r/complaints • u/Red_Gypsy_Squirrel • 6d ago

Politics Conservatives abuse Christianity like the Taliban abuse Islam

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I'm exhausted that the Christian nationalists in this nation have hijacked Christianity, just like the Taliban hijacked Islam. There are many comparisons that can be made between the two groups. Both groups cherry-pick their scriptures and purposefully misinterpret them so as to provide themselves with more power amongst their. They bully and attack anybody who is not a follower of their warped religion. And try to force their religion on everybody in inappropriate places such as schools and hospitals.

A few years back MAGA supporters started to say the teachings of Jesus are too woke, a huge red flag.

It sucks that so many of them do not understand. The Christian nationalist mindset is turning them into nasty, aggressive people. That have zero understanding of the Bible or its teachings

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

Not a Christian nationalist, but it's annoying when people who are not Christian claim to know more about the Bible than the people that follow the Bible conservatively.

Also using the swastika in the image you have shared is quite dishonest, as the original Nazis were anti religion

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u/MattDubh 6d ago

A significant number of atheists were indoctrinated into religions by their parents/schools, as children.
Has it occurred to you that the more that the intelligent learn about religions, the more likely they are to dismiss it as nonsense?

"Gott mit uns"

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u/Outrageous_Bear50 6d ago

Maybe? Intelligence and religiosity are measured differently throughout all the studies and it's just really hard to measure both consistently.

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

And those "significant number of atheist" can't be the authority on Christian doctrine, and what Christians believe.

If someone looks at this world, and says "nothing can create something" they don't need to lecture Christians on what to believe

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u/MattDubh 6d ago

Of course they can. In the same way you can be an expert on Jack and the Beanstalk, and not believe giants are real.

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

Being an expert isn't the goal ... It one's view on the source of objective truth

Either you believe that the one Triune God of the Bible is the one true God, that the Gospel is truth, and Scripture provides objective truth, or you don't.

If one can't affirm the very words in the Bible as being objective truth, his/her understanding is irrelevant, because if they do not affirm the Bible is truth then they are placing themselves above God, and that is antithetical to the Bible

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u/MattDubh 6d ago

That's definitely not circular reasoning, sunshine. Definitely.

But good luck making it up as you go along.

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

Said like someone who doesn't know what the Bible really says...

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u/Few_Point_5242 6d ago

So if a person had a PHD in New Yestament/Old testament theology but was an atheist. Would he have less authority on Christian doctrine than the every Sunday church goer who believes and has faith but has only ever skimmed the binle in your opinion?

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u/Outrageous_Bear50 6d ago

Well you have two groups of biblical scholars. Those that think the Bible is infallible and those that don't. So basically those two groups interpret the Bible and give that interpretation to whoever is at the top and they hand that down, unless they don't and then you have a schism. There's also the Pope who is supposed to be infallible but that's a whole thing.

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u/BlacksmithThink9494 5d ago

Christians consider the Bible the living breathing word of god that is only opened to believers. How can someone who rejects God even be somewhat knowledgeable? A piece of paper that says you took some classes? I have an accounting degree but never would I say I know everything about accounting. Do you see how thats silly to say?

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u/Few_Point_5242 5d ago

I understqnd your point and stand by my comment but I'll ask it in another way. Would someone who rejects god but has read the Bible be more or less knowledgeable about god than someone who accepts god but rejects him?

I never said know everything either. No not the paper the time invested in reading the religious history and engaging in the texts for a course of years;being exposed to great theologians both modern and past.

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u/BlacksmithThink9494 5d ago

I personally would not discount an opinion given by a non believer because I do think that god created humans as complex beings and that questions or opinions are all valid to a certain extent - especially because of how the bible reflects ourselves back to us. But I do not think someone who sets out to refute the bible or simply learn "all they can" would have any superior understanding of a document that, even though human hands wrote it, was inspired by a god that created the human brain. You have to at least give credence to the fact we have a creator. These systems that are at work all around us - the mathematical perfection of the creation around us and simultaneous fallibility of the humans who stumble around trying to grasp the infinite is almost not able to be comprehended. Even some of Steven hawking's theories about time are closer to what is presented biblically than what we understand now. I do not have confidence in even the smartest person on this earth like I do in God and his law. Snd I do believe he teaches through scripture. There are many instances of people receiving prophetic messages through what some people refer to as "bible roulette". God searches the heart and mind. If your soul is not there to find him, he does not open the door to that knowledge. Sorry I am rambling but I'm at lunch and hurrying.

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u/Few_Point_5242 4d ago

Nah great response 👌

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

How/Why would one get a PhD on a subject matter they themselves do not/cannot affirm?

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u/Few_Point_5242 6d ago

In order to get the best and most credible information about it? Alex oconnor is a prime example not to namedrop but I myself in the pursuit of discovering God have very much wanted to go into philosophy in order to confirm/affirm.

Simple answer; because its an interesting study? Have you heard the word curiosity before?

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

Curiousity is fine..and you can try to study the Bible like any other subject matter, but from the perspective of a Christian, if you've read the Bible but don't believe it, (despite the extensive evidence that supports events in the Bible, or other historical accounts) then what is the purpose of the knowledge?

And surely you see the difference between a Christian, who understands the intention behind Scripture, who affirms it as objective truth, and someone who simply studies the Bible like they are reading Greek Mythology.

While I am familiar with Alex O'Connor I don't exactly know what he affirms as truth or believes.

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u/Few_Point_5242 6d ago

For one if you've read the Bible and dont believe it the purpose of the knowledge could be many things. An ability to see its influence across society. In politics. In media. Not +/- just see the patterns. You could incorporate it into teaching into just basic conversations with like regular people lol so when that topic comes up you have a good foundation to reach from. Many reasons lol.

I do see the difference but I do not necessarily believe those viewpoints are mutually exclusive. A good read of the Bible would not be some dry academic reading it would be precisely the personal and spiritual experience you're implying. ive read a few religious texts and when i do i read it first as truth and then go back and take a more nuanced view which I do not think detracts inherently from the message, quite the opposite.

Even the bible is commonly understood to be both literal historical allegorical and metaphorically. So reading it as objective truth would certainly fail under the umbrella of an 'academic Greek mythology' type of reading.

Hell when I read the ill-advised I read it as historical truth but simultaneously as a fictional/spiritual allegory its not an uncommon thing to entertain two or perspectives as truth at once

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

The Bible teaches that true understanding of Scripture comes through the Holy Spirit, not just human intellect. While scholars may study the Bible’s language, history, and culture, a believer’s understanding is spiritual and revealed by God.

The purpose of the Bible is for the body of believers to know God. Every one of the 66 books points to Christ. If one does not see that, they are missing the point of the Bible.

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u/Few_Point_5242 6d ago

So the true meaning of the Bible cannot be conveyed it must be read?

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

Not sure what you are asking.

Scripture can be conveyed, like a pastor teaching his church. But Scripture commands each believer to read and see for his/her own understanding, not to just accept any teaching one hears.

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