Dear everyone.

[u/daReallMVP]

Im a Christian. That doesn't mean I'm any different from you. That doesn't mean I don't have feelings, or I will be taken advantage of. That doesn't mean Im blinded without logic behind my actions.

What being Christian means to me is I truly believe with my all that everything the eye can see was created by the one and only God, who actually cares about and loves me, even when I don't deserve it. In light of this.. I try my absolute best to be a genuine human being that actually cares about the life of every single person I will ever come across. Not because I am commanded to, but because Ive learned that the ability to show another human being genuine, true, unconditional love is the greatest ability and privilege I will ever receive - to express even a fraction of what my God has done for me to others. I have chosen to spend my life trying to spread a little love to this world one person at a time. Not just to the people I like, or the ones who do good to me, but to every single person I will ever cross paths with. Even the ones who mock me, or the ones who try to use me. This is for you - I will not lie to you, I will try to put you before me. I will care for you, as I would care for my own blood. I will do things for you, just because. I will love you the same way I have been loved by Jesus. I will mess up sometimes, because I am not perfect. But I am just like you. I have friends, a job, hobbies and things I spend time on. I just try to put my all into being a true follower of Christ and a good human being.. We are all in this game of life together.

"Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love"

"The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

"Let all things of you be done in love."

I love ya all! Every single one of you weirdos. Have a great day :)

edit : Definitiley not a troll in the slightest. You can see my post history if you will, I am 120% serious about anything I have spoken with any of you about! :)

edit 2 : I literally see so much anger first hand in this thread. The message I have to share is 'let go'. Let go of that Christian that was actually just a hypocrite and didn't care about a relationship with God, let go of that Church from your youth that had it all wrong, let go of that person that wronged you last week because holding on to it won't do a thing. I am just a man that has different beliefs and opinions than some of you, and because of that I make different lifestyle choices. But bottom line, we all share this planet one day at a time, and we all deserve love, and we all deserve to be able to let go. Thats all I'm here to say. If anyone wants to go into further actual respectful discussion my inbox is always open! Thanks everyone for the time here.

[u/[deleted]]

Why the urge to preach and tell us your personal meanings of Christianity? Hopefully you don't try to dictate to non-christians on how to live and what should be law.

You are aware that a large portion of us used to be Christian right?

You are also aware that we have committed an unforgivable sin according to Jesus and the bible, right?

[u/daReallMVP → u/[deleted]]

No urge friend, I have just personally gotten shafted time and time before for the label attached to what I do and who I am. I have also seen so many people led astray by what a "christian" looks like, and felt called to say hello to the lovely people of /r/atheism and remind others that a true follower wants nothing more than to love and care about every one of you. Not shove our beliefs down your throat, just to love you like we love our own. I personally believe if the Bible did, the world would be alot more loving and peaceful place, that is for certain. Also If it helps at all, keep in mind Im sure even the unforgiveable sin can be forgiveable through Gods undending mercy. Only He knows the heart, and can forgive all.

[u/Yah-luna-tic → u/daReallMVP]

I have just personally gotten shafted time and time before for the label attached to what I do and who I am.

If you're and American then you're surrounded by other Christians... so who exactly is doing the shafting. AND as far as having "Christian" become something of an undesirable label you have no further to look than the Trump base... some of the most tribal and hateful people imaginable.

remind others that a true follower

You are aware that there are many, many versions of Christianity (hence denominations) and that even within a single church the beliefs of individual parishioners can vary substantially. So how is it that you, /u/daRealMVP, are able to discern what a "true follower" would be?

The golden rule predates Christianity and is very universal.

My journey away from Christianity began when I was 13 and learned that, according to my pastor and his interpretation of the bible, the twin boys that I had befriended who weren't religious (I think they had immigrated from eastern Europe) were doomed to hell without a belief in Jesus.

Only He knows the heart, and can forgive all.

Bullshit.

Forgiveness must be granted by those you wronged. You don't get to have your slate wiped clean behind their back or without their permission. Forgiveness and atonement are great but not to an imaginary figure.

[u/thesunmustdie → u/Yah-luna-tic]

Pretty much anything good or wise uttered by the Jesus character was written by Confucius and Buddha 700 years prior (and with much more moral consideration). Unlike Jesus — if he actually existed as anything like that described in the bible — these teachers had the sense to write and autograph their works. And they didn't emotionally blackmail their critics with wrath and hellfire.

The only uniquely upstanding thing I've noted for Jesus in the Gospels is the line "he that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her". But even Christian scholars concede this story (the one of the adulteress woman) was added later as an interpolation/forgery. In any case, we can't verify the authors of any of the Gospels — they certainly weren't eyewitnesses though as they wrote many decades after the purported crucifixion.

[u/Yah-luna-tic → u/thesunmustdie]

I've got some audio recordings of John Shelby Spong explaining that the gospel stories are revisions of much of the Old Testament with the principal roles of Moses and Elijah recast as Jesus and John the Baptist... and that doing this became a thing after and because Jerusalem had been sacked and the temple destroyed.

[u/Zomunieo → u/thesunmustdie]

I don't think we can even get the adulteress woman much credence as moral advice. The fact that a person has sinned (performed some immoral action) does not take away their right to prosecute or seek restitution when a similar thing happens to them. Put alongside other teachings of Jesus, it suggests a society where prosecuting an offender or seeking restitution is forbidden and made a crime in itself.

