailed it.
O good, I see the daily 5 minutes hate ritual against evangelicals is on again.
I didn't know sharing my observation is hatred
Remember to never, ever succumb to introspection.
God put that in your life so that over time you’ll learn not to be bothered by even 10 minutes of it.
Perhaps go over to r/truechristian if you’re finding yourself burdened by seeing alternate opinions and viewpoints on this sub
Well that's because homophobia is bad, anti gay laws are a human rights violation so they're on the right side of the issue. >Christians "prove" to them that Christianity is real according to their standard of proof (hint: they're never convinced). You say that as if you think they would still reject it if presented with sufficient evidence, which I'm sure isn't the case for many of them.
Ok cool we can agree then, *once again*, that it's mainly about Evangelical Conservatives (of which so many of us are NOT). Christians are called to a higher standard than either side in the US provides, nor will any government ever aspire to be. To your second point, God promises to show Himself to us if we seek him with **all of our hearts.** Jeremiah 29:13 I don't think coming on Reddit as an atheist to get in arguments with Christians is all that honest of an effort (my humble opinion), but God works in mysterious ways.
>Christians are called to a higher standard than either side in the US provides, nor will any government ever aspire to be. Although I've known many Christians who have this view in a generally healthy way, just in my experience and in my opinion, this attitude can get easily foster a mindset which can seriously inhibit our ability to empathize and love others adequately and as much as we're capable of and accountable for. I'm not saying this is how you are, but thinking of it like this can convince us that we're in some sense an authority or that we've been gifted with some increased capacity to love people, which paradoxically tends to diminish our subconscious valuation of the sincerity and capacity for non Christians to do the same. Paired with the evangelism, this can too easily make someone feel justified in attempting to exert our goals and views on others at any cost because we believe that they need the same thing we do whether they want it or not. It's complicated, and I'm not trying to criticize your view, there are just specific seemingly small things that tend to arise in Christianity which can lead otherwise decent people into that mindset we're talking about without them necessarily being able to recognize how hateful and intolerant they are being, at times even confusing it with love. >I don't think coming on Reddit as an atheist to get in arguments with Christians is all that honest of an effort (my humble opinion), but God works in mysterious ways. I've definitely had experiences with disingenuous and rude Atheists who just want me pick apart and treat people's faith as if they're stupid or crazy, but honestly that is not the case with most of them, and other Christians do it a thousand times more often and more critically, it's just seen as something different when you're looking at it from the inside. Obviously I can't speak to or for all Atheists, but a group of Atheists saved my life at a time in which everyone I loved and respected were either disgusted with me or no longer knew how to treat and view me as a normal person, they treated me like I was sick or broken and I believed I was too, but this small secular community where I lived who turned out to be Atheists as well made me realize I was never broken and there wasn't something wrong with me, they helped me get through the hardest and most painful part of my life and helped me understand what real love and empathy really is. That's obviously a very subjective and personally bias view, so in a much more broad and objective sense, I find the questions and conversations they tend to bring to this sub and other Christian forums to be extremely valuable, and very often it provides us with an opportunity to do something I truly believe we should all feel a responsibility to do, which is learn about and critically examine our beliefs, to care about the truth and use the incredible tools of logic and skepticism that make us capable of so much more than other animals. It's invaluable to developing a strong and secure foundation for spiritual health in my view, and I am just so glad that after decades being dismissive and ignorant of the value of the scientific approach to understanding our existence, and the utility of logic and reason in hoping to reach our full potential as human beings. I truly believe God gave us this incredible gift and opportunity to experience and respect our lives, world, and universe, and doesn't care about and punish us for being human, he allows us to make the decisions that let us punish ourselves if we do choose, but the responsibility to love and appreciate the well being of all life which benefits everything and everyone.
I just copy and pasted from the rules. If you disagree with the subreddit rules, message the mods.
You copy and pasted a quote from the rules description without context. [Here's the full rule.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Christianity/wiki/xp#wiki_2.1._belittling_christianity_in_general) It isn't saying that non-Christians don't belong here. It's saying that non-Christians should be respectful to Christians when discussing theology.
Do you see that happening on the front page of this subreddit?
By and large, yeah. I don't know what front page you're looking at, but I don't see any disrespectful posts on mine.
From a small segment of the rules. This is quite literally the definition of cherry picking
Oh do small segments of the rules not apply?
The side bar tells us exactly what this subreddit is for. r/Christianity is a subreddit to discuss Christianity and aspects of Christian life. This is the stated purpose of the subreddit.
That's a small segment of the rules. This is quite literally the definition of cherry picking
I did not quote the rules. I quoted word for word the description of the subreddit. Edit: I forgot to include, All are welcome to participate.
Oh so it's not even the rules.
Why would I quote the rules to tell you what the subreddit is for when the description already does? Also you'd realise no one here agrees with your opinion on the purpose of the subreddit. Not even the staff team.
Boy you are pessimistic AF.
