Some things I've heard Christians say...

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At the risk of incurring the wrath of the mods (or a series of "tl:dr/dc" replies), here is a list of 120 claims made by Christians. Please feel free to reply and discuss each of these claims. Please also note that these calims are not ones that I would make.

I collected each of these claims from listening to fundamentalist Christians trying to convert non-believers to their religion, from seminary graduates, from ordained priests and nuns, and from ordinary Sunday-School teachers. Many of them were spoken to me, with the expressed claim that they are all Bible-based principles.

And Christian leaders wonder why their church memberships are dwindling...

120 Things That Every Christian Must Believe
(... or they are not real Christians...)

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1. Addiction is both a sin and evidence of sin.

2. Agnosticism is a sin.

3. Agnostics are Atheists.

4. AIDS is God's punishment for the sin of homosexuality.

5. America was founded as a Christian nation.

6. Any deed, thought, or word that does not glorify God is a sin.

7. Any event is a lesson in understanding God's will.

8. Anything that may lead to sin is a sin as well.

9. Anything that may be thought of as 'fun' is actually a sin.

10. Atheism is a sin.

11. Atheists are evil.

12. Atheists are tools of Satan.

13. Atheists go to Hell when they die.

14. Atheists hate God.

15. Atheists have no feelings (other than hate).

16. Atheists should have their citizenships revoked.

17. Atheists should have their civil rights revoked.

18. Being pretty is a sin.

19. Being tortured, oppressed, or killed for being a Christian is a blessing.

20. Birth Control is a sin.

21. Blindness is God's punishment for sin.

22. Cancer is God's punishment for sin.

23. Caring for endangered species is pointless because the end of the world is near.

24. Caring for the environment is pointless because the end of the world is near.

25. Children must be raised with strict discipline and regimentation.

26. Christians are better citizens than non-Christians.

27. Christians are happier, healthier, and more well-adjusted than non-Christians.

28. Christians have never sinned.

29. Christians know how to raise better children.

30. Committing a sin in God's name brings you rewards in Heaven.

31. Committing a sin in God's name justifies the commission of that sin.

32. Complaining is a sin.

33. Cultural Diversity is a sin.

34. Curing any deformity, disability, or disease by medical means is a sin.

35. Deafness is God's punishment for sin.

36. Deformed babies are God's punishments for their parents' sins.

37. Depression is a sin caused solely by lack of faith in God.

38. Disability is God's punishment for sin.

39. Disobedient children indicate parental disregard of God’s order.

40. Doubt is a sin caused solely by lack of faith in God.

41. Eve's corruption extends to all women.

42. Eve's corruptive influence is expressed by all women.

43. Failure to discipline a child is a sin.

44. Failure to punish a child for disobedience is a sin.

45. Faith alone prevents bad things, such as natural disasters, criminal acts, and terminal illnesses from happening.

46. Female children are to be taught only to fulfill their roles as wives and mothers, to defer to their husbands' authority, and to be silent in church.

47. Free will is a sin.

48. Give your wealth to a wealthier religious leader, and God will reward you with health, success and a special place in Heaven.