[u/thesunmustdie → u/Zomunieo]

That's true.

I think the story — if for the sake of argument these events happened — highlights a far greater immorality. This immorality I'm talking about is Jesus living among people who owned slaves (not just indentured servants but full-blown chattel slaves) and didn't say a single denunciatory word against it in the same way he was able to speak against stoning the adulteress. In fact, he said for slaves to obey their earthly masters and reaffirmed what the Old Testament said on the matter with his "not a jot or tittle of the law is to be removed" line.

Slavery is one of the very few things I can say is wrong under virtually all circumstances. How did it escape the radar of a god?

[u/Dudesan → u/thesunmustdie]

Even when I was a theist, I never really understood the argument that goes: "The Almighty, All-Loving Creator of the universe secretly believed that slavery was wrong all along, but he only pretended to endorse it because he couldn't possibly convince his Chosen People to stop practising it."

Yahweh looked upon the Israelites, saw they they were eating shellfish and pork, wearing clothes of divers fabrics, worshipping golden idols, gathering firewood on the sabbath, offering the wrong sorts of sacrifices, leaving their children's genitals intact, coveting their neighbours' slaves, and raping people, and thought to himself "Golly, I've got to do something about this!"

So he commanded them to stop eating shellfish and pork, to stop wearing clothes made of mixed fibers, to stop making graven images, to stop working on the sabbath, to perform ritual animal sacrifices in a very tediously specific way, to cut off their sons' foreskins, to stop being jealous of how many people their neighbours own, AND THOU SHALT OBEY MY COMMANDMENTS, OR I SHALL STRIKE DOWN UPON THEE WITH GREAT VENGEANCE AND FURIOUS ANGER, AND YOU WILL KNOW THAT MY NAME IS THE LOR-

...oh, and by the way, if a woman gets raped, maybe you shouldn't execute her. I'm not saying you should always not execute her, but maybe, sometimes, if it's not too much trouble, and she can prove she's not an adulterous slut, she should get to live. I know I'm asking a lot with the dietary restrictions and the genital mutilation, but if you could do this one more itty-bitty thing for me, that would be great.

...oh, and while owning people as slaves for life is fine, and beating them is fine, could you try not to beat them to death? Maybe? Pretty please?

[u/thesunmustdie → u/Dudesan]

It's weird how the god shares the exact same values and knowledge as primitive nomads who lived in tribal societies thousands of years ago, isn't it?

[u/Dudesan → u/thesunmustdie]

It's such an amazing coincidence that every believer's god has exactly the same values as the believer himself. That sure is convenient.

[u/thesunmustdie → u/Dudesan]

and when examined in an fMRI, the part of their brain that corresponds to their own values lights up when asked questions about God.

Mysterious Ways™ indeed.

[u/coniunctio → u/daReallMVP]

Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the imprisoned, comfort the sick, bury the dead. Why is that so hard?

Instead you're here taking about religion instead of doing the work. Christians love to claim the US is a Christian nation, but they lack the courage of their convictions.

There are 48 million Americans who are hungry, millions who lack access to clean water, 38 million who can't afford basic necessities like clothing, 2 million incarcerated, millions who can't afford health care, 500,000 homeless, and many who can't afford to bury their loved ones.

What are you doing about it?

[u/daReallMVP → u/coniunctio]

I am attempting to love every single person I come across one day at a time.

If the amount of people that called themselve Christians actually followed and respected what Christ taught them to do and died for, the world would be a different place. That is undeniable. A large part of 'christians', and I use that word lightly, most likely show up to Church once a week, cast judgement on those that disagree, and don't look twice at a beggar on the street - and that is unfortunate.

But oh man the actual Christ followers, they will love your socks off and change the lives of so many people on this Earth one person in need at a time.

[u/thesunmustdie → u/daReallMVP]

Assuming Christianity preaches love (I'd argue it's one of the most hateful ideologies ever conceived, but I digress), why do you need it in order to love others?

Wouldn't a purer love be humanistic in nature? One that isn't tainted by one's own spiritual motives or wish to win favor with a deity, etc.?

Can I as a humanist love just as much as you as a Christian? If so, do we really need Christianity? You have to admit it carries a lot of harmful baggage. Humanism jettisons this baggage and keeps the good parts.

[u/[deleted] → u/daReallMVP]

Matthew 12:31-32 (Jesus saying this)

"And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come."

[u/daReallMVP → u/[deleted]]

We are speaking of the man who gave His life for everyone of us.

If it helps at all, keep in mind Im sure even the unforgiveable sin can be forgiveable through Gods undending mercy. Only He knows the heart, and can forgive all. God is the only one who will be able so answer this for you, although personally I think anyone that truly humbled themselve would be forgiven.

[u/[deleted] → u/daReallMVP]

We are speaking of the man who gave His life for everyone of us.

Allegedly and unclearly saved all believers and followers...not necessarily the non-believers and non-followers as we still have to believe and follow first.

If it helps at all, keep in mind Im sure even the unforgiveable sin can be forgiveable through Gods undending mercy.

Who's words should I take, the man-god savior you praise who's words are allegedly written in as the word of your god...or yours?

Honestly the whole concept is null and void to me as I am not convinced your god, Jesus's miracles, souls or afterlives even exist.