Does Christianity makes us better persons or worse persons?

[Magical Realist]

I say worse. My experience with very religious christian people is that they are judgmental, monomaniacal, paranoid, and narrowminded. They generally devote their whole life studying one among the millions of books that humans have written, squeezing out of this turnip all the sustenance they can for some modicum of purpose in their empty lives. There is an undercurrent of anger and bitterness and hatred in the Christian that always comes to the surface. "I am a chosen child of God. You are are damned sinner. You have no validity as a person. We will reign on earth after all of you are burned up. I am the mouthpiece of God. Believe me or be damned." What makes this any different from jihadist Islam?

 

[Michael 345]

I say worse. My experience with very religious christian people is that they are judgmental, monomaniacal, paranoid, and narrowminded. They generally devote their whole life studying one among the millions of books that humans have written, squeezing out of this turnip all the sustenance they can for some modicum of purpose in their empty lives. There is an undercurrent of anger and bitterness and hatred in the Christian that always comes to the surface. "I am a chosen child of God. You are are damned sinner. You have no validity as a person. We will reign on earth after all of you are burned up. I am the mouthpiece of God. Believe me or be damned." What makes this any different from jihadist Islam?

Science is much more rigid than ANY religion

Even the principal of uncertainty applies the same to everyone

If you allow faith, miracles, stuff not explained by scientific laws and the supernatural to be in play then it is open slather for anything goes

I very much doubt the Universe could survive with miracles and the supernatural flying around

Faith would make it worse because whatever us puny humans could dream up comes into the mix

The funny thing is that in the real real world NOTHING of what faith believe has ever been seen

 

[birch]

The funny thing is that in the real real world NOTHING of what faith believe has ever been seen

no, unfortunately it's the exact opposite. people manifest all types of perversions, lies, deceptions, obfuscations and actions based on belief, misinformation, or faith. it doesn't even have to be religion. the paradox is the erroneous can still have power to effect real life consequences.

 

[Michael 345]

no, unfortunately it's the exact opposite. people manifest all types of perversions, lies, deceptions, obfuscations and actions based on belief, misinformation, or faith. it doesn't even have to be religion. the paradox is the erroneous can still have power to effect real life consequences.

EXACTLY

Anything goes

My invisible god can piss up the wall higher and longer than your god

And he has given me permission to eliminate all who do not believe in him

Enter onto the stage

all types of perversions, lies, deceptions, obfuscations and actions based on belief

which

doesn't even have to be religion

and have no evidence in view but

can still have power to effect real life consequences

The solution to this segment of the human condition

Stop believing in nonexistent gods

Analyse all your actions

Do they improve the human condition or even on a wider scale the environment?

Do they explain our observations of the Universe and are able to explain (predict) further happenings?

Yes and yes OK follow that road

Try not to be misslead by Dorothy of the red shoes and the non existent Yellow brick road

or

the god of the non existent heaven

 

[timojin]

Science is much more rigid than ANY religion

Even the principal of uncertainty applies the same to everyone

If you allow faith, miracles, stuff not explained by scientific laws and the supernatural to be in play then it is open slather for anything goes

I very much doubt the Universe could survive with miracles and the supernatural flying around

Faith would make it worse because whatever us puny humans could dream up comes into the mix

The funny thing is that in the real real world NOTHING of what faith believe has ever been seen

You are forgetting : befor science there was order , order come from religious law " Torah "
Do you read history ? Would you believe the world is older than 100 years old,

 

[Michael 345]

You are forgetting : befor science there was order , order come from religious law " Torah "
Do you read history ? Would you believe the world is older than 100 years old,

Order - Universe order - is Physics and is unchangeable

Order - human order - comes from humans and is as changeable as smoke in a hurricane

My reading of history Not much

Earth older than 100 years?

I'm getting closer to a 100

I'll hold judgement on that

When I pass 100 will let you know

 

[Seattle]

Christianity does change anyone for the better or the worst. You are what you are.

Next...

 

[Ted Grant II]

I say worse. My experience with very religious christian people is that they are judgmental, monomaniacal, paranoid, and narrowminded. They generally devote their whole life studying one among the millions of books that humans have written, squeezing out of this turnip all the sustenance they can for some modicum of purpose in their empty lives. There is an undercurrent of anger and bitterness and hatred in the Christian that always comes to the surface. "I am a chosen child of God. You are are damned sinner. You have no validity as a person. We will reign on earth after all of you are burned up. I am the mouthpiece of God. Believe me or be damned." What makes this any different from jihadist Islam?

