What is the major factor that makes non-Christians hate Christianity?

[Bill Martin]

The idea that they are accountable for their actions.

Though, that applies to people who hate religion in general moreso than to those who hate just Catholicism.

[IanGE]

Originally Posted by BornAgain2010

what is the major factor that makes non-Christians hate Christianity?

is it differences on doctrinal issues, or is it that they (non-Christians) are more inclined to hedonism, ignorance, inability to grasp religion logically (that part I can actually sympathize with...to a point), they dont get back enough from they put in, people are selfish, lack of will, what is the major reason why people cant stand Christians nowadays?

Rather a sweeping statement? I grew up in the last days of the British Raj in India and my Catholic school took in students of all religions. I had Hindu, Muslim, Parsee, Sikh friends though because of my Irish Catholic upbringing I was intolerant of Protestants - one of whom became my best friend!
The Jesuit motto is "give me the boy till he is seven and I will give you the man": I guess St. Francis Xavier's words apply to ANY religion. My old school is now run by Jesuits and still multi-cultural, multi-religious.
On our recent vacations in India, I was more and more impressed by the faith of ascetic Hindus. The strap on my wife's handbag broke and we used a roadside cobbler to sew it back on by the light of a street lamp. Suddenly the lamp failed and we were plunged in gloom; a few minutes later it flickered on again. The cobbler turned to his lean-to shelter and bowed down to thank his family god picture for switching on the light so he could finish his work! He invited us to thank his god, too, but we raised our hands to the sky and thanked our Father God. He was chuffed.
On another occasion, we arrived at our local money-changer, a retire banker, as he turned up for work. He opened up his office, ushered us in then proceeded to offer 'pooja' to the phalanx of family and other Hindu god pictures. He explained that he could not start work without thanking them for the day ahead. We wished WE had the same trusting devotion to our God!
Shocked by the poverty and the wealth gap, we learnt that the Rich consider it a DUTY to give alms to their poor brethren. Astonishingly, the poor do not envy the rich. "That is his Karma (fate) and this is mine: God looks after the smallest sparrow, he will look after me. And they face each day with a confident smile, assured that, somehow, God will feed, water and clothe them!
I believe also that Buddhists consider giving to others a blessing both to the giver and the given. Unlike, "what's yours is mine and what's mine is my own!"
BTW There is a Hindu sect called Jains, who are the ultimate pacifists. They strain their soup to ensure they don't swallow and kill the tiniest midge; they wear muslin masks to prevent breathing in and killing insects;they tread slowly, watching where they place every step lest they crush an insect. They are horrified that, at conception, 999,999 spermatoza die so that one lives! I guess that's why there ain't too many Jains!

[BornAgain2010]

Originally Posted by CopticChristian

Born,

Altar Call. You know some Protestants have these stadium meetings...Harvest Crusade...and then they have guest speakers at churches...well it is based on

Hearing Scripture
Responding to Scripture
Getting saved

So it goes like this...you are invited to a function...Preaching happens, the Scripture is read and you hear it...usually many emotional stories...you are asked to come down and "accept Jesus as your lord an savior" and then you are "poof" a baby Christian...and you then are advised to join a Bible believing Church...get into a Bible study...and then your life becomes the following.

Sunday Church
Monday Bible Study
Wednesday Church
Thursday Pot luck and Bible study
Friday Mens Group
Saturday help at the Church

Eventually every day is filled with an activity until your life is consumed by the Bible believing Church after responding to an altar call..

OK

Im not saying this to be mean or intolerant or anything, but in my experience, majority of Protestants are simply running on instinct. Of course I suppose that is to be expected when one follows Sola Scriptura. In Catholicism, and at least to my knowledge, Sola Scriptura can be considered by some to be a form of quietism.

Catholicism however is built on the trinity of Scripture, Tradition, and Magisterium.

