I'm no stranger to the Christian community, having been a part of it for a great many years.
A parody I've seen is called, "You may be a fundy atheist if...."
You seem to have trouble understanding that I feel the exact same way about the core claims of Christianity
I understand what you are saying and I believe your sincerity. But it doesn't negate the possibility that you might be ignorant of what the core of Christianity actually entails as opposed to what you think it entails.
Whether the claims of Christianity are being promulgated by Jimmy Swaggert or by the pastor up the street, they're no less ridiculous.
What are you basing your judgment on?
And I don't find it any less fraudulent to say "accept Jesus, and you'll meet your loved ones in the afterlife" than it is to say "send my ministry $100 and be healed of all that ails you."
I don't go to spiritual pep rallies, which, admittedly, many churches have resorted to rather than showing a true deference to God. The "feel good, don't say anything that might be construed as negative" churches are the opposite, but equally incorrect, kind of church that preaches damnation, hellfire, and brimstone. Besides, the Bible says that when we see our loved one's, its in a totally different context where whatever human relationship was fostered in this life is inconsequential to the hereafter.
I don't find the spiritual world of Gods and saviors any more credible than Popoff's claims of divine abilities.
That's all fine and good, however, I trust you might be able to distinguish the difference in motives between a good pastor and Popoff. Popoff is aware that he is a swindler, as evidenced by his reaction to the reporter. Any good pastor would never fleece his flock or have any nefarious plans in mind.
And it's not clear what undistorted picture of Christianity you think I'm ignorant of that would make all that stuff appear reasonable. Could you elaborate on that? In what way do you feel my conception of Christianity is skewed?
What leads me to believe that is your apparent inability to distinguish between somebody like Popoff from somebody like, for instance, Ravi Zacharias or C.S. Lewis. There is a profound and marked difference. Aside from which, I am often taken aback when confronting an individual who appears to hate the concept of God and His precepts. They are unrelenting in their pursuit to discredit the Word of God and the people that follow it. It’s almost humorous that the many people who claim the Bible to be fallacy often have read little more than a few pages. Is that fair?
Since no one willfully seeks to be thought of by their peers as ignorant, when asked if they’ve honestly read the Bible, the answer is usually with a confident and a resounding,
“Yes, of course!” However, their personal exegesis typically does not accurately convey the message being portrayed by them. Should I assume by their platitudes that I have either caught them on a bad day, in where their memory is not what it should be, or that they are lying to me about their Biblical expertise or their grasp of the Christian ethos as a whole?
"He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. -Micah 6:8
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