We’re Not The Only Christian Atheists
December 4th, 2009 | 
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In a previous post I argued that many Americans have a Christian atheist (or atheist Christian) mentality. Nonetheless, you might be wondering: Is Christian Atheism actually a wide spread phenomenon?
Although not as wide spread as many other forms of atheism or indeed Christianity, Christian atheists are in numbers. They often identify themselves as Christian atheist in one way or another and some are quite open about their lifestyle and their views on society. I’ll give a few examples:
Atheists For Jesus are a noble organization who are trying to ‘save’ Jesus from the Religious Right in America. Ken Schei, the group’s founder and president, has been reinterpreting the New Testament without its references to the supernatural. Just like I do, he refers to the Jefferson Bible as a source of inspiration. Schei believes that the (self-appointed) Apostle, Paul and his followers have polluted the word of Jesus for their own motives. For years he has been on a venerable quest to clarify Jesus’ true word from the distortions of the Religious Right. Schei has even published a book on the topic.
Russ Belville is a writer for the Oregon Herald. He describes himself to be a Positive Christian Atheist. In his own words he describes:
The “positive” part of Positive Christian Atheism means blending the positive aspects of Christian teaching with the positive reality of atheism. The admonition to treat others well means so much more when you realize this is the only life we’ve got, and the only heaven we’ll experience is the one we strive to create here on earth. A Positive Christian Atheist has to avoid sin not because he fears retribution in an afterlife, but rather because it creates poverty, death, mistrust, and despair in the real life. A Positive Christian Atheist doesn’t do good works to impress God; he does good works because they help people, just as Christ would have done.
This is what Christian atheism is all about: using the moral philosophies of Jesus to live a sinless life.
My family strives for this and many others do too. Although Christian atheists are not (yet) a tight nit community, many atheists do adopt Christian philosophy. Even on atheist forums and blogs, when we look past the raging atheism vs Christianity debate, we find people with similar moral philosophies. From personal to global problems, Christian humanism can sometimes show a solution.
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I mean this with absolute respect, and im not looking for an argument. I suspect you may not be either. However it seems to me you all are wasting alot of time. Since you reject belief in God you are welcome to do as you please, I am just curious as to what Jesus you are talking about. Maybe someone lied to you, but christians dont do good works to please God. And if they are, then they’re just wasting thier time too. a 2000 year late re-interpretation of the NT sounds about as credible as writing an entirely new bible. What good is the law to you with no grace? No reconciliation to God the father? How can you life a sinless life when your sins (and mine) are as deep hell? Whats the point? Wasnt that pauls point in some of his letters? This effort to subscribe to christian doctrine is hollow without the true risen savior to stand as your only hope…. Gosh. You can have something so much better than this christian humanism… I mean it. Maybe theirs something going on in you that you arent even aware of. I urge you to pray to the real Jesus. Because its either him, or Heat death. If its Jesus, Drink (but dont get drunk!) and praise God. And if its heat death, then drink and be merry, because there is no hope.
“But I warn you–unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!”
Have a wonderful day.
Great initiative.
I agree that most have replaced applying the actual teachings of Jesus with various corruptions, including making him, the bible or Paul the proverbial golden calf.
While I believe there is role for an institution that promotes a strict materialist interpretation of the teachings, I remain open to an evidence-based approach to the para-normal, and what we may learn from a DIRECT experience of ghosts, NDE, OBE, child past life remembrance, remote viewing, ESP, & mediumship, which is that we are more than our physical bodies.
and then there is this…
“I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” – luke 16:9
I’m surprised there haven’t been more comments about this. Seems like the sort of thing people should be discussing every day. We just don’t have that much meaningful dialog anymore.
Quintessence shows what secular Christians are up against.
“2000 year late re-interpretation of the NT sounds about as credible as writing an entirely new bible. What good is the law to you with no grace? No reconciliation to God the father? How can you life a sinless life when your sins (and mine) are as deep hell? Whats the point? Wasnt that pauls point in some of his letters?”
1. The message of Christ was reinterpreted by Paul, and most other Christians since, adding layer upon layer of mysticism. The aim is to cut through to the core of a proper Christians ethic undistracted by mumbo jumbo.
2. What is this law? The Jews had a law, supposedly divine, for several centuries before Christ. Christ wanted to show that law was unnecessary as long as people undertook to love each other. Most of us want to, but are stopped by countervailing immoral principles sold instead of Christ’s simple principle.
3. What is grace? God is dead is an expression of the plain and obvious fact that no one knows anything about God. If God is not dead, He might as well be. Grace is a property of the imaginary God. All such properties are meaningless.
4. God the Father is dead. See (3) above.
5. Living a sinless life. Secular Christianity/Christian Atheism, removes all the fancy delusions about God and replaces them with Christ’s basic message. It is this: if your sins are as deep as hell, as Quintessence puts it, you had better start doing something about it — you — yourself. God cannot help you. He is dead!
6. What’s the point? The point is that whether you believe in a God or not, the burden is on each of us personally to live moral lives, to live lives of Christ. Christian faith is a cop out from actually trying to be perfect as Christ said you should.
7. Paul. Strange how Christians repeatedly turn to Paul instead of the man whom they think is God incarnated. If Christ is God incarnate then they should be looking to what Christ did and said for examples of the Christian life and teaching, not to Paul. Paul emphasized faith when Christ emphasized lovingkindness to others. Secular Christians follow Christ not Paul. If Christ is not God incarnate, then the features of him that are memorable are his morality, and the way he lived life himself. That is what Secular Christians consider important about him, and that most supposed Christians, Pauline Christians, have abandoned.
When I originally commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get four emails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove me from that service? – Thanks