You name the issue and the divide is present.
Whether racial, political, or religious, the other side is ALWAYS wrong.
We always wish "they" could look honestly at their position, evaluate it's stupidity, and jump the fence to the "right" side of the issue.
Good thing you're right, eh?
I'm going to jump into an endeavor this week to see religion from an outsider's perspective.
I'm going to criticize "religion".
Not God, but religion.
And, boy, do I have some criticisms.
A friend of mine, Bret, is an atheist. Has been for quite some time after de-converting from Christianity. We've had some thought-provoking conversations and I appreciate his candor. He recently posted thoughts on his blog about religion, and I asked him why so many atheists put so much effort into disproving somthing they believe doesn't exist in the first place.
Based partly on my question, Bret jumped into a week of being anti-atheist. I liked that he was honest about the stupidity of some of his brothers' and sisters' (certainly none of his own, though) views. I thought it was an intesting idea, so I'm going to do the same.
I'm going to be anti-religious for one week. I will start with a "Top 10 Senseless things Christians Do". I will approach "religion" from a "Christian" perspective, since that's what I am and it's what I know best. I think I have a good inside track on what we do that is so insanely stupid.
I hope you'll join me.
I hope you'll consider things you've seen or done...or do.
Maybe in the end we'll stop being so religious and start resembling Jesus more.
Which of my ideas would you like to see criticized?
ReplyDeleteIn my defense, I did link to a post where I said something which I criticized (in my Top Ten list).
May I recommend reading an extra-Biblical gospel or two? There are depictions of Jesus from early Christians which were not included in the Bible, and maybe looking into a few of them might put new nuggets of knowledge regarding how one might view Jesus as an example to live by. If knowing Jesus is your goal, I say look at what all the people who loved him had to say about him (though I really recommend against most non-Christian depictions, since they tend to be rudely mean-spirited; however, Josephus is one Jewish opinion which is renowned among Christian scholars for being quite insightful, especially regarding how people lived at the time of the fall of the Temple in Jerusalem).
Bret,
ReplyDeleteI don't have any specifics I'd like to see you criticize. I was saying it tongue-in-cheek based on us pointing fingers at others rather than ourselves. No offense intended. None. I even find it hard to criticize my own "right" thoughts.
I've read SOME Josephus. He's good, but challenging to read. Quite honestly, he doesn't fall high up on my "to-do" list. I've read also from the 4 horsemen (I know what you mean about "mean".). I've read a couple extra biblical gospels...Phillip was one. They were so long ago, I should get my hands on them again.
Oh no no no... no offense taken. I would just love some material, I'm stumped on what to criticize next. Not offended, just lazy and always looking for get someone to do a little work for me.
ReplyDeleteIf you think of anything you find annoying about atheists, I would love to know.
Oh, another weird thing you could look into: what is the deal with Tim Tebow? I think he's an inspiring story, but come on... is God winning those games, or is it the result of the hard work of him and his team? I figure as a guy who hits the gym, you would know that success comes from the work you put into it, not based on how much you pray in public.
Maybe I should criticize all the atheists who have a problem with Tim expressing his faith in public, and point out Tim isn't the one making these divine claims; it's the media.
Good post!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite quotes (I use this all the time when witnessing)--
"There are many religions, but only one Gospel."
Bret, the Tebow effect will be addressed with my first gripe.
ReplyDeleteEddie, good quote indeed.