Perhaps where the atheist (and any other person of reason) is most correct in their criticism of Christianity resides in how Christianity is less about conviction and the seeking of Truth and more about finding a home to feel welcomed. It's about convenience. Christianity is not about personal development, contemplating truth, wisdom, and revelation; it is about feeling good about yourself, getting compliments and praises from those around you, and participating in community events and in church services. Most churches do not encourage personal critical thinking skills (especially against the establishment of Christianity itself); most churches, rather, encourage cognitive and behavioral conformity to the idiosyncratic teachings of their pastor or minister. Perhaps the greatest criticism laid at the feet of Christianity is inferences drawn from the evidence offered from Christian people.
Person 'A' says, "God has shown me a great Truth, and He has put on my heart the desire to fulfill His word. I must begin my own church and teach people according to the inspiration that God Himself has given to me through prayer and through the personal relationship that I have with Him. What I do henceforth is to live God's Truth as He has revealed it to me. I shall dedicate all the days of my life in service to He who died for me and my sins."
Person 'B' says the precise same thing as person 'A.' With just as much personal conviction, with just as much reference to Biblical passages, with just as much weight on their heart to accomplish God's will, person 'B' sets forth to proclaim God's Truth.
Now imagine that the teachings of person 'A' conflict with and contradict the teachings of person 'B.' -- How can this be? Did not God inspire them both? Was not God the provider of inspiration? You hear it all the time from people who claim to be doing God's work. God, apparently, wants you to help fund your church's youth ministry to India or to South America. God is putting it on your heart to purify his Church; God wants YOU to revitalize His church. After years of reading the Bible, we can conclude that polygamy is okay -- no wait, after years of reading the Bible, we must conclude that polygamy is forbidden. Well, our church believes that the Eucharist is the real embodiment of Jesus Christ through the bread and the wine -- the bread becomes his flesh, and the wine becomes his blood. No, this is incorrect. Nothing really happens during the Eucharistic celebration -- it is nothing more than a ceremony to recall historical events; no hocus pocus happens.
Well, our church believes that children should be baptized. Oh. Well, our church teaches that children need to reach the age of reason before they are allowed to be baptized. Our minister wants us to attend church twice a week: on Sundays and on Wednesdays. Well, our church says that once a week is good enough. Our church teaches about the existence of purgatory 2 Maccabees 12:46. What? We don't have Bibles with that book in it. Our Bibles are real and yours are "of man."
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Do you see? I don't care who's right and who's wrong. People have been killing one another for centuries in order to determine which school of religious thought best encompasses God's will. Everyone who disagrees with one another also claims that their point of view is best, the most correct, and is what God really teaches while at the same time, condemning those who have different points of view. How arrogant of Christians.
You're not worshiping "God."
You're worshiping "Yourself" as "God."
Hey, that's a nice golden cow you have there. Did "God" tell you to make that too?
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