Do Christians really believe? May 22 2011
If you really believe that death leads to eternal bliss, then why are you wearing a seatbelt? – Doug Stanhope
I was a Christian recently enough to remember what it felt like to really believe the Creator of the universe talked to me, to really believe I would go to heaven and unbelievers would go to hell, to really believe that prayer made a difference. Other Christians also tell me they really believe that stuff, too. But something’s not quite right with that.
I assume my family really believe that I am going to hell now that I am no longer a Christian. They believe I am going to be tortured forever. Literally. However, they don’t seem too upset by this devastating “reality”. They’re probably upset that I’ve rejected values and “truths” I learned as a child. But the concern doesn’t seem on par with an eternity of hell torture. But it’s not just my family, obviously. It’s Christians in general. If Christians really believed that, wouldn’t there be serious mourning? Pleading? Great distress? There is a shocking discrepancy between the amount of concern warranted for an eternity of torture and the amount of concern gauged. And there’s something not quite right about that.
A question for Christians
This is not a post for attacking Christian beliefs or promoting atheistic views. This is a post about understanding. I’d like to understand Christians better. So, Christians: I have a question.
If you really believed some of the people you love dearly were going to spend an eternity in hell, wouldn’t that motivate you to try harder to save them?
Let’s say we all lived in Poland at the start of World War II and you got word that soon, the Nazis were going to invade the town where several of your friends and family lived. The Nazis were going take everybody off to concentration camps in chains, and possibly kill them. And let’s say this information came from a very reliable source, so that you really believed this was going to happen.
Would you just go on about your life? Would you just mention this to your friends and family in passing, and send them the occasional pamphlet with information on the threat of the Nazis? Would you merely pray for them to see the threat and save themselves? Or, would you do everything you could to save your friends and family? Maybe you would drive out there and try to convince them of the threat until you were blue in the face. Maybe you would refuse to leave until they came away with you. Maybe you would… I dunno what, but it would be pretty drastic. I know if I were in that situation, then I would do some pretty drastic things to save my friends and family.
But this is not what Christians do for their friends and family who they really believe are on the verge of falling into eternal torture, even though they say they really believe this, and even though they feel they really believe this. So something weird is going on. Millions of Christians really believe this stuff, but they don’t act like it.
As best we can tell, humans always act so as to fulfill the strongest of their current desires, given their beliefs. But I very much doubt that Christians do not have a strong desire to save their spouses, their children, and their best friends from eternal agony. So there seems to be something weird about the belief end of the equation.
Do Christians really believe what they say and feel they believe? What’s going on here?
If you really believe this, you shouldn’t have to tell yourself, “You’re right, I really should try harder to evangelize.” No, if you really believed, you would already have that motivation! You wouldn’t need to try to manufacture it! And if you really believed, you wouldn’t need to constantly repeat the doctrines of Christianity to yourself, and do everything you can to “build up your faith.” I don’t need to remind myself that the Holocaust happened or that gravity is real. I don’t need to constantly “build up my faith” in the existence of magnetism. Something is fishy here, and I don’t get it.
Any thoughts?
I had an experience that actually made me think of this very inconsistency.
I was at church (I still go to church when I’m back at home, to avoid arguments with my parents), and after the service I was milling about in the foyer and came across my uncle talking to another fellow in the church. I forget the exact conversation topic, but my uncle said jokingly, “Hey, just make sure no burning bushes start talking to you, or people will think you’re crazy.” He said it as a joke, but it got me thinking that what he essentially said was that people today (presumably including himself) would see Moses as crazy. So why does he believe the story, then? It just kind of jumped out at me. They know it’s crazy, but they still believe it anyway.
But to get back to your point, I think what you’re pointing out is a fact of human nature itself. We could point out the same thing in atheists as well – why don’t you live every moment of your life knowing that you will die? Most of the time, we don’t think about this. But we are all going to die at some point. Our lives are going to end. So why aren’t we rushing around to get everything done, continually updating our wills, always making sure that funeral plans are arranged, etc.? I mean, it’s a struggle for most of us to even contemplate these things. We do because we feel it’s important, but in our everyday lives, it doesn’t cross our minds. We live as though we are immortal. I think it’s because death is uncomfortable to us. Same thing with Christians – beliefs about hell are uncomfortable, so they try not to think about it except when they feel compassion towards “saving” people from it. Not thinking about hell helps them live a normal life in the same way that not thinking about death helps us do the same.
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Darren, you raise an excellent point and I appreciate your honesty. There are countless times I have pondered similar matters concerning what Christians profess to believe or allow others to think they believe and how they act or fail to act as the case may be. The “religious” community has a great many pretenders both in leadership roles and followers. This is seen no so much in what they say as what they do. The degree of importance of what believers profess can be measured by the actions that reflect that profession. For instance, most Christians will say that they believe, without a doubt, that the bible is the “inspired word of God.” Really?
And to that I would offer this observation: Never has so much been said by so many about something of which they know so little. Most professing Chrisitans can not give even a simple account of how the books of the bible were chosen . . . I dare say most are not aware that they were “chosen.”
Anyway, thanks again for your article. I wish you all the best.
