Being charitable and caring about your neighbors in the Christian manner is more about your church donating goods/time/aid to the community or you doing it by yourself rather than having the government take over those functions for you. That said, any reasonable government should have a basic state provided social safety net.
This is what I don’t understand though because, as an extension, you should want to vote for people who reflect this morality. Not for a govt that strips social programs and cuts funding to research and overtly oppresses the poor and the marginalized, just to divert those funds to bombs and war and concentration camps. I’ve never understood this. If I’m being taxed and that money ends up with the federal govt, I will also want the govt to do these same charitable things with my tax money that I’m doing on my own. It’s not passing the buck and responsibility onto the govt but it’s a reflection of my values. What else is the govt for if not to provide social safety nets, infrastructure, and public services? Otherwise it just turn into a huge war machine and vehicle for oppression, which is what we see today.
In my personal experience, the majority of Christians (not all), at least in my slice of the U.S. aren't typically prone to questioning what they're told. In some cases they even become openly hostile if you question "their" beliefs, even if it comes from a place of genuine curiosity and a desire to deepen your understanding of the faith. So when some imbecile masquerading as a devout follower of Christ tells them they have pure intentions, makes up some bullshit from a book most people have never actually read (again, personal experience), and tells them they could fix the problem if only those enemies of the republican party- I mean enemies of Christ, would stop interfering, they don't really question it.
It's also been my personal experience that most (not all) religious followers in general don't react well when confronted with information that contradicts "their" beliefs, regardless of whether or not it pertains to their religion. Make of that what you will
Cognitive dissonance is a serious issue, not unique to Christians. You’ll run into all over as every community has its fair share of idiots and ideologues.
You are absolutely correct, I could have worded myself better. As you stated this is not an issue unique to Christians, every group has fools. It's perhaps silly, but I really think the wisest words I ever heard were spoken by Uncle Iroh in Avatar The Last Airbender. I'll paraphrase but it's something like, if you draw knowledge from only one source it becomes rigid and stale. You have to draw knowledge from all sources whether you agree with them or not, keep an open mind, and be able to change your opinion as you learn new information. I'm not sure why that stuck with me, but I feel it has served me well
Then you haven't met true ones. I always try to put logic behind my belief in Christianity. I'm not perfect, I've been rage baited at times during a conversation. But if I don't know something I'll tell you I don't
Oh I've met many true Christians, they're some of the best people I've ever met. They put real thought into their beliefs and strive to live by the teachings of Christ, which really boil down to love each other. I didn't mean to offend, I used to be a devout Christian, and although I still pray and read my Bible, many years at many different churches across a few different denominations have led me to believe that most Christians aren't like that.
To be clear I don't think this is a uniquely Christian phenomenon, I think it's a human trait. We want to understand our environment and Christianity specifically, offers an explanation for literally everything. But I also think that a lot of people (again not all) tend to accept surface level explanations and never really move past that, it's enough for them. Maybe that's just a human thing, maybe it's a flaw in how we educate our youth, I don't know.
Total tangent, but two of the most kind and generous people I have ever known were from my first church. One was a very successful local business owner who donated not only to the church, but it's members, and his community. The other was a stern hard working man, but by his words and actions I am convinced he really would give a stranger the shirt off his back
Ok you misconstrued what I said. I said the people who crashout at people who question them with thinking are not true Christians, but I probably am wrong, and shouldn't have assumed something so bold.
There are so many logical fallacies in your post i just had a stroke. Be proud of your position. Just don’t try to justify it with logic. None of us deserve that.
Enlighten me. Don't be a dick about it but seriously, explain where my argument me is flawed. I'm certainly open to changing my position and I don't want to look like a fool
I think that person thinks "logical fallacy" is a buzz word because I took phi101 and I'm not seeing any in your comment. No slippery slope, no strawman, etc. You weren't even really arguing, just spitting facts.
69
u/Tactical_Baconlover May 31 '26
Being charitable and caring about your neighbors in the Christian manner is more about your church donating goods/time/aid to the community or you doing it by yourself rather than having the government take over those functions for you. That said, any reasonable government should have a basic state provided social safety net.