49. God is in complete and total control.

50. Homosexuality is a sin.

51. Homosexuals go to Hell when they die.

52. Illness is God's punishment for sin.

53. Insanity is caused by demonic possession and/or Satanic influence.

54. Knowledge is irrelevant if it is not about God.

55. Labor pains and Menstruation are curses inflicted by God on all women in retribution for the sins of Eve.

56. Lack of faith in God brings about poor health, poverty, and general misery.

57. Lack of faith in God causes misinterpretation and misunderstanding of the Bible.

58. Lack of faith in God is a sin.

59. Lacking "Observable Goodness" (*See Below) indicates lack of faith in God.

60. Male children are to be given instruction in Leadership of the Church.

61. Mentally ret*d babies are God's punishment for their parents' sins.

62. Miracles can not be faked.

63. Misery is a sin.

64. Natural disasters are demonstrations of God's wrath against the sins of mankind.

65. No matter what God does, it is good.

66. No matter what is done in God’s name, it is good.

67. Non-Christians go to Hell when they die.

68. Only Christians go to Heaven when they die.

69. Pain is a blessing.

70. Parental sin is evident in their children's unruly behavior.

71. Poverty is a blessing.

72. Praise should only be given to God.

73. Prayer is the first, last, and only response to adversity.

74. Prayer solves everything.

75. Reading should be taught only to allow a person to understand the Word of God.

76. Reason is a tool that Satan uses to attack one's faith in God.

77. Science is part of a Satan’s plan to unseat God from His throne.

78. Secular schools should teach Christianity to all children regardless of their parent's wishes.

79. Self-indulgence is a sin.

80. Sex Education promotes the sins of incest, perversion, and promiscuity.

81. Speaking in Tongues is a sure sign of being a real Christian.

82. Stillborn babies are God's punishments for their parents' sins.

83. Suffering is good for the soul.

84. Temptation is a sin.

85. Thanks should only be given to God.

86. The Bible is the complete, literal, and inerrant Word of God.

87. The Universe (including the heavens and the Earth) was created by God in seven days, less than 10,000 years ago.

88. The value of 'Pi' (the ratio of a circle's circumference to its radius) has an integer value of exactly three.

89. Venereal Disease is both a sin and evidence of sin.

90. All women are solely responsible for bringing sin into the world.

91. All women are subject to the will of men.

92. Women exist solely to conceive, give birth, and raise children to sufficient age when they would be trained further according to their gender.

93. Women should not be allowed to preach, or to administer any Sacrament to the congregation.

94. Women's salvation depends upon the "Observable Goodness" (*See Below) of their children.

95. You are directly responsible for making Jesus weep, and for later nailing Him to the cross.

96. You are guilty of sin just for being born.

97. You are guilty of sins committed by your ancestors, your descendent's, and your relatives.

98. You are guilty of sins you have not committed, or even heard of.

99. You are guilty of sins you have unknowingly committed.

100. You must cast from your life all those who would distract you from growing closer to God.

101. You must come to God as would a child; abandoning all doubt, knowledge, reason, and understanding.

102. You must give full credit to God when anything happens, even when there is an obvious natural cause.

103. You must give full credit to God when good things happen, even when you make them happen yourself.

104. You must guide every conversation around to the glorification of God.

105. You must live as if every moment were your last, and that the next moment will find you facing judgment for your sins.

106. You must live in fear and ignorance of 'worldly' affairs to demonstrate your closeness to God.

107. You must never blame God when bad things happen, even though He is in complete and total control.

108. You must never question the actions or motives of your religious leaders.

109. You must never request your religious leaders to act or speak on your behalf.

110. You must raise your children to live in fear of a wrathful and vengeance-seeking God.

111. You must refuse life-saving medical treatments if you suspect that they might conflict with a Biblical principle.

112. You must rely upon only the Holy Spirit to provide all your understanding of the Bible.

113. You must remind those who suffer that complaining is a sin and an affront to God.

114. You must respond to God with joy and celebration no matter what disaster befalls you.

115. You must show contempt for those who complain about their pain, instead of praising God for the pain.

116. You must show contempt for those who do not believe in God as you do.

117. You must show contempt for those who do not keep their sins (or the evidence of their sins) hidden from public knowledge.

118. You must show hostility toward those who do not believe in God at all.

119. You must surrender any claim to the "rights" that are granted to you by secular authorities.

120. You must use every possible means of confrontation when trying to convert non-believers.

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*NOTE: The term "Observable Goodness" means being disciplined, faithful, generous, gentle, healthy, hospitable, humble, intelligent, joyful, kind, loving, obedient, patient, peaceful, sane, and physically whole. Failure to show even one of these traits, even for a moment, indicates that the person is not a True Christian.

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Please:

DO NOT FEED THIS TROLL!! !

I see no reasoning to this quotes, so it's hard to judge or even bother when people say these things.

Everything people claim is an opinion unless reasoned otherwise.

Neither do I. In fact, many of them contradict each other!

I recorded them to try to discern a pattern in Christian reasoning, without success to date.

EXACTLY!! !

Each of the listed claims seems to be an opinion, a gross distortion of fact, or simple arbitrary dogma.

Taken as a whole, it seems to indicate a chaotic muddle of exclusionary beliefs.

I've repeated the list in my WP blog > LINK <.

I think people of any religious persuasion can hold contradictory or weird beliefs.

translation:
women are evil
the disabled are evil
anyone who does not believe like "us" are evil
children are evil
"I" am guiltless and perfect even when I am evil cause I am perfect

riiiiiighht

That may be one of the defining traits...

I think of atheism and anti-theism as religious persuasions also.

I'm not inclined to agree, but that may be because I'm coming at it from a slightly different perspective.