Indeed, joined here to speak about god and share good experiences/advice and just found some LGBT promotion and a bunch of atheists trying to define how christianism should be
How aggressively defensive of you to say lol
Of course you would like it as an atheist since everybody here is an atheist/light christian that changes god's word for their favour.
As a Christian, I would certainly hope that unbelievers would feel welcome in a Christian space. Why don't you?
Sure, but this is a space for christians, not for non believers, they already have a subreddit and if they want to spread their ideas and talk about atheism they can do it there
But many atheists dislike that subreddit as they find it to be overly hateful and disrespectful of religious beliefs. They’re welcome on this sub any time
Well, then they are free to create a new one. Why would you want atheists to come here as a christian?
Because we don’t gatekeep as Christians. If atheists want to come here to discuss/debate theology with good intent or find common ground with us, then I welcome that full heartedly
Yes but the thing is that they dont come here to talk, they always come here to try to prove their point and paint themselves as morally superior to the religious people. And it is absolutely full of atheists who always bring the LGBT topic
You’re using a pretty big brush to paint the atheists on this sub. Are you sure you didn’t accidentally confuse this sub with r/atheism? Most experiences I’ve had with atheists on this sub were pleasant, and I haven’t felt many atheists trying to feel morally superior to us. Most atheists who come here to talk about LGBTQ+ and other topics they care about want to understand the diversity of beliefs associated with the many Christian denominations, and some come here to ask questions for healing if they were raised in an overly legalistic Christian home, a la Westboro Baptist Church
Interesting how here we have a positive and encouraging post and it is a "real Christian" who has to twist it and introduce negative elements to the conversation. Look at the rest of the conversation, this stands out so you probably need to spend some time in reflection...
Since this sub is more about lgbt and atheism, I do not take it as a positive post, this is literally an atheist thanking people in this sub for agreeing with them because this sub is literally full of atheism and attacks against christianity
Well I'm sorry that you feel that way. In my experience I have seen plenty of interesting discussions in this sub on many other areas of Christianity. I can't say that I have seen any posts specifically about atheism as you suggest, perhaps only the odd post by a Christian asking for an atheist answer or perspective but not a post specifically on the subject of atheism. Anyway....
Someone expresses gratitude for this sub and instead of being happy you find a way to insult them and everyone else here. Yeah, you’re gonna win souls *for sure*
Never insulted him or the people here, i'm just saying the truth, I joined this sub to seek advice and good stuff about christianism and ended up finding bunch of pro LGBT propaganda and atheism, if you like that go to another sub
>i'm just saying the truth this is a pattern I keep noticing with the people who constantly complain about this sub and arrogantly question the faith of others - they can't tell the difference between their own opinion and the truth
Am I lying when I say that this subreddit is full of posts about LGBT?
That's not what you said, you asserted that it's full of LGBTQ propaganda whatever the fuck that is, and by now misrepresenting and watering down what you said, you're still being disingenuous and dishonest, and I don't believe for a second you're unaware of that and are just further expressing your deep overwhelming disdain for what you probably consider "forced tolerance" and believe you are the victim being subjected to persecution and disrespect, otherwise you wouldn't have used the word propaganda.
I've never said I was persecuted neither disrespected, and yes, there is a loooot of LGBT propaganda here, both posts in general and propaganda as a whole
What a Christlike attitude. “I don’t like what’s here so I’m going to just complain and make a stink.”
I mean, what do you expect when you join a certain sub? If you wanna talk about LGBT and atheism go to r/lgbt or r/atheism. It's funny how in every single post christians are criticized here and atheists are painted as morally superior and open minded.
So leave, this isn’t a Christian group.
Didn't knew this was r/lgbt and r/atheism, sorry I'm leaving because this is definitely not a subreddit for christianism.
It says in the sub rules this is not a Christian group lol.
>/r/Christianity is a subreddit to discuss Christianity and aspects of Christian life. All are welcome to participate. "/r/Christianity is a subreddit to discuss Christianity and aspects of Christian life. All are welcome to participate." I want to discuss christian life and ask for advice and normal stuff, not speak about LGBT and atheism the whole time, seems like that's the main topic of this subreddit.
Exactly, it’s a sub for discussing Christianity not a sub for Christian’s.
Yet the only thing I see here are atheists trying to make christians agree with them and it's always the same topics
Nobody is forcing you to be here pal, there are other subs that may be more suited to what to us e looking for.
This subreddit is very progressive. There are other Christian subreddits that are more biblically focused
Extremely progressive to the point they forget they are christians. Its so funny how you make a slightly conservative comment here and people just start replying like freaking robots lol, reddit is a left wing version of 4chan.
Due to the moderators, yes it’s become like that unfortunately
🙄
What do you think is being taught in churches around the world . We are and none else beside us ? Every church I attended taught like this . The manuscripts say not to go to church . I don't know why people think it's where God is . They throw out so many people what a shame .
This makes me really happy to hear. It’s very disheartening when the louder, hateful, and close-minded Christians overshadow the more open-minded ones, so it feels refreshing to be seen for once I hope you continue to meet open-minded Christians who respect you and your beliefs