That's the thing about religion, it's all opinion. How come some Muslims can take the Koran and stay peaceful and others end up extremists? Just like some people believe God and Christianity as all hellfire and brimstone and others think God is a stern yet merciful God.
But for real, are there any Jewish people on this site? I'm Black and I feel pulled more towards Judaism than anything else. I've learned some about Buddhism this year and I quite enjoy the philosophy of that. The fact that it's so peaceful and individually faith-based instead of collective is pretty intriguing for me.
The thing about Christians (SOME. NOT ALL) is that people get all caught up and want to impose what they think is right on others, when the Bible can be taken so many different ways. Some people wanna pick and choose what to follow and then point their finger at the people that don't follow it. "The Bible condemns sodomy". Yeah well. It also says you shouldn't mix fibers, so you better get naked real fast.
Everyone has the right to believe what they want and hold steadfastly to them. For someone to be a Christian and still accept people for who they are not what they do, who they sleep with at night, what the other person's religious beliefs are and to follow their God and not bat an eye to someone who may be the 180 to their beliefs, to me that's a good true Christian.
Anyone who automatically needs to throw Christianity in someones face (out of nowhere) and tell them their wrong because of xyz, is what my problem is with it and lately (especially in older generations.. 35-40+) is a huge problem for me.
Aristotle said the path to happiness is to be virtuous and if Christianity gives you that virtuosity, props to you. And if going binge drinking on Saturday nights with my college friends makes me virtuous at this point in my life, props to me.
Pretty much, I feel for each their own Aristotle also said that there is a middle that each one has to achieve to never be too extreme which I guess in the case of religion (though this wasn't addressed by then) the left extreme would be a religious extremist and right would be a full-blown atheist. Once you find that happy medium (which I feel is a individual spirituality) then one can continue to be truly virtuous in other spectrums of life. Unfortunately I don't think there are very many people to find that medium and again, that medium is all relative to the person. Someone might think they've found it when another person might think that they are way too extreme.
I guess what I'm trying to say is to each his own. Absolutely nothing wrong with religion. I'm down for organized religion. But there's no telling what is right or wrong or if there even is a right or wrong.. But I think it's all about respect. I can respect church going, God-fearing Christians but then when I see some Evangelists I can't help but cringe, but I guess that's cause they contradict my own beliefs and I assume they do the same thing when they come across someone like me. (or they just tell me I'm going straight to hell).
I just wish everyone could just respect everyone else. 