Imo, Atheism is based on a lack of belief in God whether or not He exists; while anti-theism is an attitude of being against God while believing that He exists. Satan is an Anti-Theist, for example ( <-- faith-based claim).

I'm theistic in my beliefs, although I am anti-religion, as well. This is often confused with Atheism, especially by Christian Fundamentalists ("Fundies") who perceive any questioning of their religion as Atheistic in purpose. I admit that God's existence can not be proven by us mere mortals, but must be taken on faith (which proves nothing, btw).

As soon as I see that a Fundie has admitted the same thing, I stop questioning their claims, because any religious claim is inherently faith-based (and therefore an opinion).

One valid demonstration (not mere testimony or repetition of Scriptures) of a person's religious authority (e.g., a miracle) would be sufficient for me to convert and adhere to that person's religion.

Would be more useful with explanations of the why.

Even if the provenance is as he claimeth - which I tend to doubt, like why precisely 120? - who will believe ANY Christian org or indiv claims acceptance of this list - or any substantial chunk of it - is crucial doctrine.

1. Mayonnaise is inedible slime.

2. Automobilists seek opportunities to drive cyclists off the road.

3. Americans who say "two" without centralizing the first part of the diphthong are stoopid,

4. Noam Chomsky is no linguist and is an agent of Hell sent to destroy Linguistics.

5. Fooling around with one of your students is the unforgivable sin.

There. I a certified Christian [that was not certifiable that I said, we are past that] have made 5 assertions. Will you go to Hell if you break these commandments?

I could collect 120 stupid things I have heard English teachers say, or 150 stupid PPR posts, or 100 obnoxious dicta culled from Brits. But why would I bother?

If sincere, an idiot. If insincere, an idiot. Either way obnoxious.

Asking 'Why?' alsways seemed to offend the person(s) making the statement; it's as if I was questioning God Himself at times.

Fundies seem to take everything they believe "on faith" and without explanation; and also seem to expect the rest of us to do likewise.

-- Let's say I removed this post --

Last edited by Vexcalibur on 07 May 2011, 4:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Ah, okay. Yes, different words.



I thought you were an atheist. I think your position can be confusing.

I am only anti religion when religion gets in the way of spiritual development and understanding, rather than enabling it.

I am not a theist in the sense that I believe in a guy with a beard in the sky, or whatever. My view of what God is or isn't usually excludes me from any conversations about theses things.



I think I understand you. I have nothing against people expressing their subjective or internal experiences of God. There's no point making objective statements about subjective states.



Okay.

Whenever I see that kind of statement, I jump upon it in a heartbeat!

My missionary grandmother used to say "Jesus" would/could just never have approved of any drinking, and yet Scripture indicates he had once turned some water into wine when the host of a wedding party had run out of the stuff ...

... and then that stuff he thus provided for the host's already-intoxicated guests was so good that they were all quite impressed over the very best having been saved for last!

Point: Not even is outright drunkenness a sin, and there is at least one place in Scripture where we can read about even Yahuah telling men to go "tie on a good one" every once in a while. However, I am now quite convinced there certainly was something rather sinful about my past habit of cashing and spending much of my paycheck at the bar rather than talking all of it home and letting my wife decide how that money might have best been spent. So then, occasional drunkenness and being a drunkard are just not the same thing.


True enough, but few folks actually understand what that really means.


See just above about occasionally getting good and loaded.


I believe Scripture actually says "abomination".


Wrong, but the actions of the possessed are often essentially the same as the actions of the insane.


Then why was Pharaoh not impressed when Moses' staff became a snake?!


In the sense of it being an indication of something being wrong: yes.


Nonsense. There is no law of man in conflict with any law of God (at least not within my own little corner of this world).

Last edited by leejosepho on 07 May 2011, 4:01 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Because there was one more after 119, and will likely be one more after I attend church this Sunday.

My church recently experienced a decline in membership for the stated offense of letting an ordained woman pastor preach the Gospel in a regular church service.

I'm inclined to agree, unless it is freshly-made.

You seem to have driven the freeways in Los Angeles!

As are those who pronounce the name of the second month as "feb-YOO-airy" - it's supposed to be pronounced "feb-ROO-airy"!

I thought he was dead.

Only if the teacher's wife catches them in the act and doesn't ask to join in.

No, because of rule #28 "Christians have never sinned".

Because you wish to point out the absurdity of beliefs held by English teachers, PRR posters, or Brits.

Repeating arbitrary dogma is pretty much as obnoxious as one can get without speaking (or posting) obscenities.