[BornAgain2010]

Originally Posted by IanGE

Rather a sweeping statement? I grew up in the last days of the British Raj in India and my Catholic school took in students of all religions. I had Hindu, Muslim, Parsee, Sikh friends though because of my Irish Catholic upbringing I was intolerant of Protestants - one of whom became my best friend!
The Jesuit motto is "give me the boy till he is seven and I will give you the man": I guess St. Francis Xavier's words apply to ANY religion. My old school is now run by Jesuits and still multi-cultural, multi-religious.
On our recent vacations in India, I was more and more impressed by the faith of ascetic Hindus. The strap on my wife's handbag broke and we used a roadside cobbler to sew it back on by the light of a street lamp. Suddenly the lamp failed and we were plunged in gloom; a few minutes later it flickered on again. The cobbler turned to his lean-to shelter and bowed down to thank his family god picture for switching on the light so he could finish his work! He invited us to thank his god, too, but we raised our hands to the sky and thanked our Father God. He was chuffed.
On another occasion, we arrived at our local money-changer, a retire banker, as he turned up for work. He opened up his office, ushered us in then proceeded to offer 'pooja' to the phalanx of family and other Hindu god pictures. He explained that he could not start work without thanking them for the day ahead. We wished WE had the same trusting devotion to our God!
Shocked by the poverty and the wealth gap, we learnt that the Rich consider it a DUTY to give alms to their poor brethren. Astonishingly, the poor do not envy the rich. "That is his Karma (fate) and this is mine: God looks after the smallest sparrow, he will look after me. And they face each day with a confident smile, assured that, somehow, God will feed, water and clothe them!
I believe also that Buddhists consider giving to others a blessing both to the giver and the given. Unlike, "what's yours is mine and what's mine is my own!"
BTW There is a Hindu sect called Jains, who are the ultimate pacifists. They strain their soup to ensure they don't swallow and kill the tiniest midge; they wear muslin masks to prevent breathing in and killing insects;they tread slowly, watching where they place every step lest they crush an insect. They are horrified that, at conception, 999,999 spermatoza die so that one lives! I guess that's why there ain't too many Jains!

not really. I was referring to those who are openly hostile towards Christians. I apologize if I wasnt articulate enough.

[buffalo]

It is the moral high ground. In addition, it forces one to change.

[meltzerboy]

Originally Posted by BornAgain2010

what is the major factor that makes non-Christians hate Christianity?

is it differences on doctrinal issues, or is it that they (non-Christians) are more inclined to hedonism, ignorance, inability to grasp religion logically (that part I can actually sympathize with...to a point), they dont get back enough from they put in, people are selfish, lack of will, what is the major reason why people cant stand Christians nowadays?

I dont mean this in regards to conversion, just general attitude towards each other. I really would like to see some fences being mended in this senseless culture war.

I think its ignorance, lack of will to educate themselves (who WANTS to take the time?), hedonism (people arent accustomed to the joy that sacrifice brings or the satisfaction of serving), and fear. I think alot of people are afraid of what they'll have to give up or turn away from in order to serve Christ and his Church.

I think those are the main reasons. If not, those are certainly the prevailing philosophies of society.

Im not 'calling out' non-Christians or agnostics or atheists. Im just trying to understand why people now days are so militant when it comes to villifying Christianity?

How to answer such a question? Firstly, there are probably a variety of reasons, ranging from personally negative experiences with individual Christians, whether family members, friends, or strangers, who don't practice what they may preach, to religious intolerance on the part of some Christians that has encompassed prejudiced attitudes, discriminatory behavior, and persecution. Also, a perception that some Christians are exclusive and condescending, the latter reflected in evangelizing efforts, rather than inclusive and accepting of non-Christians. Further, your reasoning I believe is faulty in that you attribute one of the major causes to hedonism, ignorance, lack of logic regarding religion, and selfishness, which is certainly not the case with respect to those non-Christians who focus mainly on their own religious or humanistic beliefs. Your concluding remark that you're not "calling out" non-Christians causes me to wonder what you might consider to be calling out.

