As a Christian, I completely agree with you that too many people do not think critically for themselves, but rather just listens to those they agree with and accepts their instruction at face value without really looking deeper into the issues at hand.

The problem I have is that this is not solely an issue with Christians alone, but people of all worldviews and philosophies, including those of an atheistic worldview. So I would be cautious to say that all people of one particular group are guilty of not being able to think critically, because then you would be guilty of a stereotype that is simply not true. For example, though I disagreed with him, I believe that Christopher Hitchens was a man who thought things out for himself. He was not an atheist simply because that's what sounded good to him, but because he critically thought matters through. Unfortunately, I cannot say that is how it is with all atheists, however, because I keep hearing the same old arguments again and again, as I am sure that you have heard from Christians as well.

The point of all this is, that there are Christian philosophers who have thought and analyzed these issues just as well as any philosopher you can name and have struggled and wrestled with the problem of evil and suffering, and have provided convincing arguments to remain firm in the belief that it is very probable that God can co-exist with suffering in this world because there are many other issues that are going on that we do not know about because we cannot see the big picture.

If you are interested, and by means, if you choose to delete this post that is fine with me, but if you would like to read a Christian philosophical answer to the problem of suffering, check out a book by Randy Alcorn, entitled, "If God is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil."

Christian philosopher and apologist, Dr. William Lane Craig, also deals with this issue. You can listen to his lecture on this at http://www.rfmedia.org/av/audio/gracepoint-the-pr....

I am not asking that you agree with these conclusions, but I am asking that you at least not stereotype all Christians as those who do not think critically through these issues, because these issues have been struggled with and dealt with by many Christian philosophers. And I, as a believer, recognize that there are those of the atheistic worldview that has struggled and wrestled through these issues, and while I may not agree with them, I do give them credit for the work and study they have done. I have huge admiration for men like Hitchens and it was a sad day indeed when I heard that he had passed away.

As a Christian, I would like to respond to the misunderstood stereotypes that have been mentioned in this article. I do this with a sense of peace and goodwill, because I know that we all have misunderstandings of people who view things differently than we do. I know I have my own personal misunderstandings of the views and beliefs of other people. First off, let me say that I enjoy Halloween and believe that it can be used to glorify God. I do not believe there is a day that any of us should be scared of, because God is in complete control of everyday. Sadly, however, you are right when you say many Christians are scared of this day. They attribute to Satan more power than what he really has. Next, I understand how you can view Jesus as being a zombie and how Christians supposedly eat and drink his flesh and blood every time we have communion. This, however, is not a correct understanding of these beliefs. Christ's body is totally physically alive. He is not a regenerated corpse as a zombie, but a fully living being as you and I are. This, I understand, however, requires that we believe that God exists, which I know not everybody does, thus, the misunderstanding of our belief. But that is how we believe and understand the resurrection to be. Now for the Lord's Supper or Communion, most Christians do not believe that they are eating and drinking the physical flesh and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Don't get me wrong, here. I know some do believe that, but not all. Most protestant (non-Catholic) denominations believe that it is a symbol of His flesh and blood, not actually the substance of His flesh and blood. An example of this would be my wedding ring. This ring is not the actual love that my wife and I share. It is a symbol of the love that we share together. In the same way, the bread and the wine or grape juice that is consumed is but a symbol of the flesh and blood reminding us as Christians the terrible price Christ paid to redeem us from our sins. It is designed to keep us humble in regards to our Lord as we are reminded of what He has done for us. Granted, not every professing Christian is humble as he or she deals with others. I know there are many "Christians" who act like they are better than others. But not all Christians act this way, in fact, most of the true Christians do not act this way because they know that they are just as guilty of sin as anybody else. At least, this is the way it is supposed to be.

Now, I understand, that what I have just shared may not go very far, because to those who do not believe in God, these beliefs will seem crazy. The apostle Paul in his letters admitted that the truth of God was foolishness to the wise. So I understand if you cannot accept what I have just written.

I don't expect anyone here to accept what I have explained up to this point. I just wanted to share my point of view so we can all have a better understanding of what each of us believe. But let me close out with a response to your statements about Christians "who are all too excited about the prospect of your being subjected to everlasting punishment in their hell." I will grant you that sadly there have been some heretical pastors and professing Christians come out and claim how excited they are that certain people will be burning in hell. But let me say this, that is not the attitude of a true follower of Christ. No true Christian is excited about anybody going to hell. It is an awful reality. It is something we preach about because we believe it is true, but we do so because we want to help as many people as possible find the escape from hell that God Himself has provided, through Jesus Christ. I hate the idea that there is even one person in hell. But sadly, that is what we all deserve for our rebellion against God. It is something that I deserve. But God has promised that if you will "confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, then you will be saved." (Rom. 10:9).

I understand that there may not be anybody here who listens to this or wants to believe what I am saying. I just wanted to let you know how many Christians see things and that there are wrong stereotypes of us just like there are wrong stereotypes of other religious beliefs and even of atheism. Thanks for letting me have some time to share my thoughts and beliefs with all of you.

I am praying for God's peace upon you and wish you a Happy Halloween!

Exactly! And the fact that we don't trust Him and glorify Him alone shows how much He really loves us because after all the times we constantly turn away from Him, He continues to pursue us and love us, when He has all the right in the world to leave us to ourselves, once again showing us the magnificent grace of the Holy One.

What you are talking about and what Jesus was talking about are two different things. Jesus was talking about worrying about what you will eat or wear. He is saying to trust God for your needs. He is not saying, however, that you can get by in life by not working. We need to work and be responsible for what we have, but we do not need to worry about our needs, because God will take care of us. And then He was also talking about not living to just store up treasures here on earth. Some people treasure their possessions more than they treasure God or other people. That is what He is speaking against. We should be willing to give up all for the glory of God and to help other people who are in need, trusting that as we give up what we have, God will provide for what we need. But it is a sin to expect that we can just laze around all day and expect God to take care of us. God has given us the strength and the skills to work. He created us to work and it is a sin to expect to live off of other people without any responsibility for ourselves. "For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living." (2 Thess. 3:10-12). We work, but we trust God to provide. To worry about how to pay our bills and where we will get our food is wrong, because it shows a lack of trust in God.

Now, to go back to the original post... does this mean that we as Christians shouldn't help those who don't have? No. We are commanded by God to help others. We do not worry about whether someone else is being responsible for themselves. We should just be concerned about how we are fulfilling God's command to help others.

That's cool! I'm gonna go check it out. Thanks for letting me know!

The Bible doesn't say anything about the poor being less deserving. On the contrary, it talks about the poor in spirit being more richly blessed than the wealthy because their trust and love is in God, not in money. I don't know where that quote came from and I don't really know if it is a direct quote or simply an interpretation of your understanding of what you heard, but I will say this, that if that "Christian" really is against the universal healthcare for that reason, than it just reflects everything that is wrong with Americanized Christianity. The Bible is clear that if people are to eat, then they should at least attempt to take care of themselves and work. But the Bible is also clear that we as Christians are to help the poor and to take care of the orphans and widows, so that person has a totally misguided view of what God wants from us. We can never earn God's favor. God's favor is freely given to us. "The wealthy are wealthy because they are favored by the Christian god, and the poor are poor because they are lazy and have not applied themselves." That is a load of garbage, because most Christians in this world are not wealthy. Again, this is an Americanized version of Christianity that has no basis in what God teaches in the Bible. Now, I do have a problem with the universal health care, but it has nothing to do with my personal belief in God. My problems are strictly political, but that's another topic. I just wanted to make a defense that not all Christians (and I would argue that no true Christian) really believes what has just been stated in this blog.