Hey Runner,
I've got quite a few Christians in my extended family, and I wouldn't say it if I didn't think it was true.
My reasoning is that as soon as someone picks up the bible, they start rambling all this irrational crazy talk; one might say they lose sense of themselves;
Now that's just one part of it;
- But it's their ignorance and hypocrisy that really gets under my skin.

They read a few bible stories, and somehow they come to a belief within themselves that they're morally superior to others.
- That they are already saved (home-free in their minds when Judgement Day and heaven hasn't come yet) and that they're an undisputed authority on what is right and good.

But you don't have to be a Christian to be a good person;
And not all people who claim to be such are good people;
- So being religious or not being religious does not necessarily determine any authority on what is right and good.

I prefer 'ethics' in a more purer form:
Lessons, principles, not stone-age cryptic stories.

Jesus taught 'ethics'; 'Do unto others', but most Christians seem to forget he was a teacher, they soon forget 'ethics' and think all you have to do is believe he 'existed' and they're going to the big happy clouds up in the sky.

I see flaws.

That if a person doesn't possess ethics to begin with as a moral compass, then they're emotionally weak and vulnerable and may be inclined to insert 'religion' into the void where a moral compass should be.
And so they never really have ethics and its like a self-serving vicious cycle where they all need god to make sense of things, because they never possessed 'ethics in their own right'.

[Cont.]
Unconditional forgiveness would be like giving sin a free pass would it not?
If you turn the other cheek and forgive every mistake unconditionally, then there's no consequence of sin, or any reason for the sinner to learn the error of their ways by knowing what they did wrong in the first place and earning forgiveness.

Heaven and Hell;
If God exists, (I'm agnostic) then;
'Nothing is hidden that won't be revealed, and nothing is secret that won't be brought out into the open.'

- I don't necessarily think heaven is a gold palace.
What happens if you get the power of the 'all-knowing' after you're dead?
Everything you did on this earth; every decision, every action.
All recorded in an unhackable blockchain.
Did you have a 'positive ripple effect' and can you see your good spread out upon the world; not just the good you did for one person, but how that person went out and did good or bad themselves because of your interaction with them?
Or was it a negative ripple effect, and you see all the damage you've done.
Whichever way we may have to endure it for eternity.
Or we might not, and we might just be roadkill.
- What do I know..

Now, my criticisms aside, (I do think belief systems can be dangerous) I stand up for Christianity sometimes, when I do it's because I know that there's a core of good ethics and principles in the bible.
'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.'
- And you have to stand up for some kind of standards of decency.

But I refuse to read the bible, I don't want to be tainted by it;
- Or risk becoming the rambling irrational fool that takes leave of his own senses, like I've seen happen to others too many times.

Hey Foxy,

"We need to define what we mean by religion."

A loose description might be 'belief system';
This may not necessarily be restricted to things of a spiritual nature.
Think of a banker for example, 'Money' might be their religion;
Or the climate scientist, 'Climate Change and Global Sustainability' might be their religion.

A more specific description would only include things of a spiritual nature;
Such as - 'My personal relationship with God'.

Hi AC, I like what you have posted above, it makes a lot of sense. Its a pity religions see a need to "interpret" those often clear and unequivocal ethical instructions to a point where the original meaning is totally lost. Christianity has been great at reinventing what Christ is supposedly have said.

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." John 2: 15-17.

How many modern day Christians can say they actually apply that principle.

thanks for your explanation Armchair and I can't obviously comment on your family members. As you probably know at the heart of the gospel message is that all are corrupt and fall short. Takes humility to accept that. Speaking of what and who is a 'good' person is totally subjective as you know. Some have even declared Dr Ford with her life of immorality, drunkeness, activism and lying to destroy a man's character a good person.

Yeah the gospel is offensive because even the likes of these lying women can be saved through Christ's sacrifice. Believe it or not most people liked me more before I came to faith than after. I certainly don't consider myself any better or worse for that matter than anyone else. The simple fact as far as Scriptures say is that we all fall short of the glory of God. Jesus Christ was the only Man who was not corrupt in any way shape or form. That qualified Him to be our sacrifice. It is by this sacrifice alone that men will enter heaven and eternity. Offensive? Certainly to many especially to those who have done many good works and yet reject him

There appears to be a lack of understanding of the difference between 'spirituality' and religion.