I’ve been in conversations with “sophisticated” theologians, where I’m often told that I have a poor understanding of Christianity, and that my criticisms aren’t valid. That if I just understood the ideas, and read better apologists, I would get it right. Frankly, the idea that we need a sophisticated understanding of Christianity in order to criticize it, but be completely ignorant in order to accept it, seems absurd to me.
Can somebody please explain to me how a supposedly omnipotent, omniscient, creator of everything has such a complex message that it cannot be understood clearly by everyone? If we’re talking about the most important message for humanity that cannot be clearly understood and accepted by everyone, this doesn’t speak well towards the idea that God is behind it. The message of Christianity appears very much to be the product of trying to retcon (and work within the confines of) the Old Testament so that it fit with Jesus. It’s a bit like trying to put a square peg into a round hole, because they really don’t fit together.
Christians, in order to accept Christianity I have to be able to understand the message that I’m being asked to accept. I do not understand why God needed to have his son-self put to death for the sins of humanity. I do not understand why there is so much needless suffering in the world when there is supposedly an omnipotent, omniscient, all loving God who created the world. I do not understand why God couldn’t just forgive us of our sins. I do not understand why the message of Christianity isn’t known to every single person without the need for humans to spread the message. These make for huge stumbling blocks for me in being able to accept that the Christian message could be true.
Frankly Christians, your charge of “you have a poor understanding of Christianity” rings hollow with me. Your God could clear things up in an instant, and make everything abundantly clear to me, but doesn’t. What exactly am I supposed to think about that? Much like the problem of suffering, the problem of poor understanding really isn’t my problem.
The Truth Seeking Atheist 
The simplicity of the gospel requires a degree and be well versed in a long list of fancy words, just to join the conversation—something the everyday Christian has no time for. So the priest is no longer the only one reading the Bible, but the big big words keep the layman out of the real conversation trusting the pulpit because they’ve defined it over the head of a normal guy
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Agreed. It seems like the whole thing would be very easy for their “god” to clear up if it chose to do so. And as pointed out by Jim, most Christians don’t pass the theologians’ test either.
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Sounds like those “sophisicated theologians” are giving you the old Courtier’s Reply. (https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Courtier%27s_Reply)
If those theologians with their “sophisticated” understanding could get together with all the other sophisticated theologians who vehemently disagree with them, and get all of christianity on one page and end the division of their religion into thousands of denominations, then maybe they’d be worth listening to. But that’s not going to happen.
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Well, you see, Herald, it’s all about “FAITH” — you know, the word that gets flung around in Christian circles? The word that when all else fails slips into the conversation? Oh and one mustn’t forget the “Holy Spirit” since it must be “dwelling within” in order to know True Enlightenment.
I hope this has cleared things up for you. đŸ˜›
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Perfectly clear now, thanks đŸ™‚
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Reblogged this on AnonofReason.
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