[cprich]

I agree St Francis. Truth is hard to find. If we put our faith and trust in Jesus though, using his Words in the Bible as guide post or beacons of light everything is made clear and easy.i
I tend not to follow fades nor condemnations of any. Instead, seek the truth. Sounds easy? Really it is. Jesus. And Jesus is Love so much so to the point that he died for you to save you from your error. And He tells us that He has this special relationship with God the Father before the beginning of time. And that He loves the Father and He loves his. And the Father loves Him and that He, the Light of the World, will come to gather his people to himself at the end of time. Now, His people, humm! I don't know what you think about this but I would tend to beleive that this is an extended invitation to all the people of the world. So, here's where the difficulty lie, this is the call to duty as believers. How do we get this invitation out to everyone of the world. Using Christ as an example or guide, I would say it's done with love, prayer, devotion to Christ and to the Father, in turn devotion to others,and asking in prayer for intercession or guidance and truly listening or actively seeking the answers. Others may be your local Priest or lay, the Virgin Mary and all the angles and saints. Remember, as Catholics, we have accepted these models of Christian life. I like reading material about the saints and trying to figure out what they did or thought about the problems facing mankind during their lifetime or their prospective on devotion.

Originally Posted by St Francis

Before I became a Christian, I sometimes felt animosity towards "Christians." I put that in quotation marks, because I overgeneralized and considered the worst of some Protestants to be "Christianity". The obnoxious guy who shouted outside the building while we were taking classes, forcing us to close the windows on a hot day... the fanatical, in-your-face gal who would follow us down the street yelling at us... etc.

And in fact, these people were obnoxious, but they weren't "Christianity." I was wrong to generalize from the few I met or the worst I heard about to all Christians.


There were some other factors, tho. They claimed to have The Truth, which I was searching for, but it did not all mesh. As Protestants, they did not have a clear line of authority and taught conflicting "truths." Their explanations lacked a lot of logic (Say this prayer and you will get to Heaven no matter what you do).

Eventually, I did start to believe in God, and I became a "mere Christian," as CS Lewis puts it. I found a source for more detailed explanations, and it made more sense.

But after 2 years of that, there still seemed to be a lot missing. I ran across a book which explained more about Christian theology and returned to the Church my family had left when I was a child.


So I would say that some people "hate" Christianity because what they know of it is not the part that is good: the people they run across are not considerate and do not explain well.




Additionally, there is a strain in American social thinking which is to denigrate people who dedicate themselves to things we cannot see. To dedicate oneself to finding a cure for cancer, that makes sense; to dedicate ourselves to serving God--not so much. We admire the vegetarian who gives up meat for the sake of mistreated animals; we scratch our heads at the one who says they don't eat meat on Friday.

America is not as tolerant as some would like us to believe....

[NoWings]

I don't hate Christianity. I just don't believe its myths are literal.

Even if I did, that doesn't mean the Catholic Church is necessarily the correct church or even the correct belief system.

Trust me. I'd love to think that some Big Universal Spirit loves me and gives my life cosmic significance but that doesn't make it true.

[IanGE]

Originally Posted by CopticChristian

Born,

Altar Call. You know some Protestants have these stadium meetings...Harvest Crusade...and then they have guest speakers at churches...well it is based on

Hearing Scripture
Responding to Scripture
Getting saved

So it goes like this...you are invited to a function...Preaching happens, the Scripture is read and you hear it...usually many emotional stories...you are asked to come down and "accept Jesus as your lord an savior" and then you are "poof" a baby Christian...and you then are advised to join a Bible believing Church...get into a Bible study...and then your life becomes the following.

Sunday Church
Monday Bible Study
Wednesday Church
Thursday Pot luck and Bible study
Friday Mens Group
Saturday help at the Church

Eventually every day is filled with an activity until your life is consumed by the Bible believing Church after responding to an altar call..

