Christian vs Atheist vs Other Belief Systems

Let's start off by understanding that we all have a belief system. What I mean by this is that we all have a status of belief on why we are here.

• Atheist - Believe that no deities exist and that science governs the origins of existence and the operation of the universe
• Christianity - A variety of belief systems that generally contain Christ in their beliefs. Generally a deity created and governs the universe.
• Other Belief Systems - Other belief systems are a combination of actually believing in a deity /deities / science.
• Agnostic - A variety of beliefs commonly stating that there may or may not be a deity but have not settled on anything specific that they believe defines the creation of the universe or the operation of it.

OK so now we have a few groups defined. Within every group however there are always variations. First we can look at Christianity and see that there are a large variety of different varieties. Some examples may include, baptist, Methodist, Evangelical, Protestant, Mormon, Catholic, etc.


Within those churches themselves you will find that every single member has a different interpretation on what is going on with the religion. Everyone will accept or reject parts of the religion based on their genetic predispositions that will affect their personality(nature) coupled with their life experiences and what they were taught (nurturing).

A large part is the nature vs nurture aspect of development but there is also the fact that intelligence coupled with the way a person interprets a sentence or work of literature comes into play based on how they understand words and grammar of their particular language.

Another thing to look at is the actual literature and how it teaches. If there are parables (most have them) then you will notice that they are using story telling to convey tone, message, rules, etc. This doesn't always translate over particularly well in areas that have developed and changed greatly since the time of writing of the religious literature.

Everyone has a different weight on how they perceive things. Perception is huge. For instance a science major will look at the bible differently than their sibling who is a liberal arts major because of the huge weighted bias. (nature vs nurture)

We all need a way to understand our existence. When you search and search and them someone fills the void with a belief system that jives with the information you already have stored in your head you accept it as your own. Some however don't really give a shit and tend to end up agnostic because of their low value they put on how they got here or why the universe does what it does. They choose to just live life.

We all group things into different groups. This is what most commonly refer to as stereotypes. We do this because our minds are designed to do this to speed up the process of decision making on the fly. It isn't always the best way to go about things but has made humankind the way it is. It is an important instinct to survive yet we can grow out of this particular instinct as we are more adapted than our ancestors. This instinct is genetic and is important as many other personality traits we have embedded into our genetic history.

This behavior is understandable. The first step is to realize we all have problems and then to empathize with others that have problems and are not willing to face them and react accordingly.

Your own reaction is more important than others and how they act

So we first group things largely by a few very easily discernible factors such as;

• Do they believe in a deity?
• Do they believe in science?
• What combination of deity vs science do they have?

Then we group them. Then we go a step further;

Do they believe that Christ was killed on the cross for our sins?

• Yes
• No

Then we break it down into more petty issues that resolve into: Baptist, Methodist, Protestant, etc.

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Summary:

So look, we all have a different background and we each believe something. Sure you can throw the words, Christian, Atheist, Agnostic, etc. around but hey... we all are definitely different.

MOST IMPORTANTLY...

Every single group on the face of this earth has two extremes and a middle. So look... the nutters, the extremists are going to be the most visible of every group. This is where our negative stereotypes come in. A lot of people are normal and won't be super visible. Not everyone proselytize in a super annoying way or even at all. That shit gets annoying. Most are pretty normal. (normal - average of a group. Not either extreme of the spectrum)

For example... you have your church goers that won't argue with people but enjoy the similar behaved people. They know others don't all believe exactly the same thing and they are cool with that. You have the people that are super lax and only believe a small portion of the bible or religious texts and don't really care much at all. Then you have people that are extremists and will lobby, picket, tell you you're going to hell, go door to door, etc.

So I guess what I am getting at here is... don't worry so much. We are all just trying to live here on this little blue rock without killing each other. No need to hate on the other belief systems.

• Christian nutters...chill out
• Atheist Nutters...chill out
• Other Nutters... chill out

Cool now let's hang out and have a good time living. To each their own beliefs and may they live in harmony. Nobody has to be win the battle. It won't change your own personal perception of how you end or begin and that is OK.