Tuesday, February 08, 2011
Christianity and Egotism
Christianity claims the mantle of selflessness as one of its most treasured tenets. Indeed, you’ll find that throughout its history many of its proponents have made the assertion that the human ego is the one thing most likely to stop one from attaining a true connection with god. However, it’s hard to reconcile this with the mental position Christians actually take. Let’s take a look at these beliefs.
Christians believe that they’ve been created in the image of the omnipotent, omniscient creator of the universe (as someone once pointed out, if this were true it seems we’d all be invisible, hehe!). Christians believe that this all-powerful being is intimately concerned with them. Not just concerned, but obsessed with them.
Most Christians would tell you that this being, which they call God, talks to, directs, or even does favors for them. They believe that by talking to this being (prayer), they can influence him/her/it. They believe that the forces, which move the stars and direct the atoms, are contingent upon the preferences of their human heart.
Christians are convinced that their smallest actions and thoughts are of great concern. They consider themselves to be a higher life form than any other and that the world, indeed the very universe itself in all likelihood, was created for them.
All one has to do is look at how Christians have reacted historically to anything which threatens their view of themselves as being anything less than these things to see how seriously they feel about this. Whenever this has happened, it’s been met with denial, anger and often hostility. Bruno was burned at the stake for daring to say that the Earth wasn’t the center of the universe. Others were arrested or tortured for saying the same. Today, many Christians are offended even by the idea that they may be related to the other apes. “I’m no monkey’s uncle!” goes the cry. No amount of proof will be enough for such people since their ego doesn’t allow for it. They need to believe otherwise. The examples could go on.
One can’t help but think that Christian’s preoccupation with immortality has to come from this same well of self-obsession. No amount of life is enough for them. There’s terror in them for the idea that this life could be all they get. Why is this?
Christian ego tends to lead to the belief that they are a chosen people, thinking that they’ve found the truth out which so few others today or throughout history have. They tend to believe that they have a better understanding of their “holy” book than anyone else who disagrees with them. This is exhibited by the literally hundreds of different sects which exist. It’s pretty hard to believe this without some serious ego present.
Now, of course, this description would fit other religions as well, however, not all. Many Eastern religions don’t fit into this egocentric way of looking at the world, nor does humanism. It’s often claimed that atheists are conceited, but atheists like myself are totally fine with telling anyone that we may be wrong. That’s not a position I’ve heard more than a handful of times from a Christian.
One last note (for now). Saying that Christianity is egocentric in nature doesn’t mean that all Christians are egocentric, no more than claiming that capitalism is based on greed means that all capitalists are greedy. One would hope that would be obvious.
Christians believe that they’ve been created in the image of the omnipotent, omniscient creator of the universe (as someone once pointed out, if this were true it seems we’d all be invisible, hehe!). Christians believe that this all-powerful being is intimately concerned with them. Not just concerned, but obsessed with them.
Most Christians would tell you that this being, which they call God, talks to, directs, or even does favors for them. They believe that by talking to this being (prayer), they can influence him/her/it. They believe that the forces, which move the stars and direct the atoms, are contingent upon the preferences of their human heart.
Christians are convinced that their smallest actions and thoughts are of great concern. They consider themselves to be a higher life form than any other and that the world, indeed the very universe itself in all likelihood, was created for them.
All one has to do is look at how Christians have reacted historically to anything which threatens their view of themselves as being anything less than these things to see how seriously they feel about this. Whenever this has happened, it’s been met with denial, anger and often hostility. Bruno was burned at the stake for daring to say that the Earth wasn’t the center of the universe. Others were arrested or tortured for saying the same. Today, many Christians are offended even by the idea that they may be related to the other apes. “I’m no monkey’s uncle!” goes the cry. No amount of proof will be enough for such people since their ego doesn’t allow for it. They need to believe otherwise. The examples could go on.
One can’t help but think that Christian’s preoccupation with immortality has to come from this same well of self-obsession. No amount of life is enough for them. There’s terror in them for the idea that this life could be all they get. Why is this?
Christian ego tends to lead to the belief that they are a chosen people, thinking that they’ve found the truth out which so few others today or throughout history have. They tend to believe that they have a better understanding of their “holy” book than anyone else who disagrees with them. This is exhibited by the literally hundreds of different sects which exist. It’s pretty hard to believe this without some serious ego present.
Now, of course, this description would fit other religions as well, however, not all. Many Eastern religions don’t fit into this egocentric way of looking at the world, nor does humanism. It’s often claimed that atheists are conceited, but atheists like myself are totally fine with telling anyone that we may be wrong. That’s not a position I’ve heard more than a handful of times from a Christian.
One last note (for now). Saying that Christianity is egocentric in nature doesn’t mean that all Christians are egocentric, no more than claiming that capitalism is based on greed means that all capitalists are greedy. One would hope that would be obvious.
Comments:
<< Home
A belief in some all-powerful entity that bestows grace, love, and tenderness but also disappointment and sometimes even wrath upon us, serves as a place of comfort in this scary world. Father/mother figures provide us with someone to adore when things go right and someone to blame when things go wrong. It's easier to continue to make the same mistake in life if you can just say, "it's God's will" and not your own. The only real task one has in religion is to pray to this entity in hopes that things will just go right. No responsibility.
Yes, believing in such a being could very well be comforting. So is being told you're free of cancer by your doctor when you're not.
Believing in things without evidence because one wishes them to be true isn't a very healthy way to live one's life.
The heaviest responsibility you can take up is to admit that there's no god and that in the end it's on each one of us to comfort others, to help them, etc. Those innocent people praying in jail are talking to thin air. Nobodies coming unless it's you and I.
That's more responsibility than most can handle though, it seems.
Post a Comment
Believing in things without evidence because one wishes them to be true isn't a very healthy way to live one's life.
The heaviest responsibility you can take up is to admit that there's no god and that in the end it's on each one of us to comfort others, to help them, etc. Those innocent people praying in jail are talking to thin air. Nobodies coming unless it's you and I.
That's more responsibility than most can handle though, it seems.
<< Home
