I have never once met an overly religious person who wasn’t also a massive hypocrite
I have. Not many. I can think of one. There may be others. However, that’s enough for me to know it does happen.
From their perspective, they know they’re doing wrong. Their god knows they’re doing wrong. Their church knows they’re doing wrong too! So wouldn’t that imply this all goes towards their sins list?
Absolutely! The bible warns against following false prophets. That’s what these church leaders are.
But then I get told that sinners can just repent for all their sins, and be accepted into heaven.
Yeah, but depending on the church, you have to actually repent. As I understand it, Catholics can confess their sins to a priest and be absolved. However, most other Christian religions consider it a matter between you and God, so you can’t just pretend to repent. It’s has to be real. You don’t get to trick God.
One way it was described to me is like this: to be forgiven for your sins, you have to welcome Jesus into your heart. However, if you have welcomed Jesus into your heart, you wouldn’t sin. So, a sinner who has truly repented and embraced Jesus is forgiven and won’t sin again.
I think the vast majority of people who are going to church don’t believe it any more than you do. They’re in it for the social interaction or for the standing it gives them in their community, and it’s all just bullshit. However, I have met real true believers.
Roman Catholics get to talk to the father in confession and are issued a pennance. In my experience ( I’m since agnostic ) I was issued dumb things like say 100 hail Marys my son. It’s all a joke really. We were expected to confess EVERY week so we would use convenient things like “father I had Inpure thoughts about miss Tucker” even though you didn’t. Most of us didn’t do the pennance. We did however make friends with the altar boys who had access to the wine… Yeah we used real wine. I got a little more than tipsy on the blood of Christ a few times.
I’m gonna respond to a couple points.
I have. Not many. I can think of one. There may be others. However, that’s enough for me to know it does happen.
Absolutely! The bible warns against following false prophets. That’s what these church leaders are.
Yeah, but depending on the church, you have to actually repent. As I understand it, Catholics can confess their sins to a priest and be absolved. However, most other Christian religions consider it a matter between you and God, so you can’t just pretend to repent. It’s has to be real. You don’t get to trick God.
One way it was described to me is like this: to be forgiven for your sins, you have to welcome Jesus into your heart. However, if you have welcomed Jesus into your heart, you wouldn’t sin. So, a sinner who has truly repented and embraced Jesus is forgiven and won’t sin again.
I think the vast majority of people who are going to church don’t believe it any more than you do. They’re in it for the social interaction or for the standing it gives them in their community, and it’s all just bullshit. However, I have met real true believers.
The best Christians I’ve known weren’t overly religious people. They were just good people who did good things.
In my experience people who actually try to live by Jesus’s teachings don’t broadcast it every chance they get.
Roman Catholics get to talk to the father in confession and are issued a pennance. In my experience ( I’m since agnostic ) I was issued dumb things like say 100 hail Marys my son. It’s all a joke really. We were expected to confess EVERY week so we would use convenient things like “father I had Inpure thoughts about miss Tucker” even though you didn’t. Most of us didn’t do the pennance. We did however make friends with the altar boys who had access to the wine… Yeah we used real wine. I got a little more than tipsy on the blood of Christ a few times.