Christianity Has Always Worried Someone Would Expose it Fallacies

If you have reservations or doubts about the faith, the faith wants you gone. Whatever you do, don't tell anyone. It is blasphemous.

All of these threats started back in Bible. Believers were admonished not to doubt nor question the far fetched stories that remain part of the faith. To doubt the Holy Spirit was the worst of all sins. It has been called the only unpardonable sin.

It has been said here and elsewhere countless times the faith is mostly about control. If one sets out to find how many times and places the Bible attempts to control people that intent seem obvious. To believers, however, being told not to doubt is being helpful. After all, the faith tells us, those in authority know the truth and our job is simply to believe them.

While we can only speculate about the minds of the wealthy goat herders who wrote the Bible, how defend arguments today is easy to understand. A good and healthy society, we say, is an open one were criticisms and doubts are expressed freely. A society that is not so healthy is the authoritarian one where secrets replace openness and transparency. The Holy Spirit is not about openness and transparency.

The fact is, however, Christianity could not survive without authorities demanding obedience. If the faith were open to questions it would fail because it has no answers. If people said, "I doubt the virgin birth and the resurrection and will until religious authorities provide some logical explanation." They would all leave because answers are not there.

Christianity's Achilles Heel is its inability to defend authoritarian dogma, invisible beings and invisible places. That is why the faith includes rules against exposing its fallacies.

Comments

  1. Matt NoahSeptember 19, 2018 at 8:24 PM

    Without a publisher, one's thoughts are as a wave upon the sea, gone quickly and never remembered.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jon LindgrenSeptember 20, 2018 at 6:23 AM

      "Without a publisher, one's thoughts are as a wave upon the sea, gone quickly and never remembered.'

      Very poetic. And even with a publisher, the Forum, what appears is quickly gone and forgotten. Back in my childhood, the custom in cities was to wrap each day's garbage in the newspaper and toss it is the garbage can. The long standing joke among columnists at that time was, "No matter how great a piece I write is, it still just wraps today's garbage and is gone."

      Delete
    2. Matt NoahSeptember 20, 2018 at 12:31 PM

      Yes, even the Fargo Forum's articles are gone in a day for the most part. Amazingly, the Bible is still the most published book of all time. Some dispute that but it doesn't matter. Even the skeptics know the Bible is way up there and that includes the numerous variations and translations. Sadly, the writings of Mao are way up there as well.

      Delete
    3. Jon LindgrenSeptember 20, 2018 at 2:13 PM

      My guess it that when the Forum gets done redoing its soft ware there will be religious columnists and critics of religion. Jack Zaleski, who may look in at this blog and may comment on my recollection, told me once the Cal Thomas' columns were among the most read in the United States. They are mostly religious. My contact for this blog said they are merging the marketing area with the tech area so web system they come up with has the broadest possible appeal.

      Delete
  2. Bryan KSeptember 19, 2018 at 9:00 PM

    Was there another comment here? I thought I remember seeing one, but it seems as if it was just a wave upon the sea.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jon LindgrenSeptember 20, 2018 at 6:25 AM

      Bryan--No other comments here. You might have seen one from another post. It's kind of quiet while I wait to see what the Forum does eventually with my blog in the software they are building. There are some comments over at Face Book, Red River Freethinkers.

      Delete

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