Given that all religions eventually become extinct, it would seem obvious that much time, energy and materials are wasted by the adherents.
It would be better spent on research into a cure for Malaria or any other mass-killer supposedly designed by their imaginary gods.

 

[timojin]

Given that all religions eventually become extinct, .

I doubt believes will get extinct, Assume the original man was not religious . So what turned him to become religious ? Everybody have a master, or an alpha male , so we always will subordinate to some superior to us

 

[Michael 345]

So what turned him to become religious ?

Inventing explanations

When he found out he was believed

he became religious (or as I would put it "con artist")

A sort of larger version of those who become legends in their own mind and think they are god

 

[timojin]

Inventing explanations

When he found out he was believed

he became religious (or as I would put it "con artist")

A sort of larger version of those who become legends in their own mind and think they are god

Keep in mind in the beginning there was no religion . Man could be in a difficult situation , the he got some help, and at that moment he invoked some and that he got help,

 

[Michael 345]

Keep in mind in the beginning there was no religion . Man could be in a difficult situation , the he got some help, and at that moment he invoked some and that he got help,

Exactly

He needed help

By coincidence

He got help

He had just invented prayer

 

[timojin]

Exactly

He needed help

By coincidence

He got help

He had just invented prayer

So what is wrong with that? and probably since that he started to look for god, for a helper and he put his faith in that being , as example many of native american ,believe in the great spirit, that created nature, so they protect nature.

 

[Michael 345]

So what is wrong with that? and probably since that he started to look for god, for a helper and he put his faith in that being , as example many of native american ,believe in the great spirit, that created nature, so they protect nature.

Nothing wrong with that

IF IF IF it stayed at that

But when he found out he was onto a good lurk and

he could make up a good story when prayers were NOT answered he

turned into a con artist

If he had looked into the REASONS why some prayers worked and

others didn't he may have become a scientist

instead of a con artist priest selling snake oil

 

[Jeeves]

No.

 

[Thomas Cranmer]

Science is much more rigid than ANY religion

I see your point and agree, however, it doesn't answer the OP "better or worse".
You are really addressing the question "Is any religion true?"
If Christianity is false, then it should be abandoned, even if it has benefits.
Getting drunk every day might make you happy, but that doesn't justify it.
So I think the answer is we don't care.
Better or worse ? Just give it up.

 

[Michael 345]

So what is wrong with that? and probably since that he started to look for god, for a helper and he put his faith in that being , as example many of native american ,believe in the great spirit, that created nature, so they protect nature.

What's wrong with it is those who were killed due to "nature" don't get a say in what gets believed in

 

[Michael 345]

I see your point and agree, however, it doesn't answer the OP "better or worse".
You are really addressing the question "Is any religion true?"
If Christianity is false, then it should be abandoned, even if it has benefits.
Getting drunk every day might make you happy, but that doesn't justify it.
So I think the answer is we don't care.
Better or worse ? Just give it up.

A person is who they are due to a complex mix of environmental situations of which religion plays, in some a tiny component, in others extremely large

Same goes for communities

On balance, looking just at the religion component I would say it makes a worse person than one without religion

If I was making a person from scratch I would definitely leave out the religion ingredient. I would go as far as dumping religion in the large outside garbage container

If I lived near a nuclear reactor I would ask if I could put religion in with their toxic waste

Does that make it clear I think a pinch of religion in anybody makes them worse? Somewhat like Typhoid Mary. While they might not suffer they can spread it

I can ramble / rant more but I need coffee at the moment

 

[Thomas Cranmer]

I doubt believes will get extinct, Assume the original man was not religious

Oh but Religions do become extinct and are usually replaced by newer religions.
The ancient Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Celt, Viking religions are all extinct.
Nobody worships Apollo any more.

Christianity may easily be replaced by Islam.
There are lots of Mosques in Britain that are reconfigured Churches.

All religions have a "life curve".
They start small, get bigger, get smaller then die.

In fact, a fatal problem, the "smoking gun" of all religions is that they start at some point in history.

Example...
Jesus said, nobody can be saved except through him.
So all the people that lived before were not saved.
But clearly, that's not fair and we believe God is fair.
Therefore Jesus was mistaken.
Therefore Christianity is false.

You can apply this logic to any religion.
Therefore all religions are false.

That is the smoking gun.

 

[Bowser]

Does Christianity Make us Worse or Better People? I think it depends on the person and what they take away from Christianity. Charity and forgiveness are probably good things.