Q & A for those on the fence about religion. Part 1

Separating True Christianity from the fakers to help you decide if it’s the right move for you.

Using evidence from the Protestant reformation: the movement in the 1600’s that began to re align the church with the Bible and away from corruption; and the Bible we will point out true Christianity to help those on the fence about religion find answers to common questions.

Q: I want to be a better person, but wouldn’t I have to give up a lot to be a Christian? There doesn’t seem to be much freedom.

A: I cover this in greater detail in the article ‘DO YOU HAVE TO SACRIFICE PLEASURE TO BE RELIGIOUS?’ Parts 1 and 2. In summary however, we as a race have always worshiped something. Whether it be deities from stories we’ve created, statue’s we’ve created or nature. Today we are not as ‘free’ as we think. Whether we rely on alcohol to have fun, buying things that are marketed to bring us joy, a significant other to offer us fulfillment, drugs to help us cope/escape reality or anything else we use to make us feel good because we are unable to do so without it…we all worship or are addicted to something. To make matters worse, the social media apps we find ourselves scrolling on a daily basis are supported by research to lead to anxiety and depression even though we use them seeking fulfillment (Brian A. Primack, et al. Use of multiple social media platforms and symptoms of depression…Computers in Human Behavior. Volume 69, April 2017, Pages 1-9).

So if you are naturally led to worship as a human being, what if you could find something that at its core (not based on what you heard, but what’s actually in the Bible) promoted true freedom (You can only truly accept God if you’re not forced to) assuming you would not use it to indulge in vices but to support each other: “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh (human desires) ; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” Galatians 5:13.

This is why the new international version translates 1 Corinthians 7:22 in this way “For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord's freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ's slave”. Following God leads to true freedom and happiness because the decision will help you separate yourself from your vices over time when you realize how empty they are. The Protestant reformation led to religious freedom and even allowed the freedom for atheism according to many scholars who have studied the history of the reformation. The belief that no higher power exists is relatively new to human history and the freedom to have that believe came as a result of the reformation.

So freedom and freedom of choice is a paramount principle in true Christianity.

Q: Isn’t Christianity too outdated for our world today? I’ve thought about it, but the concept just doesn’t seem to apply in today’s society.

A: When you read the Bible and realize that the purpose of Christianity is to not be political or judgmental, but to offer love, understanding and service to others around us; you may come to the realization that true Christianity is exactly what we need today, as opposed to the judgement passing pseudo-Christians who use their religion as a basis to take political action. This goes against the purpose of the Protestant reformation (an attempt to reform the church to return to following the Bible as opposed to traditions and political figures who used religion to attain power) which we will continue to mention.

As previously discussed, modern civilization and the moral fiber supporting it were founded upon the Judeo-Christian belief system. It is proven to support entire societies while we don’t have a large enough sample size of atheism for building and maintaining a civilization. Despite this fact, there is still no room for using religion to make political decisions that encroach on others freedoms or to start wars according to the Protestants who re-centered the faith around Biblical principles and Jesus (the example of the perfect Christian life) who never even got involved in the politics of his day nor did he attempt to claim the throne of Israel.

As far as modern science and how it relates to God, I cover this in detail in my article ‘God vs. Science’ where I show that science exists because of the unbreakable laws of the universe and nature. Everything in nature works in perfect patterns and has specific functions so that science can be possible through repeated confirmed observations of a result.

End part 1, in part two we will discuss what to look for in a legitimate Church, as well as exploring answers to the questions: Isn’t the church oppressive and judgmental? I don’t think I can handle an environment where I constantly feel guilty....Hasn’t organized religion has resulted in too much divisiveness today and wars in the past?...What If I’m not good enough yet or I can’t give up these bad habits that I enjoy before joining a church?