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I think Christian family members do not try ‘harder’ to save their non-believing kin because they understand that our beliefs form and evolve irrespective of how many times they beat us over the head with their own beliefs. Their most drastic actions will not serve to ‘save’ us; they are more likely to alienate.
So they take the more passive ‘let our testimony shine through’ approach as they rightly realise that anything more will either cause tension or cause us to snicker behind their backs.
Also it is baffling that people pray for me to change my beliefs when the Bible clearly says that my decision *must* be one of free will. (If God has ‘softened my heart’, how is my decision to follow him my own?)
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I’ve had similar experiences, but in the other direction. When I was a member of my church, I would come out of an inspiring sermon in which the pastor had talked about the glory and wonder of the Creator of our Universe. God knew me, loved me, and wanted me to understand Him. It’s an absolutely fascinating and marvelous idea!
Then I would walk into the foyer after the service. I wanted to talk about philosophy, the meaning of life, the true nature of God, or some such thing. I mean, we just got done talking about how the God of the Universe wants to know us personally; this is significant information. What did I find in the foyer? People talking about basketball games, complaining about players or the coaches. Women talking bad about the “sinners” who came into the service and smelled of smoke. Even the pastors were talking about their plans for Monday Night Football.
:/
Really? I mean, seriously? We have eternal bliss in Heaven or eternal torture in Hell based on whether or not we accept Jesus. We have a personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe, the ultimate scientist and philosopher. And you guys *dare* to look down on people who are new to the church? You *dare* to defile Him by talking ill will toward other humans (the coaches) inside the church building? How can you preach something so significant and then continue about your day as though nothing interesting is going on?
It bothered me greatly until I finally came to the same conclusion you have: Preach as they might, nobody *actually* believes this stuff. I did, and it was a major let-down to figure out that I was a minority in the church. Of course, being away from the church has let me read some “evil” books by the likes of Dawkins and Hitchins. I now fully understand why I had so many issues with faith and belief, and I now understand why even the pastors acted as though it was all make-believe.
Christians are largely hypocrites, even if they don’t realize it.
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Are you from Perth? I totally understand what you mean. I stopped going for other reasons.. Purely selfish reasons that the church wouldn’t condone, however I liked those conversations, in depth amazing conversions about a god that set up a world and intervened and loves and hates.. Unfortunately who doesn’t smite.. But anyway.. If your from perth I would love to know, it would be quite random but you talk as someone I once new who I would love to cath up with however have no means in which to contact… Lol?
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Hi,
First, let me say that I am a Christian, and I think I know what you experienced.
I do have a few comments, but, before I get to them, can I tell you some good news?
Even though you may call yourself an atheist today, if you truly were saved, that is, if you confessed Jesus as Lord and He gave you eternal life, you still have that life, and will never lose it. It is eternal, after all.
I can understand what you say, and I understand your perplexity. I attend a church that is very much the same way, you see.
May I say that we Christians are not perfect? Often we will tend to rest in our own salvation more than we should. Few people in my church seem to be aware of Jesus’ Great Commission to go forth into all the world making disciples.
Several months ago however, the Lord laid on my heart a burden for the lost, especially among the homeless. I have been exploring ways to fulfill what the Lord has given me to do, and I have begun to share my burden with others in our church. Not all, but some of the responses have been positive. We are a small cell in the larger church, but we are growing, and we are beginning to be effective.
Perhaps what you experienced as confusion and perplexity at your fellow church goers laxity was really the Lord speaking to you. Is it possible that He has a plan for you to maybe begin a new movement in the church you left?
You call yourself an atheist, but I am confident that you still have it in you to pray. Why not ask your heavenly Father if there isn’t something He wants you to be doing.
I’ve left my email, please feel free to contact me for any reason at all if you would like to.
God bless you!
John
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christian derived from the word ”Christos” meaning annointed one.A true christian is the one being annointed by God through his Holy Spirit. Water of baptism is the only route of being annointed… to run a true christian life is not as easy as you think about running a supermarket or building a house. Ok ! people can say and describe christian as hypocrite but this depends on individual one….Think of the story of Jesus Christ himself..People can say they are christian verbally ,even s/he can go to church but doesn’t have Holy Spirit will still be carnal minded…God does not tempt believers so as the devil himself,
The devil does not help you to open a bottle of beer,it is your own desire that leads you…talking about christianity is all about disciplinary n patient… people can say wateva about christians but they will dwell in heaven wit God..”NO REVIVAL NO SURVIVAL”
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All have sinned and fall fhort of the glory of God. Being a Christian doesn’t make you perfect. You are right more people should be doing more things to those that will be spending eternity seperated from God. But we are not perfect. The reason Jesus went to the cross was to give each individual the choice to accept, or reject his invitation to spend eternity with him. Every person through creation has been introduced to God. There will be no excuses for not believing in Jesus. Accepting Jesus is not a warm fuzzy feeling. Warm and fuzzy feelings are emotions and emotions come and go. It is a choice. It will not be easy, you will not be perfect. But you will be saved from eternal seperation. Don’t let imperfect people stop you from having a relationship with a perfect God.
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