OK

O dear, 'ow sad! You are asked, ie invited: no one twists your arm or tells you you're a sinner going to hell. Witnesses share the GOOD news and invite you to experience a wonderful change in your lifestyle: the cherry on the cake. Your list of DUTIES verges on Religious Mania. A Catholic priest laid hands on me and I received the lovely gift of Tongues, then experienced just about all the other gifts plus a few not mentioned by Jesus at the end of Mark's Gospel (like Spiritual discernment and a wondrous love of the Word of God. One of the perks I was told to expect was the loving Voice of The Lord, who commanded me to stay in the Catholic Church.
When I first became a Bridge Master I found my week diary filled 24/7 with tournaments till I was sick of Bridge and packed it in! But if I fill my week with mass, prayer meetings, symposiums etc its because I yearn to know more and meet my Lord in communion with others of my faith!

[oyaji]

Originally Posted by BornAgain2010

what is the major factor that makes non-Christians hate Christianity?

I'm sure the reasons are many but from the many articles and videos that I've read/watched, the main culprit is the theology that God required a human sacrifice, and not just any human would do but it had to be his own son, to restore his honor, temper his anger, etc, because of the sin of man.

And that is understandable. I mean who would want to worship a God who would require his son to be tortured and murdered as a blood sacrifice?

It's tragic that the real meaning of Christ's sacrifice has been lost; that he died to destroy death and as a ransom to free humans from the bondage of Satan, which is the fear of death.

[Lion of Narnia]

Originally Posted by Lokabrenna

...I think Kreeft would be pretty surprised to learn that modern "idolators" have supernatural components AND ethics, but I think that list in general is pretty hilarious.

I sure Professor Kreeft is aware of the supernatural and ethical components of neo-paganism--though he would say they are missing the mark, as much or more than the the historic precedents did--their claims to not match up to reality.

Is that why you think the list is "hilarious"--that we actually hold to a pre post-modern assertation that their actually is such a thing as objective reality and of objective morality that is actually more in accordance with that reality? And by extension, certain truth claims will be more accurate and valid than others?

If you have read the article the link gives, you see that Kreeft, in accordance with Historic Christianity does NOT and never has said all truth claims are equel, let alone they are all "valid paths up the mountain"--and that is another big reason people get annoyed.

[Lokabrenna]

Originally Posted by Lion of Narnia

Is that why you think the list is "hilarious"--that we actually hold to a pre post-modern assertation that their actually is such a thing as objective reality and of objective morality that is actually more in accordance with that reality? And by extension, certain truth claims will be more accurate and valid than others?

No, I find it hilarious because it's such an oversimplification of so many diverse religions that I'd need the entire faculty of religious studies from my alma mater to begin correcting all of it.

Kreeft is, of course, entitled to his beliefs.

[cheese_sdc]

Originally Posted by BornAgain2010

what is the major factor that makes non-Christians hate Christianity?

is it differences on doctrinal issues, or is it that they (non-Christians) are more inclined to hedonism, ignorance, inability to grasp religion logically (that part I can actually sympathize with...to a point), they dont get back enough from they put in, people are selfish, lack of will, what is the major reason why people cant stand Christians nowadays?

Maybe it's the inherit condescension evident in your question....

Wow. Non-Christians are hedonists and lack will? Tell that to a Buddhist monk. Ignorant? Tell that to a Jew. Because non-Christians are illogical? I take it you've never heard of an atheist scientist.

[Lion of Narnia]

Originally Posted by Lokabrenna

No, I find it hilarious because it's such an oversimplification of so many diverse religions that I'd need the entire faculty of religious studies from my alma mater to begin correcting all of it.

Kreeft is, of course, entitled to his beliefs.

Ah, University “religious studies” departments where “truth in religion” is either taboo or openly snickered at. An attitude apparently derived from the perspective of the social sciences, where an anthropologist and Wiccan (Richard Hutton, Triumph of the Moon) can quite openly admit his faith’s quite modern and syncretic invention, yet call Wicca “a valid religion”, in that it gives the believer (or practitioner) psychological personal validation and meaning quite apart from any relation to objective reality (natural or supernatural). It often takes an outsider from such departments (such as Kreeft, or the late Mortimer Adler) to call such post-modernist “don’t offend” wishy-washiness for what it is; scholastic gutlessness.

[benjohnson]

Why do non-Christians hate Christianity?

Corinthians 2:14

The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.