A lot of people don't like Christianity because of the perceived hypocrisy. Some passages of the bible are followed strictly while others are wholly ignored.
Some people think an institution that has changed little over the years simply is not applicable in a modern world.
Others feel, and I think this is what Squanto is getting at, that religion and organizations of religion are often put on a pedestal and not held to the same standards as the rest of society.
I don't argue with the merits and benefits people can gain from a strong PERSONAL faith and PERSONAL relationship with god. I have a friend who'd been in and out of psychiatric institutions who would probably be dead by her own hand were it not for her finding solace in christianity.
I never agreed with the concept of congregational 'worship' even as a young kid in the Lutheran Church. It always seemed like faith is and was a deeply personal subject (and certainly that's usually the first defense the religious mount when their views are under attack). I think it produces a bit of a mob mentality when it comes to some issues, and leads to a lack of accountability. That having been said, I know that some people gain a certain strength from being a part of a group like that, and good for them.
A lot of ire that people hold is probably more directed at the Catholic Church than Christianity in general. And perhaps rightfully so. The Catholic Church is an organization whose authority figures (not all, but several) have been guilty of pedophilia, molestation, and child abuse. In any other organization, those offenders would be thrown in jail and left to experience the very same horrors that they bestowed on the young men they affected. However, accountability has not been the policy of the Catholic Church. Their policy has ranged from denial to "shuffling the cards" (moving priests) to outward defiance of the law (encouraging parishes to falsely declare bankruptcy to avoid paying reparations to abuse victims), to actually
paying annuities to abusive priests. I think the mere fact that an organization can get away with that at all is disgusting in itself, let alone the fact that the members of the Catholic Church can continue to give money to an organization paying out child molesters, rather than hold that institution accountable by closing their wallets.
It kills me that Christians act like they're constantly under siege the SECOND that anyone begins to say anything against their faith. (Though I agree that most often such comments are made indelicately). I don't understand how so many religious people can act like they're such a minority when the opposite is actually true.
76% of the country identifies as Christian.I've seen comments here from people who expected to get bashed for being religious on a secular message board. Really, you should expect to get bashed more solely because it's the internet, and faced with a lack of consequences, that's what people do. Feeling harped on or discriminated against because of religion? Give me a break.
I've always said about Obama that the fact that he's a black president is so utterly unimpressive to me. I'll be
impressed when we elect an atheist president. I'm not saying that atheism is a preferable choice to a certain spirituality, and I myself am definitely not an theist. But I don't think we'll even be the least bit enlightened as a society until most people realize that religion and morality can BOTH exist without the other.
You tell people you're a Catholic/Lutheran/whatever, no one cares. I tell people I'm a nonpracticing Pagan/Wiccan, people look at me funny even though all are federally recognized religions in the United States. Phil tells people he's an atheist, and automatically people have preconceived notions and questions about his morality.
That having been said, I agree with some of the complaints of the christians on the board. People can disagree while remaining civil. I gave Pants a ton of shit for basically just being completely insensitive and insightful (note the first draft of my description of him was a bit less kind). And I think we can have religious threads here without them getting locked after two or more pages.
But I also agree with Squanto, acting hurt when people express negative thoughts on religion is a little ridiculous. (Though perhaps justified with some of the comments). Religious people have such a great majority in this country. Virtually every politician represents the agenda and morals of some major religion.
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